Our Five Grades of Wood
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 Douglas-fir10-Yr Warranty #1 Structural Select Grade (or better) Mostly Open Grain |
 Mosaic Eco-Wood10-Yr Warranty All Reclaimed Wood Combination of the Other 4 Grades of Wood |
 Redwood15-Yr Warranty Con-Common Grade (or better) Open-Grain |
 Mature Redwood20-Yr Warranty Select-Heart Grade (or better) Open-Grain |
 Old-Growth Redwood30-Yr Warranty All Reclaimed Wood Select-Heart Grade (or better) Tight-Grain |
Our Redwood and Douglas-fir is air and/or kiln-dried to a 12% moisture content. Forever Redwood offers many finish and color options and all our furniture comes with warranties of ten to thirty years.
All 5 of our Redwood and Douglas-fir grades have the following characteristics in common:
- Air and/or kiln-dried to a 12% moisture content.
- Boards are extra-thick for added longevity. The secret to longevity is to use excellent quality wood that is cut into over-sized boards. Forever Redwood offers warranties of ten to thirty years depending on the wood grade selected. No other wood patio furniture manufacturer offers decay warranties like this. Redwood is the most moisture and insect resistant wood species that grows naturally in N. America.
- Forever Redwood manufactures all wood furniture one at a time by hand. The labor intensive handcrafting allows us to offer custom sizing along with many finish and color options. All boards are polished to a 220 grit smooth-to-the-touch finish. Where the design permits, we also round the edges of many boards for added beauty.
- Tabletops, armrests, bench seats and other furniture sections that come into regular human contact are made using vertical grain boards. Vertical grain is the best orientation for a board because it is the most dimensionally stable and insures no splintering in future years/decades.
- Forever Redwood is rustic yet elegant furniture. To keep the rustic flavor, interesting grain patterns and a few small sound knots are included in each piece to add contrast and highlights. Although not recommended, if you prefer 100% knot-free furniture in any wood grade, just let us know. Knot-free is not recommended because the few knots normally included are small and sound and knot-free lumber has less interesting grain patterns (mostly straight lines). If ordering online and prefer knot-free, just write “knot-free” in the special instructions box at check out. There is a 15% surcharge for knot-free orders that will be processed manually. We’ll email you prior to adding the charge to confirm your choice and notify you of the exact total of the surcharge.
Redwood
Like all wood species, Redwood is available in several grades depending on where the board is cut in a tree trunk, how old the tree is, how the wood developed and in what direction the board was cut. Our Redwood grade is an attractive high-quality wood from trees averaging 50 to 80 years of age. The grades of Redwood vary from con-common to A-grade clear. Most boards have open grain (less than eight growth rings per inch).
The only difference between Redwood and the Mature Redwood grade is the inclusion of “sapwood”. Sapwood is the wood that grew in the last 20 years or so of a tree’s life prior to being harvested (outer perimeter of a tree trunk). Sapwood has less decay resistance than the “heartwood” that grew earlier in the tree’s life. Sapwood is vanilla/tan color and makes up varying percentages of each Redwood grade board (on average under 30%). The heartwood of the Redwood grade is similar in color to the light reddish brown of the Mature Redwood (the only variation is the natural slight differences in wood color that occur from tree to tree). In the Redwood swatch above, you can see the lighter colored sapwood on the left side versus the majority of the board.
Left out in the harsh year-round sun, rain and snow without maintenance, Redwood is guaranteed not to decay in any climate for 15 years. In most cases, you can expect it to last longer. Click here to see how to keep your furniture looking new and lasting even longer. Redwood is an excellent choice for most outdoor applications and is our most popular grade. Furniture built in Redwood saves you over 20% versus having it made identically in Mature Redwood.
Mature Redwood
Is a beautiful premium quality Redwood grade (from trees averaging 100 years of age). It is all-heartwood and most boards have open grain (less than eight growth rings/inch). Grades vary from select-heart to clear heart. Mature Redwood is usually a lighter shade of reddish brown than Old-Growth (see above photos).
