Posts Tagged ‘cedar patio furniture’
What is Cedar?
Cedar is not a very dense wood, making it one of the lightest softwoods available. Cedar also boasts an incredible thermal co-efficient. That means that the little tiny “air pockets” between the cells of the wood end up acting as an insulator when the wood is dry. If it is hot outside, for example, cedar will remain at a lower temperature than most other materials that conduct heat with more efficiency. The result is a cooler chair to sit on. And don’t forget, because it is a lightweight wood it will be easier for you to move it around than a heavy hardwood chair.Even though cedar is a lightweight wood you will not be sacrificing strength. It is a full 80% the strength of mighty OAK! That’s tough!
Cedar also has amazing dimensional stability. More simply put, cedar naturally tries to equalize its moisture content to match that of the air around it, like all woods. However, unlike many other woods, cedar does not expand or contract very much when it is absorbing or evaporating moisture. This is very important because while other harder, denser woods will tend to crack or warp from season to season, cedar tends not to crack or warp. If you live in an area where humidity levels can vary wildly between seasons, cedar is a must for you.
Cedar has a very low flame-spreading ratio and is low on the “smoke developed” scale when burning as well. This means that it doesn’t spread fire as fast nor produce as much smoke as some other types of wood.
Finally, cedar is very decay and weather resistant, which makes it ideal for cedar garden furniture. If you leave the furniture outside you have the option of either staining it every year or two if you want to maintain its fresh new look, or allowing it to age gracefully into a beautiful silvery gray color. If you choose to leave cedar permanently outside through all of the seasons, every day, every month, every year, we highly recommend treating it to protect the furniture properly and greatly extend its natural life. After all, cedar is resistant to decay but is not impervious to it. No wood is impervious to natural aging. Staining cedar just gives it an extra durability edge against Mother Nature, especially if it is left in constant contact with the ground.
Finding New Uses for Outdoor Furniture
Now that the harsh October winds are blowing across much of the Midwest and the East Coast, it’s not uncommon for homeowners to bring their patio furniture indoors for the season. A few weeks ago I set about transforming my screen room into its functional winter equivalent – a sun porch. Basically this process requires that I remove all of the screens from the windows and replace them with a pane of glass. Then I keep the sliding door to the rest of the house open, allowing the room to be heated.
In this way, I still get plenty of use out of my cedar patio furniture – even when the snow begins to fall and being outside for any lengthy period of time is simply out of the question. I like to retire to the sun porch to read a good book or to chat with family members. No matter what leisurely activity I might pursue, it’s heightened and improved by the stunning view out those windows.