Larry Blanchard wrote:
On Mon, 11 Jun 2012 11:32:35 -0500, sal wrote:

I want to make some outdoor benches what would be the best wood and
preservative to use . We get a lot of rain , long cold winters.

Sal

Cedar, teak, or cypress. Cedar is a little too soft, and teak is a
lot too expensive. That leaves cypress as the only easily found
(AFAIK) choice.

No finish holds up to UV from the sun or to repeated wet/dry cycles.
The best advice I can give is a couple of coats of SealCoat (more on
end grain) followed an outdoor UV-resistant varnish.

It would help if you sealed the end grain at the bottom of the legs
with epoxy, or metal booties, or something similar. Anything that
keeps them away from moisture.

Good luck.

Bull! Pine, I say! About the time you start getting tired of the look, the
wood will be rotting away. Nature's harmony between man and materials!

--

-Mike-