Let’s Learn More About Choosing Pine Wood for Outdoor Use
The history of forestry owes pine trees and pinewood great credit for their success.
Pine trees are, for a fact, the most commercial and significant species of wood to ever be a part of forestry.
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Now, the question here is whether choosing pine wood for outdoor use is a smart decision.
Pine trees belong to the ‘Pinaceae’ botanical family and the genus ‘Pinus.’
There are around 120 different pine species in the world, and most of them are used in the woodwork industry.
Pine trees produce very flexible and long-lasting wood that is available in a wide range of colors.
It is also less expensive than other woods, which makes it the best wood for any wooden masterpiece you want for any project.
However, using untreated wood pine outdoors is a whole different matter that we will explore as the article proceeds.
Let’s first learn more about the different types of pine wood available for flooring, furniture, cabinets, outdoor use, etc.
Pine Wood and Its Major Variants
Pine lumber is a bendable, long-lasting wood available in a wide range of colors.
It is a part of every aspect of raw construction as well as more advanced woodworking.
Pine trees are softwood and grow swiftly and thickly in dense stands, which makes them suitable for the lumber business.
Pine trees are the most abundant evergreen trees in the northern hemisphere.
In reality, the United States formerly had over a hundred million acres of pine forests.
We have observed a great decrease in the numbers due to deforestation for various purposes.
However, they are still one of the most common species of trees in the Northern American region.
The evergreen coniferous pine trees, which are found in abundance all over the world, are used to make the pine lumber.
Pine produces a very softwood that is utilized in a wide range of construction tasks, including furniture and craft projects.
Here are a few major variants of pinewood based on the color, texture, and other properties:
● The Southern Yellow Pine
Just as the name of the type suggests, the southern yellow pine is bright yellow in color.
This pine is often utilized in construction projects due to its high density and strength.
In fact, of all the pines, the Southern Yellow Pine has the highest load-bearing capacity.
It is ideal for building boats, flooring, and other construction projects due to its strength.
The southern yellow pine is undoubtedly one of the best options of pine wood for outdoor use.
Due to its abundance and availability in a range of commercial cuts, Southern Yellow is also the least expensive.
The three most common pine types that contribute to the manufacture of Southern Yellow Pine are shortleaf, longleaf, and loblolly pines.
To bring out the finest in this type of wood, use deep red or brown stains or aged effects when applying the finish.
● The Blue Pine
The only thing that sets Yellow Pine apart from this kind of pine wood is the color that reflects on the panels.
Blue Pine grains are bluish, brownish, or grayish in color because of the black fungus that dwells on them.
This type of wood has a high load-bearing capacity, so you will not have any problems when it comes to strength.
Finding the right finish, on the other hand, might be difficult because some parts of the pinewood retain their dark bluish color after staining.
● The Deal Pine
The deal pine is known for its knotty, visible grain, which makes it a popular choice for paneling and wooden doors.
This type of wood is commonly utilized in furniture and interior design.
In the United States, certain White Pine boards are ammonia-washed and sanded to make them appear yellow and give them the knotty patterns that are unique for pinewood for outdoor use.
Deal Red and yellow pine planks are commonly imported from Europe, particularly from Poland, Sweden, and Norway.
Moreover, they are also brought in from Northern Asia and especially Russia.
● The White Pine
The White Pine is also known as Eastern White Pine, Soft Pine, and Northern White Pine and is native to North America.
The majority of White Pine planks come from California, the Eastern and Northern United States, or the Great Lakes region.
This type of wood is far too soft to be used in the construction of a home or commercial building.
Its color and flexibility, on the other hand, make it suitable for woodworking, handicrafts, and furniture.
Due to its resistance to swelling, shrinking, warping, and splitting, many craftsmen prefer White Pine to other wood species.
The Pros and Cons Of Pine Wood for Outdoor Use?
Did you know that pine trees have a lifespan between a hundred to a thousand years?
Pine is a versatile wood that may be used in a variety of ways.
They have great value when it comes to all types of carpentry, such as pine furniture, window and door framing, paneling, pinewood flooring, and roofing.
The rustic beauty of pine makes it excellent for outdoor furniture.
Pine has a light amber color and brown grain patterns, as well as red or black knots, which give it character. Pine is a soft, pleasant-to-the-touch wood.
Pine is a wonderful alternative if you are planning a construction project. In a variety of ways, working with pine differs from dealing with other wood species.
Listed below are a few of the positives and negatives of using untreated pine outdoors, starting with the advantages
● Pine Wood Is Extremely Durable
Many individuals believe that softwood is less durable than hardwood.
This is not fully correct, though. You cannot tell how long any wood, whether softwood or hardwood, will last.
Pinewood is a long-lasting material, but how it is utilized determines how long it will remain.
It is not designed to be used outdoors.
Even Nevertheless, if you want to utilize pine for outdoor applications, pressure-treated pine is a good choice because of its other benefits.
