Outdoor pine wood, or southern yellow pine, makes a great candidate for outdoor wooden furniture due to its strength and density. Outdoor pine has a light and natural golden color that’s attractive for wood furniture. Considered one of the strongest softwoods, pine is stiff and resistant to wear, making it ideal for outdoors.

Look of Outdoor Pine Furniture

The sapwood of southern yellow pine is a pale yellow-white color and the heartwood is reddish-brown. Pine’s natural color ranges from soft yellow to tan and is beautiful either stained or left unfinished. Pine has an attractive natural color and some knots will be present. Outdoor pine has a straight to fine wood grain with a medium texture and accepts stains well. While it can be painted, the grain makes it difficult for paint to adhere.

Stains on Outdoor Pine

Characteristics of Outdoor Pine

Outdoor pine furniture is highly resistant to wear. It works well with hand or power tools, glues, finishes and holds nails well. Its dense nature is good for holding nails and screws. It can be worked by machine or hand tools. 

Let’s Talk About Pine Trees

While there are many species of pine trees (there are around 250 species worldwide), there are four main types that are similar and that are most commonly referred to as southern yellow pines. They are the longleaf pine, shortleaf pine, slash pine and loblolly pine, with the loblolly being the most popular for outdoor pine furniture, and offering the most sapwood that displays a rich yellow-white color.

Southern yellow pine trees grow abundantly in the southern United States, and they are fast growing trees. The loblolly can grow up to 115 feet tall with trunks ranging from 1.5 feet to 5 feet in diameter.

Because pine is widely available, it is offered at a competitive price, making solid wood outdoor pine furniture affordable.

What Is Southern Yellow Pine Used For?

Southern yellow pine is dense and strong. This makes it a good candidate for things that need to bear weight like building frames, outdoor decks, swingsets and outdoor furniture.

Southern yellow pine is stronger and harder than other types of pine. It’s considered the “strongest softwood.” This makes southern yellow pine good for handling impact and resisting wear as well.

Southern yellow pine from loblolly trees (the most popular source of SYP) has a Janka hardness rating of 690 and the long leaf pine has a Janka of 870.

In addition to outdoor furniture, pressure treated southern yellow pine is used for:

  • Outdoor decks
  • Fencing
  • Flooring
  • Paneling
  • Window frames
  • Doors
  • Baseboards

*The Janka Rating is used to test relative hardness of woods. The Janka test measures the amount of force required to embed a 0.444 steel ball into the wood to half of the ball’s diameter.

How Do I Maintain My Outdoor Pine Furniture?

Outdoor pine furniture looks beautiful left unfinished or stained. Adding a sealer can help preserve your outdoor pine furniture even longer.

How Does Outdoor Pine Furniture Compare to Outdoor Cedar Furniture?

Pine and cedar are both great choices for outdoor furniture. Pine wears shades of yellowish-white, while cedar wears rich reddish-browns with streaks of creamy white.

Cedar can be left unfinished and look beautiful, with the wood weathering to a silver gray color over time. Cedar outdoor furniture has a rustic look that can somewhat limit it. Cedar contains natural oils that give off a fresh scent that repels bugs, and it’s naturally resistant to the growth of fungus and bacteria. Cedar wood has little air pockets in the wood grain that create insulation for the wood, keeping it cool even when the temperatures are hot outside.

Pine outdoor furniture is cheaper than cedar and can be left unfinished, stained or painted. Cedar must be re-sealed every few years to maintain its color.

Unfinished Pine Adirondack Chair and Grain Closeup
Pine Adirondack Chairs in Variety of Stains
Pine Adirondack Chairs Painted in Red
 

To learn more about our outdoor pine furniture, get in touch via email or phone at questions@dutchcrafters.com or toll-free at 866-272-6773.

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