The first outdoor chair I built rotted in three years. Beautiful white oak, mortise and tenon joinery, finished with exterior polyurethane. I did everything I thought I was supposed to do. Still fell apart.
That failure sent me down a rabbit hole of research into outdoor furniture construction. Turns out theres a lot more to it than just using weather-resistant wood and calling it a day.
Why Outdoor Furniture Is Harder Than It Looks
Indoor furniture has it easy. Stable temperature, stable humidity, no direct sun, no rain. Outdoor furniture deals with all of that, often in the same day. The wood expands and contracts, finishes break down, joints work themselves loose. Its a hostile environment for anything made of wood.
But people have been making outdoor furniture for centuries. The key is understanding what youre up against and building accordingly.
Wood Selection Matters More Than Anything
Some woods just handle outdoor conditions better than others. After that first failure, I started paying much closer attention to species selection.
The Workhorses
Teak is the gold standard. The natural oils in teak resist water and insects. Left unfinished, it weathers to a beautiful silver-gray. Downside? Its expensive and getting harder to source responsibly. I use it for high-end client work but not for my own patio furniture.
White oak (done right) works great. My first chair failed because I didnt account for water pooling in the joints. White oak is naturally rot-resistant, but you still need to design for drainage. My second white oak chair is still going strong after eight years.
Cedar and redwood are softer but naturally decay-resistant. They work well for furniture that wont see heavy use. I wouldnt build a dining chair from cedar, but Adirondack chairs and benches hold up fine.
What to Avoid
Dont use pine outdoors unless youre okay with it falling apart. Pressure-treated lumber can work for structural pieces, but the chemicals make it a poor choice for furniture you actually touch. And most tropical hardwoods that look rot-resistant are being harvested unsustainably – do your research before buying.
Design Changes That Make a Difference
The joinery and design approaches that work indoors often fail outdoors. Here are the changes Ive made:
Let Water Escape
Water pooling in joints is the number one killer of outdoor furniture. Every horizontal surface should slope slightly so water runs off. Joints should either shed water or have drainage holes. Leg bottoms should be chamfered or raised so they dont sit in puddles.
On my Adirondack chairs, I angle the seat slats about 3 degrees back. Water runs off instead of pooling. Such a simple change, but it probably doubles the lifespan.
Allow for Movement
Wood moves more outdoors because of bigger humidity swings. Tabletops need room to expand. Slat seats should have gaps between boards. Anything that traps the wood will eventually split or warp.
I use elongated screw holes on breadboard ends – the screw can slide as the top expands and contracts. Indoor furniture can get away with tighter tolerances, but outdoor pieces need breathing room.
Mechanical Fasteners Are Your Friend
I love traditional joinery. But for outdoor furniture, I often reinforce joints with stainless steel screws or bolts. Not instead of good joinery – in addition to it. The mechanical connection holds even when glue fails or joints loosen from seasonal movement.
Use stainless or coated hardware, obviously. Regular steel will rust and stain the wood.
The Finish Question
Exterior finishes are a whole topic on their own, and honestly, my opinions here are controversial.
The Case for No Finish
If you use naturally rot-resistant wood, you can skip the finish entirely. Teak, white oak, cedar – they all weather to a gray patina that many people find beautiful. No maintenance required, and no finish to fail and look terrible.
I made a set of teak patio furniture for my own deck and never applied any finish. Six years later, its gray and gorgeous. Occasionally I hit it with a pressure washer, and thats the extent of maintenance.
If You Do Want a Finish
Film finishes like polyurethane and varnish look great initially but inevitably peel and flake. Once they start failing, you have to strip everything and start over. For furniture thats going to live outside year-round, I generally dont recommend them.
Penetrating oils are easier to maintain. Teak oil, Danish oil, or linseed oil soak into the wood rather than sitting on top. They need reapplication once or twice a year, but thats a simple wipe-on process rather than a full refinish.
Marine spar varnish is the toughest film finish if you really want that look. Its designed for boats and handles UV and moisture better than anything else. But its still going to need touch-ups, and the maintenance commitment is real.
What Ive Been Building Lately
My go-to outdoor project right now is a simple farmhouse-style dining table. White oak top on a cedar base (cheaper wood where its less visible). Stainless steel hardware throughout. Top gets a penetrating tung oil finish that can be refreshed with a single coat each spring.
The design is intentionally simple – thick legs, exposed tenons, no intricate details that would trap water. Looks substantial, builds quickly, and holds up to Midwest weather without drama.
For chairs to go with it, I actually recommend clients buy quality outdoor chairs rather than commissioning custom. Good outdoor seating is really hard to build without specialized equipment. The curve of a comfortable seat, the flex of a back – manufacturers who do this all day have it figured out. I can build a chair that works, but it takes me forever and costs the client more than just buying something excellent off the shelf.
Lessons From Various Failures
A few more things Ive learned the hard way:
- Shade helps a lot. Furniture under a covered porch lasts way longer than furniture in direct sun. UV breaks down both wood and finishes. If you can position furniture in a shaded spot, everything lasts longer.
- Bring cushions inside. If your outdoor furniture has cushions, store them inside when not in use. Mold grows fast on damp fabric. The frame can stay out; the soft stuff comes in.
- Dont cheap out on hardware. I tried saving money with zinc-plated screws once. Within two years they were rusted and staining the wood. Stainless costs more but doesnt fail.
- Some designs just dont work outside. That beautiful chair with the intricate carved back? Its going to trap water in every crevice and rot from the inside. Save the complex stuff for indoors.
Outdoor furniture is a different discipline than indoor work. It took me years and several rotted projects to figure that out. But now I actually enjoy the challenge – theres something satisfying about building something that can handle whatever the weather throws at it.
