Is American Black Walnut good for outdoor use? or is American Black Walnut good for exterior use? American Black Walnut is most suited for interior/interior use. American Black Walnut can be used as an exterior/external timber (without treatment).
On the one hand, walnut is a very durable wood. It doesnt usually warp despite changes in humidity and heat, plus its rot-resistant. However, all wood deteriorates when exposed to the elements, so we recommend that you avoid placing walnut furniture outside.
It is recommended in general to apply some wood protection such as a borate treatment followed by an oil sealer. I like to use "boiled" linseed oil on wood exposed to the weather around my farm. I replaced a couple of the boards on my redwood fence that got broken with black walnut just to see how well they would fare.
Naturally resistant woods that are commercially available include black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), teak (Tectona grandis), ipe (Tabebuia spp.), California redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and bald cypress (Taxodium distichum). These have the highest resistance to rot over time.
Which Wood Lasts the Longest? Teak wood easily lasts the longest when used for outdoor furniture or decking. When properly maintained, it can last for the entirety of your life and years after.
The best hardwoods for rainy weather are teak, mahogany, redwood, walnut, and cypress; the best softwood is cedar. These woods are ideal because they resist moisture well. Therefore, they don't warp or rot like other woods would if subjected to similar conditions.
All walnut pieces need a good regular dusting. It's best to avoid commercial cleaners. These can leave residue on lacquered wood or damage oil and wax finishes. Oil finished furniture does best with the application of natural linseed oil once a year.
Walnut is lovely wood, especially when carefully air dried so as to preserve the rich chocolate, purple and black tones in the best of it. HOWEVER, It fades like mad in sunlight. Furniture is touched by sunlight. Therefore, the lovely colors of the walnut go away — and it doesn't take centuries.
Tung oil varnish is a highly popular oil-based finish for walnut that offers excellent durability and water resistance, while simultaneously enhancing the natural beauty of the wood without significantly altering its hue. This type is chosen by many as the best oil finish for walnut.
Pros: Walnut is a very strong and stable wood that can take intricate carving. The color can be beautiful. Cons: Some may not like the variation from dark to light that's sometimes found on a single wide board. Walnut is also one of the more costly woods.
Walnut has great weather resistance because of its hardness and durability class 3. Untreated walnut wood can have an outdoor life of up to 15 years.
Rot Resistance: Black Walnut is rated as very durable in terms of decay resistance, though it is susceptible to insect attack. Workability: Typically easy to work provided the grain is straight and regular. Planer tearout can sometimes be a problem when surfacing pieces with irregular or figured grain.
Durability. Walnut is rated at a 1010 on the Janka Hardness Scale. European Oak is a 1360 on the same scale. This means that Oak is more durable than Walnut and will stand up better against constant use and daily wear and tear.
Facts About the Black Walnut Tree
They found that its rich-brown heartwood was exceptionally resistant to decay and put it to use as fence posts, poles, shingles, and sills.
White walnut has a much lighter color than black walnut wood, but that's not the only difference: This wood is much softer, and it's not as durable against decay as the other types of black walnut wood. It's easy to work with, but because it's soft, it has a fuzzy surface, even after it's been sanded.
New walnut has a consistent dark-brown color but as it gets older, two changes occur. 1: Unlike maple and cherry, it gets lighter. 2: A rich honey color starts to come through the grain. You can see the difference between a new table (left) and a four-year-old table (right).
Characteristics: Well known for its characteristic dark coloured wood with attractive grain patterns, Walnut is a dense and strong wood that is highly desired for expensive furniture and carpentry. Uses: Walnut is commonly used for furniture, musical instruments, carvings, trims and veneers.
Species such as maple and walnut dry at an intermediate rate, ie a 1” walnut board air dried in the south in the summer time will dry in about 120 days, and species such as oak, mesquite, and hickory dry very slowly (ie 1” per year).
General Finishes EF Sanding Sealer is a high quality acrylic waterborne sanding sealer that builds fast and makes sanding smooth and easy. For wood with large, open grain, such as walnut or mahogany, sanding sealer is especially handy as a final fill after most of the grain has been evened out with grain filler.
Walnut flooring also demands that you treat it with the utmost care. If it is not treated correctly then it is easy for scuffs and scratches to appear. In particular, Black Walnut is prone to becoming scuffed. So rather than dragging furniture across the flooring, it is better to lift and move it.
The best water resistant wood types & species. Iroko, Oak, Western Red Cedar, Cherry, Maple and heat-treated woods are just a few examples of timber that boast excellent dimensional stability and high resistance to shrinking and warping in the face of moisture.
Extremely Rot-Resistant Wood
Mahogany – This is the king of hardwood. It is extremely dense and hard which keeps the insects and water at bay, preventing rot. Mahogany is beautiful when finished natural, which is why many doors are built with it.
Summary: Most weather-resistant wood
Ipe wood is the primary lumbar reference when it comes to weather resistance. It is tougher than oak, very dense, and can withstand water exposure for years. Other tropical woods such as teak, Iroko, and Merbau are also renowned for their durability.