Questions tagged [outdoor]
The outdoor tag has no usage guidance.
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Do I need to dry white oak before it can be used for an outdoor balance beam?
I'm planning to build an outdoor balance beam in a 3-part right-angle Z- shape ( ‾‾|__ ) and have access to some fresh-cut white oak (6"x6") which I think will do well outside, but I'm not ...
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How can I seal/stain white cedar to make look similar to its original light color?
I made this white cedar chest & I want to protect it from rain and graying from ultraviolet (UV) sun exposure.
I desire an oil stain or sealer because I have seen skin-peeling from varnish, ...
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Can I span across 22' without support for an outdoor pergola?
We are building an outdoor pergola and foundation work was done by a contractor who built a cement foundation that is 22' by 12'. I have no idea why he made one side so much larger than another.
Will ...
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Used motor oil on treated pine
I am having a large bin made for refuse bags at our beach house. It will be made from treated pine and stainless steel screws and hinges. I was quoted for the job which includes 4-5 layers of used ...
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Should I stain/seal outdoor furniture before or after pre-drilling lots of pocket holes?
EDIT: I am using pine wood, and I intend to plug the holes if I can find xl pocket hole plugs. I do not intend for this piece to last decades. Since this is my first outdoor furniture build, if I get ...
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Treehouse plans call for a 4x10 beam. Can I sandwich a pair of 2x10 and secure them with glue and screws?
I am trying to build a tree house and I bough plans for it. The plans call for 4x10 beams, which my local big box store doesn't carry. Can I get away with sandwiching 2 2x10 boards using glue and ...
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Correct moisture % when painting pressure-treated wood
I keep reading that treated wood needs to be dry before you paint it, but nobody says how dry. They say to spray on some water and see if it beads on the surface - but this test seems very error-prone....
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Advice for wooden bench durability
I’m building a storage bench for a community garden. My goal is to build it to last for 10 years with minimal maintenance. It is essentially a big wooden chest that is 24” x 20” x 72”.
I plan to use ...
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Drying Fir Rounds for Outdoor Table
I have a couple rounds cut off a 42 inch (107 cm) diameter Douglas Fir log that I'd like to turn into tables for use outdoors on a covered porch. The rounds are about 4 inches (10 cm) thick. I'm ...
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What caused these screws to loosen so much (and how to prevent it)?
I built some basic picnic table benches five or so years ago, using what I thought were the proper components - outdoor weather-resistant paint and premium deck screws.
I'm surprised at the extent to ...
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Is the mineral oil sold for constipation the same type of mineral oil used for cutting boards?
I want to make my own mix of beeswax and mineral oil. The mineral oil sold at Home Depot costs over 6 times more than the stuff sold in Walmart for constipation.
Are they the same thing?
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Reuse planks of an old garden house
In my allotment garden there is an old garden house, which needs to be torn off. The house is approximately 30 years old and the planks are varnished. The wood varnish is already peeling off. I don't ...
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How do I stop cracking noises from my pergola?
I have built a pergola on my own about 1.5 years ago and it doesn't stop making those cracking wood noises (like the wood is cracking).
First of all I know I have built the pergola pretty good ...
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How is playground wood treated?
Hi everyone I'm just wondering what is the standard for treating playground wood in a safe way for kids such as in this picture?
I've done a bit of searching but I can't find anything conclusive.
...
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What is a good US Wood to repair some Jarrah furniture?
We have a table and set of benches in the garden, made of Jarrah wood. The only treatment they've had is regular coating with Jarrah oil, so they are nice and dark.
Some of the benches have recently ...
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Best wood species for direct soil contact?
I am about to create a number of raised planter-boxes where i can't separate the wood and soil with plastic. So, in order to create something that will last for as long as possible I have been trying ...
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Titebond III Ultimate for raised garden bed
I would like to use TB 3 Ultimate to glue stacks of 4"x4"x8' together in a overlapping configuration to make a 12" tall garden bed. With it hold up under Pacific NW east cascade weather?...
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Can preservative-treated Douglas fir safely be used indoors (after planing the outer layer off)
I have a bunch of Douglas fir planks left over from another project. These were originally intended for outdoor use and are treated with some kind of preservative that leaves a colored stain (they ...
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using two different types of woods for outdoor pergola
Is it okay to use two different types of woods for building a pergola?
I was thinking about using 6x6 pecky cedar for pergola posts and use redwood for beams and rafters. Is this considered Ok?
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Varnish in contact with skin for outdoor material
I'd like to "re-fresh" a balance bike.
According to the constructor, its laminated body is made of
Simply superply™. Nothing but hand-picked, grade a veneers bonded with the finest marine ply "WBP"...
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Shellac over paint, outdoors
I am making something for outdoor use and I've painted it with a matte exterior latex paint. I'm satisfied with the protection that the paint will offer but I'm experimenting with ways to make it look ...
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Make a Street Library
I'd like to build a streetlibrary.org.au. About 50cm square from the front, a shelf, with a peaked roof, 20cm deep, glass door, mounted on a post. I'd use solid pine or Tas oak (local eucalyptus), ...
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Best way to make wood weather resistant?
How can I make my wood project outside more resistant to rain and other weather? Is there some coatings that would work well or some other methods?
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Simple, Outdoor Standing Desk?
I'd like to make a simple, outdoor standing desk using minimal materials. My
intended use case is to carry my laptop, monitor, and keyboard (and their ...
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How can I prevent outdoor cedar projects from losing their color?
I love the look of natural cedar for outdoor projects. I built a small garden fence a few years ago, and made the mistake of leaving it unfinished. It's completely gray/silver now.
