Is Ash Wood Really A Good Choice For Outdoor Furniture?

The ideal garden needs to have a fantastic looking garden set. And furniture made with wood always makes for the most durable long lasting items.

Except, this isn’t always the case.

Some wood types are incredibly durable and long-lasting — but that’s provided not a drop of rainwater gets on them.

In other words, certain timbers are exclusively used to make interior pieces. Whilst other types of timber can easily survive the great outdoors.

But, which timber type does Ash wood fall under?

Well, in this post, you will discover what Ash wood tends to be used for. You’ll also find out which type of wood is best suited for outdoor furniture.

And keep reading to find out if Ash wood is the right choice for your next garden set.

What’s The Best Type Of Wood For Outdoor Furniture?

Any outdoor furniture needs to be made from woods that are naturally rot-resistant. And one of the most rot-resistant timbers out there is Teak wood.

This tropical hardwood is not only tough enough to shrug off scratches, but it also comes with its own oil finish.

You see, Teak wood is saturated with a natural tree oil. This tree oil act’s like a penetrating wood finish by repelling moisture — stopping wood rot dead in it’s tracks.

Related Post: Boiled Linseed Oil vs Thompson’s Water Seal: Which One Is Better For Wood?

This is why Teak not only makes for great outdoor furniture, it’s also used to make decking and boats too.

And What About Ash Wood? Can This Wood Be Used For Furniture?

Absolutely it can. In fact, it is a widely used hardwood when it comes to making cabinetry, furniture, and even flooring.

And it’s even tough enough to take on the hard knock life as a hockey stick or baseball bat.

But Why Is Ash Used For Furniture? Why Not Use Oak Or Walnut?

It’s mostly due to the ease of working with this wood. With its straight almost knot free grain, crafting with Ash wood is easy.

It’s light color grain also takes on stains and wood dye’s well. And, one of the nice things about Ash, is that you can use wood stain to give it the look of Oak or Walnut.

What’s more, Ash wood is just as hard, (if not harder in some cases), as either one of them.

Is Ash Wood Really That Tough? Does That Mean Ash Wood Is Scratch Resistant Too?

Well, when we check this hardwoods Janka rating, it’s clearly very tough.

You see, the Janka hardness scale reflects the compressional strength of different wood species. And the Janka rating of a particular wood species reflects the amount of force it takes to dent that wood.

The higher the Janka rating, the more force it takes. And the more force it takes, then the tougher the timber.

Wait…What Is Compressional Strength?

Woods compressional strength refers to how much compressional stress you can place on it, before it collapses.

So, What Is Ash Woods Janka Rating?

White Ash wood, (the species native to parts of North America), has a Janka rating of 1320 lbf. Which means it’ll take some 1320 pounds of force to dent this lumber.

For a little perspective, White Oak, (another famously tough North American hardwood), has a Janka rating of 1350 lbf. And Ash wood beats English Walnuts 1220 lbf, and Black Walnuts 1010 lbf Janka ratings.

Related Post: Is Black Walnut Good For Outdoor Furniture?

So, Does That Mean Ash Wood Is Great For Outdoor Furniture?

No, it does not. Far from it.

You see, Ash wood is no Teak wood when it comes to rot-resistance. Every section of this trees lumber will rot away in short order, if it is left outside.

Is This Really Such A Disadvantage When It Comes To Ash Wood Outdoor Furniture?

Ash’s biggest flaw, (as garden furniture), comes in the form of it’s susceptibility to direct ground contact. Placing Ash wood atop morning-dew-dampened grass is only going to make this timber rot even faster.

On top of that, this wood also has no protection from burrowing insects. At least Teak woods tree oils make it difficult for bugs to tunnel down into it’s grain. But, when it comes to Ash wood, this lumber has no such natural protection.

Basically, Ash wood makes for a fantastic interior wood. Nevertheless, it doesn’t stand a chance if left in the great outdoors — regardless of whether it has a quality sealant.

Related Post: Why Does Wood Feel Rough After Applying Polyurethane?

To Wrap Up, Here Are The 3 Key Takeaways From This Post…

• 1). Outdoor furniture should be made from rot-resistant wood types, such as Teak wood.
• 2). Ash wood is a tough hardwood. It’s straight, almost knot-free, wood grain makes it easy to machine and work with.
• 3). Ash wood is not naturally rot-resistant, and it will easily succumb to bug-attacks. So, it is not a suitable wood for making any kind of exterior pieces, such as outdoor furniture.