Left out in the harsh year-round sun, rain and snow without maintenance, our Mature Redwood is guaranteed not to decay in any climate for 20 years. In almost all cases, it can be expected to last much longer. Redwood is the most moisture and insect resistant wood species that grows naturally in N. America. Mature Redwood has decay and moisture resistance equal to or greater than the highest grades of Teak available today. Click here to see how to keep your furniture looking new and lasting even longer.
Mature Redwood is an excellent value because of its great moisture and insect resistance and significant cost savings in relation to the Old-Growth Redwood. You won’t have to replace the set for decades whether you decide to do some aesthetic maintenance every few years or not.
Old-Growth Redwood
Is an exceptional quality wood (from trees over 200 years old). Forever Redwood’s Old-Growth comes from logs left on the ground when the forest was first logged between 1880 and 1970. Yes, it's 100% reclaimed wood. The all-heartwood Old-Growth is extremely resistant to decay/insects and remains perfect after lying outdoors for up to 130 years!
Most boards have tight grain because the trees grew slowly in a competitive environment—more than 10 annual growth rings/inch (sometimes up to 30 rings/inch). Grades are select-heart to clear-heart.
Some of these trees were alive over 1,500 years ago. Unfortunately, because of over-logging, very little of this precious wood is available anywhere anymore. Forever Redwood is the only company that still makes furniture from Old-Growth Redwood (that we know of!). Forever Redwood’s conservative forest management practices works with the forest to naturally bring back the giant old trees overtime. The main point is to harvest significantly less than the forest naturally produces. By doing this, the forest trees on average get larger with each passing decade. It is not rocket science, but, unfortunately, it is rarely practiced elsewhere.
Left out in the harsh year-round sun, rain and snow without maintenance, Old-Growth Redwood is guaranteed not to decay in any climate for 30 years. In most cases, it will last longer. Old-Growth Redwood has no peers in terms of decay resistance. It easily outlasts plantation-grown Teak. Click here to see how to keep your furniture looking new and lasting even longer.
Mosaic Eco-Wood
Is a beautiful new wood grade manufactured in our shop (beginning in 2009). Each board is a mosaic of small reclaimed pieces of our 4 Redwood and Douglas-fir grades. The contrast of colors and grains is eye-catching, but best of all—the wood is 100% recycled material. Each Mosaic Eco-Wood board is handmade via extensive hand-jointing techniques to convert small pieces back into beautiful strong “thick-timber” boards. Creating the Mosaic Eco-Wood is labor intensive, but we are thrilled to finally stop sending these small beautiful pieces of wood to the local landfill. It is made from 100% post-manufacturing recycled material.
The Mosaic Eco-Wood boards purposefully have an occasional tiny knot included to add interesting and contrasting grain patterns to the furniture.
Left out in the harsh year-round sun, rain and snow without maintenance, our Mosaic Eco-Wood is guaranteed not to decay in any climate for 10 years. Click here to see how to keep your furniture looking new and lasting even longer. Mosaic Eco-Wood is an excellent choice for most applications. Indoors, furniture made from Mosaic Eco-Wood boards can be expected to last decades. To add a bit more protection for most outdoor applications we recommend our premium sealant options (see Finish Options & Furniture Care).
Douglas-fir
Is a strong economical alternative (from trees averaging 50 to 100 years of age). Although the Forever Redwood forestlands are mostly Redwood, about 30% of the conifer trees are Douglas-fir. Douglas-fir is our least expensive wood grade and an excellent way to get any item in our catalog at a fraction of the cost of having it made in Redwood. For example, an identical item made from Old-Growth Redwood will cost 50% more than if made using Douglas-fir.
The Douglas-fir grades vary from #1 structural select up to clear vertical grain. Most boards have open grain (less than eight growth rings per inch). It is a combination of a light tan color with occasional streaks of slightly darker shades.
