While outdoor furniture and garden benches can be crafted from a wide range of materials, it’s hard to beat the beauty and warmth of natural wood. When using wood for garden furniture, it's essential to select weather-resistant and durable wood.

So, which is the best wood for outdoor furniture? Here’s a detailed post about the most durable and eye-catching natural lumber available.

Even though no wood is particularly immune from insect damage and rotting, some are resilient to decay better than others. Because of present natural preservatives in the heartwood, fungi and insects find the woods mentioned in this post undesirable. Each selection has its pros and cons, so decide which wood is best for your garden furniture and budget.

Even though some wood types are best for outdoor furniture, there is enough of variety that you should find a species of wood that goes well with your taste, works with your needs and budget. Here is a list of favourite furniture wood:

Cypress is a prevalent wood type; it tends to grow in the swamps. It also comprises oils that repel fungi, bugs and other causes of decay.

Have you ever sniffed cedar? Then you will understand why the wood is so resilient to decay and rot? The oil causes the strong scent of wood it releases, which does an excellent job to repel pests. Cedar is not as durable as tropical hardwood; it can easily survive in harsh outdoor conditions for years if taken care properly.

Ipe is hardwood that is produced in Brazil. It has been known for its roughness that its ability to bend nails. It also has a long life – it can last from 25 to 40 years. Ipe is different from other wood types; while most of them float in water, Ipe is known for being so dense that it sinks. It also fires resilient than other types of wood and has high levels of tannic acid, which repels insects and fungi. One of the particular disadvantages of Ipe is that it is pretty expensive as compared to other materials.

Teak is another rot-resistant tropical wood. It is known for lasting long and low-maintenance with little care and attention. Even though its famous for its durability, the major drawback is teak trees grow very slowly. Currently, the supply of teak is pretty low, which means furniture crafted from it is quite expensive.

Dissimilar teak, this is a fast-growing, better source of rot resilient wood type. Similar to teak, eucalyptus is low maintenance and easy care — the fragrant oil found in eucalyptus aids in resisting moisture. Its density lets it to endure decay and rot.

This wood type consists a large number of tannins, which assist it in resisting decay and rot. The wood comes from substantial redwood trees. A significant drawback of redwood is the tannins present can cause staining, particularly around any fasteners used to connect the furniture.

White oak’s inner structure allows it to be resilient to moisture. The wood is famous for being quite durable.

If money isn’t an issue, you might want to buy garden furniture made from mahogany. Being the most expensive options, it is worth the price. Also, there are many variations of mahogany which can make sourcing selecting furniture made from it like an adventure type of game. All mahoganies aren’t the same, so if you find it at a low price, it’s worth scrutinising further.

When purchasing wood for outdoor furniture or projects, it’s essential to keep in mind that the darker colour heartwood is more rot resilient than the lighter sapwood. Whenever possible, be specific “all heart” materials for lumber used in outdoor garden projects.

Selecting a wood type for twin garden seat or outdoor furniture is firstly a question about priorities. Once you have decided the balance between sustainability, longevity and budget, it’s time to let the aesthetics take over. Because additionally being durable, a twin garden seat needs to beautiful.