Choose Rot Resistant Wood for Your Project
Well-known domestic examples include cedar, redwood, old-growth cypress, mulberry, yew, osage orange, and black locust. Tropical wood examples include ipe, lignumvitae, purpleheart, and old-growth teak.
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.
Characteristics of Redwood and Cedar
When you're looking for the best wood for outdoor use, both of these types of wood are naturally resistant to rot and decay, along with being termite and insect-resistant. Redwood and cedar are also known to: Resist warping and twisting.
Because of all its natural oils, teak is generally considered the most naturally water resistant wood — but it's not really particularly affordable, sustainable or easy to get your hands on.
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.
Depending on species, white oaks are rated as resistant or very resistant to moderately resistant to decay. True white oak and bur oak are considered durable, and the wood has had specific applications because of this attribute.
Since it's widely available, fir can be useful for those running a slightly tighter budget. It's one of the cheapest woods for outdoor use. If you're a woodworker or DIY garden furniture maker, this species also works and machines well, in addition to holding finishes easily — whether a clear varnish, stain or paint.
Untreated Wood
Left in their natural, unfinished state, most woods deteriorate quickly when exposed to outdoor environments. However, there are several species that have naturally occurring chemicals that help them shrug off harsh weather and insects.
Cedar is also softwood but it's tougher and more resistant than pine, able to resist the outdoor elements with no further treatment. This is why it's a great choice for outdoor tables and yard furniture. Cedar can also be used indoors for chests, wardrobes, and musical instruments.
Teak. Teak is the most highly recommended material for wooden outdoor furniture among designers, not only due to its resilience in any season but also because of its style and soft, grained finish. This miraculous material produces its own oils, making it unique in comparison to other types of natural woods.
Cedar wood projects typically last more than 20 years without splitting, rotting, or warping. White oak and teak are also long lasting woods that are resistant to decay, twisting, cracking, or warping.
Tips for Preventing Wood Rot
Always use decay-resistant or pressure-treated lumber for decks. Wood that touches the ground should be pressure-treated lumber that's rated for ground contact. When building an exterior project with wood, stain or paint all sides of each lumber piece before assembly.
Minwax® High Performance Wood Hardener is a quick drying liquid formulated to strengthen and reinforce decayed or rotting wood. Minwax® High Performance Wood Hardener 4.3 out of 5 stars.
Decay & rot resistance
Blessed with natural preservatives, make Cedar one of the most decay/ rot resistant and insect tolerant woods available. Minimal cracking and checking. Cracks will not penetrate the heartwood.
Redwood and cedar naturally contain tannin (a chemical that gives the products their color), which keeps the wood insect resistant. Since Californian redwood has a higher level of tannin, it could be more rot resistant than cedar.
How Long Does Pressure-Treated Wood Last? It depends on the climate, the type of wood, its uses, and how well it's maintained. While pressure treated poles can stay up to 40 years without any signs of rot or decay, decks and flooring might only last around 10 years.
Wood can Start to Rot in 1-3 Years If:
Wood is untreated. The wooded area is in a hot climate. The wooded area is not painted with the proper paint.
Cedar wood may last over 20 years when used in outdoor structures, such as decks, pergolas, gazebos, or furniture. It can last between 15 and 20 years when used for constructing a fence or support posts.
Pine. Pine wood is probably the cheapest wood that you can get on a consumer level, but it is also one of the best wood options when high strength and low cost are needed. Pine wood is sourced from the dozens of different pine species that grow natively around the world.
Pine is a super cheap wood that is actually quite strong for its price. Pine is very common for furniture building, and most of our early builds were made from pine. We still use pine sometimes, especially if we plan to paint the project.
Because of the size and straightness often found in Poplar logs, it is no wonder why the pioneers preferred this timber for log cabin construction. It is also highly rot resistant, which is why many barns were sided in the last couple centuries with Poplar lumber.
An untreated Oak beam, which is classed as 'durable', for example, will last 15-25 years depending on environmental conditions. The following scale of durability was outlined by TRADA, the Timber Research And Development Association.
White Oak is also more resistant to rot and water and is suitable for indoor or outdoor settings while Red Oak is more porous and should be used ideally indoors. In addition, its open pores allow the Red Oak to be stained easily and evenly while White Oak's closed grain tends to be more challenging to stain.