It’s the time of the year when South Africans spend their evenings at braai parties and entertaining guests in their garden. If you’re planning to change the look of your patio, here are a few tips to help you choose from the different types of wood for your wooden patio furniture:

Mahagony: This is an excellent choice if you are looking for stability and durability. But it is more of indoor furniture and not often meant for gardens. But if you are looking to add some class and glamour to your patio, this is certainly the wood for you. The wood is resistant to decay, insects and fungus, and can maintain its shape without swelling or shrinking. The color ranges from tan to reddish brown and can even get a purplish tinge. A regular application of some water repellant can ensure that the wood lasts long.

Teak: Teak is an excellent wood that is moisture resistant, and hence preferred for patios. The wood and is also resistant to warping, cracking, and decay. This close grained hard wood contains rubber and natural oil, and is hence good for protection against fungus. In fact, it is so resistant to weather that people often leave their wooden garden furniture out in the open, and yet the wood isn’t affected. It comes in a wide variety of natural shades and looks extremely attractive.

Rosewood: This isn’t preferred patio furniture, although an excellent piece of wood. The wood is close grained and hard. Although fragrant, rosewood is difficult to work upon and takes high polish. They are therefore used to make musical instruments like piano cases, veneers etc.

Cedar: Cedar is a soft wood and is easy to work with. They are durable, light weight, and resistant to decay and moisture. The wood contains tannic acid, a naturally occurring substance that protects the wood from insects, fungus, and mildew. Even though the wood is soft, it is known to possess at least 80 per cent of strength of Teak. You can either choose natural red cedar or northern white cedar, as these are durable and a popular choice for outdoor furniture. Besides being used for garden furniture, they are also preferred to make closet linings, posts, venetian blinds, etc.

Pine: Pine resists to shrinkage, swelling, and warping and hence preferred in the construction of wooden furniture. But when left untreated in the outdoors it does not last more than 12-18 months. Hence it is very important that furniture made from pine is treated and cleaned well. If you expect a strong weather, make sure that you have enclosures to protect them. Also, do not place it directly under the sunlight. If you are looking to clean the furniture, make sure that you clean it with a dry or lightly moistened cloth. Soap or detergents of any type should be avoided as they tend to react with the wood. It also has a uniform texture and finishes well.

These are just some of the varieties of wood. You can choose one that matches your style and budget. The author of this article writes about wooden garden furniture and helps people choose from the different wooden patio furniture.