I'm planning on ...
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How can I distinguish between mold or wear in teak?
I was given a teak patio set that has some damage that I cannot identify as mold or wear. In either case I don’t know how to fix it.
I’ve read a bunch of articles about how to clean with a ...
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Cigarette-proofing outdoor furniture
I built some benches, they're pressure treated lumber currently finished with oil based stain and oil based satin finish spar urethane. Some of them have shellac between the stain and urethane because ...
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outdoor preservative
A neighbor has outdoor sculpture (an owl) carved from a tree trunk left at just the right height for the purpose when the tree was felled. It's several years old and well maintained. It's time to ...
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Outdoor gate build - should I treat cut surfaces (half-lap joints) before gluing together?
New to woodworking and doing first project which is a garden gate. I am using pressurized 2x4 timber for the frame. To join the vertical and horizontal timbers together, I am using the half-lap joint (...
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Finish options for oak chairs, outdoors + high UV
I have built four oak wine barrel chairs that will be outdoors in a dry, high-UV climate. I see other chairs in our climate that the poly finish cracks and doesn't last long.
I would like to put on ...
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Refinishing teak patio table
A couple of years ago, we purchased a beautiful teak outdoor table. I sealed it with Semco sealer (recommended by the store for teak) a month after we bought it. To protect our investment, we also had ...
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New Orleans style Exterior Wood Shutters
What process would you go through to create this style of shutters, with the expectation that they're built for long-life? Specifically, I'm interested in how the back panel is put together: glue or ...
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Will a tabletop bolted to slotted angle brackets have problems with wood movement?
I’ve been planning to build a farm style table for our patio. If I join the top boards using pocket screws + titebond III and attach the top to the base using angle brackets with wide slots, will I be ...
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What does methyl bromide look like on timber?
I have timber from pallets without any stamps. From my research, un-stamped pallets may be for domestic use and, therefore, are not treated in any way.
With that said the timber has some granular ...
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How can I turn a couple of logs into stubby legs for a outdoor tree round table?
I want to create legs for an outdoor cedar tree round table. I'd like the table top to be 18" to maybe 20" high.
How might I securely attach these legs to the tree round?
The tree round is 4' ...
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7' x 7' Resin Shed Base - Plywood on blocks?
I bought a 7x7 resin shed. Link below: https://www.menards.com/main/outdoors/sheds-outdoor-storage-accessories/sheds/suncast-reg-covington-reg-storage-shed-7-x-7/bms7725/p-1507530514920.htm
I need to ...
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When to retreat linseed oil finished wood placed outdoors in moderate rainy climate
We have a couple of wooden bee hives with metal roofs. We have treated the exterior faces of the hives with raw linseed oil, three coats. It has cured nicely, as far as I can tell.
What we're ...
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How should I secure my treehouse to the tree?
This summer I plan to start a small tree house for kids project on a old and big but living tree (Albizia julibrissin).
My first idea is to build a frame around branches without using screw in tree. ...
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What should be done to treat decorative wood for outdoor use?
I'm building a live edge bench in memory of a loved one, and would like it to last as long as possible while weathering the elements year round. I live in Pittsburgh, PA, which means we get ...
- 65.8k
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How to can I repair/mitigate rot in the center of a Western Cedar tree round?
I want to turn a large western cedar tree round into a low table for a covered outdoor area.
The round is from a 100-ish year old cedar tree. It was freshly cut (one month ago), is roughly 4 feet ...
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Preventing dust spots when staining outside
I'm getting ready to stain a small table I'm making, and everything I've read says that you need to make sure your environment is dust-free to prevent spots. However, I live in a small condo in the ...
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How can I protect my teak table while maintaining its raw and unfinished look?
I have an outdoor teak table that I want to be protected against the weather without altering the way it looks too much. I put clear spar urethane on my chairs and was unhappy because they ended up ...
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Longterm protection for outdoor painted bird feeder (bird safe & environmentally friendly)?
I'm custom building some bird feeders which will be sold for a charity. They need to be safe for birds, look decent for a while, preferably be environmentally friendly.
1) What are my options for ...
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Waterproofing Wood With Left Over Polyurethane (Aesthetics irrelevant to project)
So I know the off-the-cuff answer is you cannot (or should not) use Indoor Rated Poly to weather proof wood as the sun's UV will discolor the wood and other issues visually. This wood though is being ...
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Lumber Dimensions for Brachiation Ladder (Monkey Bars)
My American Ninja Warrior watching daughter has asked me to build her a Brachiation Ladder (fancy name for overhead ladder or monkey bars). Here's an example:
The interesting part is that she doesn'...
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Why keep gaps in siding of outdoor furniture project?
Below you can see a picture of a patio prep cart that I'm building for my brother. I would like to make a few design changes to the plan but I'm not sure if it would have some unforeseen negative ...
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how can I make a cedar tree round into an outdoor table? [closed]
How can I turn a large western cedar tree round into a low table?
I now have a large western cedar tree round. It's from a 100-ish year old cedar tree that a neighbor cut down. My wife would like ...
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Choosing wood and finish for outdoor furniture
What qualities should I look for in woods to be used in outdoor furniture and what are some examples of woods which have those qualities?
What finishing options do I have for weatherproofing wooden ...
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When building an outdoor structure, should I use pressure-treated lumber or something like cedar?
I am building a pergola (~10'x10') on my patio (and plan to build a gazebo out in the yard), but before I build it, I want to make sure I'm using the best option for lumber.
Should I use pressure-...
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