● Pine Is A Very Light-weight Wood
Light-weight wood has good workability.
It is fairly easy and simple to shift or transport it from one spot to another, and it is even easier at heights.
Its density is lower than that of many other soft- and hardwoods.
The Eastern White Pine weighs approximately twenty-five pounds per cubic foot, which is around 881 kilograms per meter-cube.
While on the other hand, the Southern Yellow Pine weighs approximately 41 pounds per cubic foot, which is around 1433 pounds per cubic meter.
● Pine Wood Has A Great Workability
Because of its ease of usage, pine is popular among woodworkers out of all other wood for outdoor use.
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Moreover, pinewood makes the craftsman’s life easier as they do not have to work with very heavy or hard material.
Hand and machine tools are both simple to operate.
Untreated wood has a beautiful binding and finish.
When working with pine, no drilling is necessary prior to nailing and screwing.
This saves a lot of time during large projects.
When working with hardwood, many carpenters believe that the blades must be changed regularly, wasting a significant amount of time.
● Pine Wood Is Affordable And Abundantly Available
When you look for wood for outdoor use, pine is a cost-effective untreated wood.
It is less expensive than a lot of other softwoods and hardwoods.
A range of reasons, including ample availability and quick development, contribute to the low price of pine wood.
As a result, transportation is not prohibitively costly.
Other types of rare wood are becoming more expensive to ship from one country to another.
Pinewood is typically found in northern, central, and eastern Europe, but there are other species of trees in other regions of the world as well.
Both the red and Australian pines are fast-growing trees, growing around a couple of feet each year on average so their needs can be met as soon as possible.
Let’s take a look at some of the demerits now:
● Pine Wood Has Defects and Rots Quickly
The bulk of pine wood is defective due to its susceptibility to rot.
Furniture constructed of high to medium-grade wood is desirable, whereas flooring and outdoor uses require high-grade wood.
● Pine Wood Gets Scratches and Dents Easily
Pine is a softwood, so it has some softwood drawbacks, such as being easily scratched and dented.
However, this is less of an issue with hardwoods.
Scratches and dents can be caused by a number of factors.
The primary issue with pinewood, however, is low hardness.
This is not enough to keep dents and scratches at bay.
● Pine Wood Requires Maintenance and Care
Pinewood needs to be cared for on a regular basis.
It cannot stand standing in water for long periods.
It begins to warp and crack if it is repeatedly exposed to the sun.
Remove any decayed portions as quickly as feasible, and oil and wax as needed. Clean with warm water at all times.
Pine Wood for Outdoor Use: Comparison with Other Woods
Some of you may be planning to start new garden projects or home decor projects in the near future.
This could be a shed or an outside deck.
It’s important that you plan well and use the best materials possible to ensure the project will last as long as feasible.
Pine is a strong and durable wood.
It is a stiff softwood with better compressive, density, and bending strength than the majority of softwoods.
Pinewood is strong and long-lasting, making it suitable for furniture, paneling, window frames, roofing, and other woodworking tasks.
Pinewood is weaker than all hardwoods but is stronger than many other softwoods.
● Pinewood vs. Cedar Wood
The beautiful natural oils that are present in the cedar wood make it prone to decay and diffusion.
Moreover, they keep all the pesky bugs away.
Additionally, the oils give cedar a nice aroma.
Due to the fact that pinewood does not have any properties to help them naturally resist decay, woodworkers sometimes have to get it pressure-treated in order to make it more sturdy and durable for outside use.
As a consequence, cedar has a little advantage in this category because of its natural nature, which contributes to its long-term endurance.
Pine is still a fantastic material for all of your outdoor projects and looks great when stained.
But Pine lacks the natural resistance to weather that cedar has.
Pressure-treated pine has the tendency to survive for a long time and will withstand the elements.
Speaking of pressure-treated pine check out our other article on how pressure-treated wood is made.
Moreover, when we use cedarwood, it requires more preservation and care than pine wood does.
If no sealant is applied, cedar will age to a gorgeous gray tone over time.
If you use a stain or sealer on your cedar, you will need to reapply it every few years to retain the color.
● Pinewood vs. Red Oak
There is a popular concept that oak is preferable to pine by many people.
This is not the case, however.
In terms of wood hardness, color, and durability, both oak and pine have benefits.
This is preferable for you depending on your needs.
Pine is more cost-effective while still being robust and beautiful, whereas oak is more durable.
The amount of time that a wood piece takes to mature and the difference between softwood and hardwood, oak is a naturally longer-lasting furniture material than pine.
This is not to say that pine is a flimsy material.
Despite the fact that pine is quite durable, oak is less prone to dent, discoloration, or wear and tear.
However, this does not always suggest that oak is the best choice.
If you want furniture that will last at least half a century, choose oak wood.
Then you won’t need our article on how to restore old wood furniture.
