Now that it’s late October, I’ve been bringing wooden items indoors, or at least putting them in our shed, to prepare for winter.

It's our natural go-to material

I can easily understand why we use wood in outdoor projects. Aside from the fact that it’s our favourite material and we have the tools to work it, it’s also plentiful, strong and looks great with a new coat of finish on it. The problem is, as time goes on, the elements break down the wood and weaken adhesives, causing loose joints and rot. A finish will help protect wood from deteriorating, but only so much and for so long. Even the best exterior finishes need to be reapplied, which is something we’re not all great at. Making a project is fun, but maintaining it is often a pain in the neck.

Wood is still an option

I’m not saying wood should never be used in an exterior project. I think there are three points to consider when choosing wood for exterior use. To start with, select the right materials for the task. Cedar, ipe, white oak and teak all stand up well outdoors. Do a bit of research and select a species that will at least give the project a headstart outside. This is especially true if the project will come into contact with the ground, as excessive moisture will make the situation more challenging. And while we’re on the topic of materials, ensure you’re using waterproof adhesives.

This leads me to my second point: proper engineering. Proper engineering is always important when building a piece of furniture, but it’s even more critical when the project is going to live outside. Rain and humidity challenges will be huge. There are obviously the basic considerations, like allowing wood to expand and contract as humidity levels change, but also seemingly smaller issues like trying to keep your project from coming into contact with the ground. Adding small rubber or plastic feet to the underside of legs will keep the piece slightly off the ground and stop water from wicking up into the legs or base of the piece. Another small engineering tip: don’t drive screw heads below the surface of the wood, as that creates a little cavity where water can pool and quickly soak into the wood, causing further problems.

The third point is maintenance. This isn’t my strong suit. With so many other tasks to accomplish and projects to build, I dislike spending time on pieces that I’ve already completed, but maintenance is important. The main aspect to maintenance is the choice of finish for a piece. Cleaning the surface and reapplying a coat of two of finish when needed will also go a long way to having your tables, chairs and other woodwork last as long as possible.

My current project

Part of the reason why using wood for outdoor projects has been on my mind is because I’m in the middle of creating two window frames and three storm windows for a heritage house in Peterborough. Pine is the traditional material for this situation, so that’s what I’m using. Although the frames will be outdoors for most of their lives (the storms will come inside during the summer), they still stand a good chance of living a long life since they won’t be sitting in water too often and they will be properly painted and maintained throughout their lifespan. The windows I’m replacing are likely at least 75 years old and might even be close to double that. There’s certainly some rot here and there, along with the odd loose joint, but considering these frames would have turned completely to dust if they had been sitting on the ground and didn’t get properly maintained, I’m pretty impressed.

Hopefully, these new window frames won’t need to be replaced for another century or so. Building objects that will last goes a long way to respecting the material we all love. It also allows us to spend more time building our next project, rather than having to replace the exterior project we built 10 years ago, but didn’t design or maintain properly.