What size treated pine for bench seat?

[Redboy65]

G'day, I'm building an outdoor bench seat that will be under cover of a third floor outdoor deck/balcony BUT very close to the ocean (Phillip Island) - therefore exposed to the elements. It will get wet during rain periods. I'm going to be using Spotted Gum as the cladding/outside of the bench seat and treated pine for the frame (as it needs to withstand the elements). Question I have is do I use 90x35 or 90x45 treated pine for the frame? There is an obvious price difference between the two sizes and I need to reduce my overall cost BUT also need to ensure that the bench seat is going to be sturdy and strong. Any help appreciated!

Cheers, Redboy65

[Dave-1]

Good Evening @Redboy65

Brilliant! I would be happy with that for sure! Cant wait to see the cladding Are you going to put it into place before cladding? It may end up pretty heavy to shift over once clad I am thinking.

Dave

[EricL]

Hello @Redboy65 

Thank you very much for that update, the frame looks great! I agree with @Dave-1, it's best to put it into position before you start cladding it decking panel. Otherwise, it will weigh a ton be and be extremely difficult to lift.

Eric

[Nailbag]

Hi @Redboy65 

Nice work on that frame and I also agree with that great tip from @Dave-1 in first positioning before cladding. You could still have all the boards pre-cut and pilot holed and even oiled in the shade of the shed.

If you still decide on spotted gum for the gladding then at least ensure you're paying for the real stuff and not Tallowwood. It looks very much the same as SG, but doesn't have the black streaks and spotting from Beatles common in this species during growth. With mills closing down, SG is becoming difficult to get and in consistent widths. So, Tallowwood is a cheaper alternative, but is often sold at the higher price as SG. I learnt this from a timber mill supplier.

When it comes to oiling, I am now a converted fan of Feasts & Watson water-based matt finish deck oil. I've only applied it to other peoples decks, but it's awesome. Great finish and doesn't leave the surface tacky for days even when fully dried like even Ingrain does.

Nailbag

[Redboy65]

Yes, absolutely agree, that was going to be my intention - to clad it once I put it into place! It's already very heavy to take up 3 flights of stairs!! Thanks for the advice guys, really loving the support I'm getting on this site!

Redboy65

[Redboy65]

Nailbag, 

Thanks heaps for the advice! Wasnt even aware of Tallowwood !! The SG I'm using is mostly our old removed decking that was lying around. A lot of it is warped as it's been sitting under the eaves of our house for a couple of years so really weathered. I've cleaned them all up but not sure how many of them are going to be useable due to the warping. Had I not had a lot of the SG left over to use, not sure I would have gone down this path. I really wanted to recyclye rather than re-purchase in bulk.

WRT to the oiling, because my holiday house is literally 500m from a surf beach on Phillip Island, the bench seat is going to be open to the elements and I'm actually contemplating painting rather than oiling. I know the finish will look nowhere near as nice BUT it will last longer and will remove the need to oil every year. Thoughts?

Cheers,

Redboy65

[Dave-1]

Evening @Redboy65 

Oil Oil all the way. Main reason is its not going to peel off. Yes you will have to do it every 6 months then yearly, but that close to the beach the paint would be doing the same. Well I do have a soft spot for oiling

Dave