If you want information on selecting hardware for your next outdoor furniture project, you’ll want to read this article. Specifically, I’ll tell you what type of hardware will work best, why the type of metal used for fasteners and the finish used are important considerations, and how you can increase adequate protection or limit your furniture’s exposure to wet and cold conditions. winters. Life expectancy. Once you are done with this article, you will understand that the best choice of hardware for your outdoor furniture project depends on the style of the furniture, the material used for construction, the location selected for the furniture, and the budget.
Selecting the right hardware for your furniture will help ensure a long life, as well as enhance the overall appearance of your furniture. Part of the problem is knowing which hardware to select when there are so many options available at the hardware store. Your typical Lowes or Home Depot has a large selection of bolts, nuts, washers, and screws in stainless steel, hot-dip galvanized, bright galvanized, plain steel, coated steel, and brass. Each type of fastener is suitable for certain applications, but not all are ideal for outdoor furniture.
In fact, choosing the wrong fasteners can greatly shorten the life of your furniture, contribute to wood rot, cause unsightly stains, and even make your furniture unsafe to use.
One thing to keep in mind early on is never use unprotected steel fasteners for outdoor furniture, they will rust very quickly and the steel will react with the tannic acid in the wood causing scratches and stains. Tannic acid actually accelerates the corrosion of fasteners. Have you ever seen a wooden fence with black stripes running down the boards from the nails? This fence was installed with the wrong type of fasteners. The same will happen with your furniture. Worse still, as the fasteners rust, they will speed up the decay process of the wood around the rusted fasteners, ruining your furniture and making them potentially unsafe to use.
hot dip galvanized
Hot-dip galvanized screws and bolts are specifically designed for outdoor use. Ultimately, electroplated galvanized or bright galvanized fasteners will not hold up as well as hot dipped galvanized hardware. Zinc is used as a coating in both methods and acts as a barrier against the elements and tannic acids in the wood.
However, I strongly recommend using only screws or bolts in the construction of outdoor furniture. The galvanized finish on nails, whether electroplated or hot dipped, can be easily damaged by hammering, exposing the head of the nail to the elements and allowing it to quickly begin to rust.
Proper care must be taken when installing galvanized screws. Drill pilot holes in hardwoods and be sure to use a bit that is not dull and susceptible to skipping on the screw head. For some reason, galvanized screws seem to not be as well tempered as other steel fasteners, and are more likely to break or pop their heads when installed. Due to the tolerance required for hot dip coating, galvanized bolts do not have as close a tolerance on the threads and are more likely to strip if over-torqued.
Hot-dipped galvanized fasteners are a great choice for many outdoor furniture applications, including Adirondack chairs, but are not the best choice for use on woods, such as teak.
stainless steel
Stainless steel is the best choice for use on woods with higher levels of tannic acid, such as teak. Stainless steel is an alloy or mixture of steel, nickel, and chromium. The relationship between the other metals and the steel determines the weather and corrosion resistance of stainless steel. Because steel is mixed with other softer metals, stainless steel is not as strong, so pre-drilling screw holes is highly recommended in all applications, and essential in hardwoods such as teak and mahogany. . The added corrosion resistance far outweighs any deficiencies metal may have, especially in outdoor furniture applications.
While stainless steel fasteners are the most resistant to rust, they are also the most expensive of the options we are discussing. However, using stainless steel fasteners will add years to the life of your furniture. In respect, they are an investment that will pay off for years to come.
Brass
I have seen brass used in some commercially produced outdoor furniture, but I do not recommend it. Although brass does not form red oxide and is well suited for many wet applications such as toilets and sinks, it does tarnish and corrode. It is also very susceptible to the tannic acids in the wood, which will cause it to fail more quickly. Brass screws in particular are not strong enough for outdoor furniture applications.
Screws for exterior or cover
In recent years, various manufacturers have introduced exterior fastening products marketed specifically for deck construction. Typically these will be green, grey, tan or brown. These screws are coated with ceramic or plastic to slow down the reaction of the metal with the acids in the wood. Specific coating methods are proprietary to each manufacturer and may be a combination of galvanized and plastic plating, or a ceramic fired.
I have used these fasteners in furniture applications and they work great. Unfortunately, I have not come across screws with this type of finish. The brand of screws I used was Deck Mate, and they were available in tan and brown, so the color can be selected to best match the wood being used. These screws are ceramic coated and the manufacturer provided a coated bit for installation, which was designed not to damage the ceramic coating on the screw head. If you choose this type of bra, be sure to compare the cost to stainless steel, as the price will vary. If stainless steel is reasonably comparable in cost, it would be the recommended bra.
Always be sure to read the manufacturer’s specifications on the box to make sure the screws are right for your application.
Other considerations
If you are building furniture that will sit on a covered porch or patio where it will be protected from the elements, the concern will be the interaction between the wood and the fasteners, much more than the weather. Furniture that will be exposed to the weather all year, such as a garden bench or Adirondack chair in the corner of your garden, will need to be built with much more care and concern to ensure that it supports more than one or more. two winters.
Additional considerations must be made beyond the choice of what type of bra to wear, although this is very important. For example, fasteners should not be located where water collects and sits on the fasteners for an extended period of time. The screws that hold the seat slats to an Adirondack chair are a prime example; typically these screws are countersunk below the surface of the wood. This will allow water to pool in the screw holes, shortening the life of all but stainless steel fasteners, and prolonging the wood’s exposure to water, increasing the rate of decay. In applications where the furniture will be exposed to the weather year-round, the screw heads should be positioned flush with the surface of the surrounding wood.
The construction and design of the furniture are also important considerations. Are the horizontal surfaces of the furniture constructed in such a way that they allow them to shed water, instead of collecting it? Think of a picnic table with slats or boards. The spaces between the boards allow water to run off the top and not pool.
Conclusion
Stainless steel is often the best option for outdoor furniture applications, although the cost may be prohibitive for some. There are other less expensive bra options available that will work acceptably. Do not use unprotected steel fasteners for outdoor furniture under any circumstances. Know where and how you intend to use your furniture, and design it for the conditions it will be subjected to.
