Cedar, one of the most stylish and durable woods in the world.
Cedar Furniture
Click thumbnail to view full-sizeThe World of Cedar Furniture
Cedar is one of the most durable and fashionable woods that furniture can be constructed from. Cedar is a beautiful type of wood and is very popular wood due to its practicality as well as its beauty. Cedar is a wood that comes naturally resistant to things like decay, insect, and weather damage. It has a quite superior resistance to almost any other wood. Cedar is often used in outdoor settings for fencing, outdoor furniture, and even siding on home. However, indoor cedar furniture is just as popular as the outdoor versions. Cedar also has an amazing strength to weight ratio, which makes it both durable and easy to move around and relocate if need be. Because of its natural resistance to many things, it does not shrink or warp as so many other woods will do if not treated. Cedar needs no treating to be this tough. No special processes are used to make cedar as durable and long lasting as it is. Pressure treated wood furniture usually have chemical additives, whereas in cedar you do not have this to worry about. Cedar is a good family wood.
There is much of the indoor cedar furniture that is made from northern white cedar, which is a different cedar than what is normally used outside. Western red cedar is used more for the outdoor cedar jobs. These woods are selected for specific reasons, of course. The northern white cedar is selected for indoor because of its creamier white color and its ever enduring strength. When white cedar is used to make outdoor furniture, it will turn a silvery gray color over time and this is why western red cedar is used outside. Western red cedar does not show signs of turning this silvery gray color.
Whatever piece of furniture you are interested in buying, you will surely be able to find it in cedar. Cedar furniture tends be a little pricey because of its durability and natural resistance to things. However, lucky for us, there are a lot of cedar trees out there so this keeps the cost down as much as possible. There are plenty of cedars to go around. Cedar indoor furniture includes everything from bunk beds to recliners. The outdoor cedar furniture is the same way. There are cedar lawn chairs, cedar tables, cedar foot stools, and cedar for every other occasion. When you purchase a piece of cedar furniture you are making a great investment. A piece of cedar furniture can last a person their entire lifetime, even with minimal upkeep.
There are many various cedar retailers online and offline. Many of these retailers specialize in nothing but cedar. Depending on what piece of cedar furniture you are looking to buy, you may end up paying a good amount of money for it. The good thing is, is that cedar furniture is not only something that is useful, but it is something like an investment. Cedar furniture is so durable that it can be passed along family lines if need be. Investing in a piece of this furniture could really pay off in the long run, so to speak. Buying a piece or set of cedar furniture can keep you from having to buy that particular piece or set of furniture ever again.
What makes Cedar Furniture Great?
What is so great about cedar outdoor furniture? Does the term “outdoor furniture” invoke imagery of sitting on grandma’s outdoor chair and having it collapse on you? Or the saggy picnic tables when your parents always made you sit in the middle of the bench because they were afraid it would collapse if they parked their own derrieres there. Chances are, if you ever had an outdoor chair or picnic table collapse on you, it was made of pine. Untreated pine simply does not have the longevity of cedar outdoor furniture.
Nowadays outdoor furniture does not consist entirely of chairs and picnic tables. About any kind of furniture you can think of is made of cedar. It is one of the finest woods available for manufacturing any kind of wooden outdoor furniture or decorations. The unique properties of cedar help prevent it from sagging over time. This is so because the cellular structure of cedar wood allows it to dry quickly, thereby keeping its strength intact. Cedar is also resistant to damage caused by fungus, insects, sun, rain, sleet, snow and hail. It is probably the only outdoor wooden furniture you would trust enough to invite a Phoenix Cardinal Lineman to sit on if he came to visit at your home.
Cedar outdoor furniture is more stylish than your grandparents could ever imagine. And most of it is attractive enough to use indoors if you prefer.
Here are a few types of cedar outdoor furniture that are available:
- Porch swings are usually built for two, and can allow you to become very intimate. Instead of loveseats, you might call them love swings.
- Picnic tables come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some are made in traditional one-piece units, but others are round, oval, square or rectangular. Many have free-standing or detachable benches, or you can get them with Adirondack chairs, log benches, captain chairs or other styles of chairs. Many have a built-in hole for attaching a large umbrella to provide shade.
- Pergolas and arbors are built so your garden’s climbing vines will have somewhere to run free.
- Garden benches come in a variety of styles and sizes. Most are freestanding, and may or may not have backs. Others might be attached to planter boxes, and still others are designed to completely surround the base of a tree so you can sit and look in any direction.
- Accent tables are made for various purposes. There are side tables, coffee tables, end tables, gaming tables, sofa tables, country garden tables and folding tables.
- Storage benches are built to serve more than one purpose. They might be used as both a sitting bench and a storage case, or ice chest.
There simply is not enough room here to describe every type of cedar outdoor furniture available. But when you check around, you will be surprised and impressed with the innovations since grandma’s day.