Is redwood as durable as teak?
Redwood is ideal for outdoor uses. It will last for decades. In comparison to teak, our Mature and Old-Growth Redwood grades are superior to most teak available in the market today. The reason it is superior is because of the age of the trees where the lumber was cut from. Our Mature Redwood comes from trees averaging 100 years of age. Our Old-Growth Redwood is reclaimed lumber from trees averaging over 500 years of age. The older a tree, the more decay and insect-resistant tannins are concentrated into the wood. The plantation grown teak that is sold in the U.S. today is from 20- to 50-year-old trees grown in Central and South America. The decay resistance is good and the quality varies from good to very good. But, it is not from old trees and will not last as long as the old redwood in any case. The proof is in the warranties offered by the teak furniture makers. Does anyone offer a 30-year decay warranty? Or even 20-years? We do.
Is the Mature Redwood resistant to heavy salt air
It will outlast you or I [Raul speaking, founder and CEO] or we’ll replace any part at no cost. The salt air will eat away at the finish after a few years. If you don’t refinish it every 3 or 4 years it will look beat up on the surface, but it will not decay— not for at least 20 years. If you refinish it a couple times per decade it will last almost indefinitely. You can learn more about how to easily refinish your furniture by going to our Finish Options & Furniture Care page.
Is the wood you use treated against termites?
We have been shipping to South Florida for ten years without any termite or decay issues.
To avoid problems with termites or decay for outdoor year-round use do not order our less expensive wood grades, Douglas-fir or Redwood.
We recommend the Mature or the Old-Growth Redwood grades for Florida’s moist weather. The Mature Redwood will easily last 20 years or more. Termites do not eat the Mature Redwood because of its naturally high concentration of tannins. Our very best wood grade, the Old-Growth, has a 30-year decay warranty.
What warranty do you offer?
Yes, we stand behind our work.
Why are there five different prices for everything?
Forever Redwood outdoor furniture is available in three grades of Redwood, one grade of Douglas-fir, and one grade that combines these four:
- Old-Growth Redwood is from trees over 200 years old. When our forests were logged in the 1950’s, many high-quality logs were left on the ground. OGA recovers and mills this exquisite wood. Because of over-logging in the past, Old-Growth redwood is very difficult to find anymore. We offer a 30-year warranty on our Old-Growth Redwood furniture.
- Mature Redwood is from trees averaging 100 years of age. We offer a 20-year warranty on our Mature Redwood furniture.
- Redwood is from trees averaging 50 years of age. We offer a 15-year warranty on our Redwood furniture.
- Mosaic Eco-Wood is a combination of the other 4 grades of wood using hand-jointing techniques to convert small pieces back into “thick-timber” boards. It is made from 100% post-manufacturing recycled material. We offer a 12-year warranty on our Mosaic Eco-Wood.
- Douglas-fir is a good choice if you’d like one of our furniture designs, but would prefer a more economical alternative to redwood. It comes from trees averaging 50 to 80 years of age, sustainably harvested in accordance with our restoration forestry practices. We offer a 10-year warranty on our Douglas-fir furniture.
Throughout our site these grades are indicated as follows:
Old-Growth Redwood 
Mature Redwood 
Redwood 
Mosaic Eco-Wood 
Douglas-fir
The older the tree that the wood came from, the more decay resistant it will be because the wood has more tannins in it.