However, if you are looking for furniture for your kids’ bedrooms, pine might be a better choice.
Now, you may either replace it when your child grows older and you redecorate, or you can get rid of it completely when your child moves out and their bedroom becomes its own space.
As a result, you might not need as much robust furniture.
Why is Untreated Pine Wood a Good Choice for Outdoor Use?
Untreated pine wood is one of the safest and most durable options of wood for use outside.
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When used outside, proactive measures should be taken to make untreated wood a feasible long-term project option.
Sealing, painting, or using other bonding chemicals can help untreated wood endure longer.
When using untreated wood outside, you are going to run into a lot of problems.
The first problem could be that untreated wood gets damp.
This causes the wood to degrade, rot, and develop fungus.
On untreated outdoor wood, wet conditions make for an ideal nesting home for insects.
When it comes to using outdoors, untreated pine can be utilized, although it isn’t the best choice.
Pine that has been pressure-treated will be far more resistant to the elements.
Preservatives made of chemicals may cause other issues.
Treated pine, on the other hand, is suitable for a wide range of outdoor applications, including decks and fences.
And you can still stain and seal pressure-treated deck wood if you so choose.
So, the answer should right away be that yes, you can use untreated pine outside.
However, this still does not guarantee that your wood will last very long.
We wrote another article on how long untreated wood will last outside.
How to Make Your Outdoor Pine Wood Last Longer?
When it comes to laminated pine, this is a different substance than PAR pine.
Laminated pine is formed by gluing together longer planks that have been bonded together to make the width.
You can easily see how the boards are glued together when you buy laminated wood shelves from your local hardware shop, which is where the problem begins.
The adhesive used in laminating or attaching boards together to create a larger product is not watertight.
Basically, it is just conventional wood glue.
When using pine for outdoor projects, keep in mind that it expands and contracts in response to the surrounding environment, just like any other wood.
The joints between the boards deteriorate and eventually split apart when it expands and compresses, especially if it becomes damp.
However, by applying an exterior sealer or wood treatment solution on a regular basis, you can avoid this.
Even when treated, laminated pine should not be used in areas where it might get wet.
When using pine wood outdoors, you need to make sure that you keep these few important things in mind right from the start.
The first one is to use pressure-treated wood if any part of your project will be underground.
In contrast, it is not prohibitively expensive.
Untreated wood will rot quickly in the ground, rendering your product unusable.
Furthermore, when burying wood, it is best to cover it with concrete or gravel.
Go here to find out how long pressure-treated wood will last in concrete.
What Makes Pine Wood A Great Choice For Your Outdoor Projects?
The wood’s color and grain can be utilized to identify it.
Pine sapwood is a pale yellow to white in hue, whereas heartwood is light brown to reddish-brown in color. With time, the color darkens.
Pinewood is full of dark brown circular knots.
As a result, they receive special treatment.
Pine has a straight grain with a consistent, mild roughness.
Pine has a medium-large open grain that makes it it is very easy to deal with for woodworkers and craftsmen.
However, due to the open grain, it absorbs moisture quickly.
Western White Pine and Eastern White Pine have a faint, resinous odor.
The decay resistance of pine wood for outdoor use is moderate to low, making them the ultimate choice for your outdoor or garden projects.
One of the most cost-effective and affordable decking materials is pressure-treated pine wood.
Pine can endure up to fifteen years if sprayed with a water repellent every year.
Because of its moisture-resistant properties, some builders employ pressure-treated wood for all types of structures and composites for deck boards.
Non-pressure-treated pine decks should not be used in the home.
Did We Cover Everything?
After reading my responses to various questions on how to cure untreated wood and what other treatments are available, I hope you found the answer you were seeking for.
There are several methods for protecting the wood for long-term outdoor usage, but the most important thing is that you figure out what kind of wood works best for your project.
Pines are a great wood species with a variety of benefits.
Pinewood is ideal for furniture, flooring, and construction.
However, it has significant limitations for specialized applications.
Pine is a preferable choice for interior use.
If you’re planning to complete a wooden project for your outdoor space, use pressure-treated pine or get assistance from a wood merchant.
Pinewood is not suitable for use as fuel or as a smoking material.
As a result, smoking with hardwood is preferred.
Wood is used in a wide range of applications, including wooden decks, structures, furniture, and fences.
Always keep in mind that you do not always have to pick choices.
There even might be instances where the wood choices would be equally as good.
The best choice, in our opinion, is one that is right for you, whether in terms of money, location, or the project you are working on.
On the end note, when it comes to our home or projects that mean something to us, we want to use the best material possible.
We want our projects to turn out amazing looks-wise, but we also want them to stay like that for a long time.
Experts suggest that pine wood for outdoor use is one of the best options.
If you need it, you can also acquire the guidance and help of professional woodworkers that can help you select the right type of wood, be it pine wood or any other.
Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Outdoor
