Ultimate Guide to Select The Perfect Wooden Bench

What type of wood bench is right for you? With so many different kinds of woods to choose from, it can be tough figuring out the benefits and advantages of each one. There are over 100,000 different wood species in the world, and believe it or not, each type of wood bears unique qualities and characteristics that affect its durability and performance.

We’ve provided a summary of the different wood types used to craft our benches and furniture to make it easier for you to decide what kind of solid wood furniture works best for your outdoor space.

Cypress

Cypress wood is one of the best woods available in the US for outdoor furniture. Cypress is strong, durable, and contains preservatives that make it naturally resistant to decay and pests. Cypress wood has a golden brown tone and ranks well in dimensional stability, making it exceptionally resilient against warping and splitting - perfect for outdoor seating! Check out our Cypress collection here.

Ash Wood

White Ash is a dense wood that is exceptionally flexible and durable. It has a straight, pronounced grain and a pale brownish-yellow hue. Ashwood works well as outdoor furniture is finished with a protective coating, but if left unfinished outdoors, the wood will be susceptible to insect attacks and decay. Ash wood works excellent for indoor furniture as well.

Hickory

Hickory is among the heaviest, hardest, and most durable woods in North America. It is generally denser, more stringent, and has more of a rough, textured look and feel. Hickory lumber tends to be reddish-brown and is perfect for creating a pioneer/rustic look. Outdoor Hickory furniture performs best with a stain coating. We recommend covering the Hickory porch swing with a tarp in adverse weather conditions.

Acacia 

Acacia is a heavy and dense wood that performs well indoors and outdoors. Acacia wood typically has a rich, dark, reddish-brown hue and contains beautiful mixed grain patterns and swirls. Acacia has an acceptable resistance against decay and weathering.

Teak

Famously used throughout history for constructing boats, Teak wood is considered by many the world’s most durable wood. Naturally weather-resistant and pest-resistant, unfinished Teak holds up very well in all weather conditions for many years.

If left in direct weather, Teak wood turns from a golden brown to a silvery patina gray over time. Teak furniture usually costs more but is well worth it if you are looking for decades of maintenance-free enjoyment.

Monkey Pod Wood

Monkey Pod is exotic honey to dark brown colored wood that is highly durable against decay and is resistant to most pests. Monkey Pod is coarse in texture and has a beautiful combination of straight and wavy grain patterns. Monkey Pod Wood is one of our top picks for indoor and outdoor furniture.

White Cedar

Northern White Cedar is another excellent outdoor wood that is durable against weathering, decay, and pests. It has a fine-textured grain and tends to have a pale, yellow to tan hue. Ranked as one of the lightest types of wood available in the U.S, White Cedar is a solid choice for both indoor and outdoor furniture.

North American Aspen

North American Aspen is light and softwood that has excellent dimensional stability and low shrinkage. Aspen tends to be pale-tan and ranks low in durability and pest resistance. Prairie Leisure gliders will perform best outdoors with two coats of paint to protect it from the elements.

Yellow Pine

Yellow Pine is a hard, dense wood that has a pale yellowish hue. It has excellent resistance to decay and has a good overall strength to weight ratio, making it an excellent choice for outdoor furniture. We recommend two coats of paint on outdoor Yellow Pine furniture to increase longevity.

Sapelli

Sapelli is a beautiful African wood that works well for both indoor and outdoor furniture. Sapelli is a stable wood that is durable against decay but may be susceptible to pests if not finished correctly. Like Mahogany, Sapelli also has a gorgeous reddish-brown to dark brown hue, perfect for a bench seat.

Western Red Cedar

Western Red Cedar is a popular, lightweight wood that has excellent dimensional stability and rot-resistant qualities. Western Red Cedar furniture holds up very nicely outdoors and resists warping, cracking, and pests. If left unfinished in direct weather, Western Red Cedar wood will turn into a silvery gray over time.

Uses for Your Wooden Bench

While the type of material used to construct your new piece of wooden furniture is one of the most important factors when selecting an outdoor bench, it’s also important to take the purpose of your bench into consideration. What will your new wooden bench be used for?

If you’re looking for an alternative to dining chairs and/or a dining table, then a picnic style wooden bench could be the best solution for you. A picnic style wooden bench which is not attached to a table is also known as a backless bench. This type of bench can be a great solution if you need additional seating, as you can easily pull it up to an existing patio table.

If you’re looking for a garden bench, then you may wish to look for an outdoor bench that has intricately carved details, like the Cedar Country Hearts Garden Bench. This gorgeous wooden garden bench features an intricately carved heart-and-scroll pattern, allowing something a little extra to your outdoor style.

While there may be plenty of wooden benches that stand out to you, not all of them have storage space. If you’re looking for a wood storage bench to store outdoor cushions, yoga mats, or small pool toys, then you might want to consider adding one to your patio.