Left out in the harsh year-round sun, rain and snow without maintenance, Douglas-fir is guaranteed not to decay in any climate for 10 years. Douglas-fir has significant decay resistance and is structurally stronger and heavier than Redwood. It is lower priced because it will not last as long as Redwood outdoors. But, it holds up surprising well in moist, as well as dry or severe, climates in year-round outdoor weather. To add protection for wetter or harsher climates, we recommend our premium sealant options (see Finish Options & Furniture Care to see how to keep your furniture looking new and lasting even longer).
We’ve been building furniture for employees and custom orders out of Douglas-fir with great results for years. So, in 2008, we let the secret out: Douglas-fir is an excellent choice for both outdoor and indoor furniture. If you are in a dry climate (under 15 inches of rain per year) or are considering an indoor or covered patio application, Douglas-fir is our recommended wood grade since the limited moisture will insure it will last much longer than the 10 year guarantee. Give it a shot, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by its natural beauty while saving a chunk of change.
Wood Samples: If you’d like to experience the quality of our wood before placing a furniture order—or if you’d like to see first-hand the difference between our five grades of wood—we offer a set of wood samples. For $10 we’ll expedite your samples anywhere in the U.S. or Canada (includes HI and AK). The purchase price will be refunded on your first furniture order.
Shop Now Wood Samples - U.S. and Canada (price includes shipping) - $10
Restoration Forestry
Old-Growth Again practices restoration forestry. Restoration forestry severely limits timber harvesting so the forest will mature to old-growth again. Restoration forestry is a gentle approach that truly protects and restores forestland in stark contrast to the standards of industrial forestry. Restoration forestry is true conservation forestry with much higher standards than the “sustainable forestry” practices now in widespread use. To learn more about our forestry practices, please click here.
Color Options
The photos above are good color and grain examples of our five wood grades. Please click here for more information on our finishes and color options.
Wood Quantity Matters
Our Forever Redwood Furniture is built to last for decades without maintenance. The secret is in the wood. Although many furniture outlets advertise as "heavy-duty" or "made to last," you can easily separate fact from fiction by checking the weight. If a piece is light, it is made from thin wood and the odds are poor that it will last for decades in year-round weather.
Forever Redwood furniture is unique because we mill our own wood to full inch dimensions. For example, a standard 2 by 6 is actually only 1 ½” thick and 5 ¼” wide. Our full-dimension 2 by 6 is 2” thick and 6” wide with 52% more wood. The thick timber significantly increases the feel, appearance, sturdiness and durability of the furniture. For example, our Eight-Foot Picnic Table with attached benches weighs 250 pounds.
The guarantees offered by other manufacturers point out the longevity expected. Most warranties are for 1 to 5 years. Forever Redwood offers warranties of 10 to 30 years against decay (depending on the wood grade). You may invest a bit more upfront to have a Forever Redwood handcrafted piece, but you’ll save significantly over the decades by never having to replace it.
Age Matters
Wood quantity and resistance to decay increases as a tree ages. Because of over-logging, almost all wood available today is from young trees. Although a few other tree species also have excellent resistance to weather, the reputation of wood to resist decay was established in decades past when old-growth (over 200 year-old trees) was plentiful. Compared to old-growth, young wood has less resistance because it takes centuries of slow growth to develop great decay resistance.
Splinters?
Forever Redwood products will never splinter. They may develop a light crack after a few years out in the weather, but never a splinter.
The secret to avoiding splinters is always to follow these 5 steps:
- Use dry lumber only. Wet lumber cracks aggressively when it dries and it begins the splintering process.
- Use vertical grain lumber on the most exposed surfaces. Vertical grain lumber cannot splinter because of the angle that it is cut.
- Sand to a smooth to the touch finish with all the leading edges rounded. We sand all our items to 220 grit and round all the edges of the boards.
- Seal the finished wood with the best sealant on the market. We hand rub 3 coats of the Sikkens Brand of finishes. We believe Sikkens is the best sealant for outdoor wood products based on our 20 years of experience.
- Use dimensionally stable high quality lumber. Redwood is the most decay resistant wood that grows naturally in N. America. And it is the very stable dimensionally (rarely warps, sags or twists).
