If you’d like to learn how to select 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 the proper protection or limit your furniture’s exposure to wet and humid conditions. wintery 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 improve 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. The typical Lowes or Home Depot has a large selection of stainless steel, hot dip galvanized, bright galvanized, plain steel, coated steel and brass bolts, nuts, washers and screws. 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 furniture rot, cause unsightly stains, and even make your furniture unsafe to use.

One thing to keep in mind from the start 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 streaks and stains. Tannic acid actually speeds up 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 yet, as the fasteners rust, they will speed up the decay process of the wood around the rusty fasteners, ruining your furniture and making it potentially unsafe to use.

hot dip galvanized

Hot dip galvanized screws and bolts are designed specifically for outdoor use. Ultimately, electroplated or bright galvanized fasteners will not hold up as well as hot-dip galvanized hardware. Zinc is used as a coating in both methods and acts as a barrier against the elements and tannic acids from the wood.

However, I strongly recommend using only screws or bolts in outdoor furniture construction. The galvanized finish on nails, whether electroplated or hot-dipped, can be easily damaged by hammering, exposing the nail head 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 drill bit that is not worn and likely to chip off the screw head. For some reason, galvanized screws don’t seem to be as well tempered as other steel fasteners, and are more likely to break or lose 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 overtightened.

Hot-dip galvanized fasteners are a great choice for many outdoor furniture applications, including Adirondack chairs, but they’re not the best choice for use on woods, like 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 chrome. The relationship between the other metals and the steel determines the weathering 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 on hardwoods like teak and mahogany . The added corrosion resistance far outweighs any deficiencies the 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, the use of stainless steel fasteners will add years of life to your furniture. In respect, they are an investment that will pay off for years to come.

Brass

I’ve seen brass used in some commercially produced outdoor furniture, but I don’t recommend it. While brass does not form red rust 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 deck

In recent years, several manufacturers have introduced outdoor fastening products marketed specifically for roof construction. Usually these will be green, gray, tan, or brown. These screws are coated with ceramic or plastic to retard the reaction of the metal with the acids in the wood. Specific coating methods are proprietary to each manufacturer and can be a combination of galvanized and plastic plating, or a baked ceramic.

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 you can select the color to best match the wood you’re using. 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 fastener, 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 fastener.

Always be sure to read the manufacturer’s specifications on the box to ensure the screws are suitable 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 long, like a garden bench or an Adirondack chair in the corner of your garden, will need to be built with much more care and concern to ensure that it will support more than one or more. two winters.

Additional considerations must be made beyond choosing what type of bra to wear, although this is very important. For example, fasteners should not be located where water will collect and sit on the fasteners for an extended period of time. The bolts that attach the seat slats to an Adirondack chair are a prime example; These screws typically countersink below the surface of the wood. This will allow water to collect in the screw holes, shortening the life of all fasteners except stainless steel, and prolonging the wood’s exposure to water, increasing the rate of decay. In applications where the furniture will be exposed to the elements year-round, the screw heads should be set flush with the surrounding wood surface.

The construction and design of the furniture are also important considerations. Are the horizontal surfaces of furniture constructed in such a way as to allow them to shed water, rather than collect it? Think of a slatted picnic table or board. The spaces between the boards allow water to run off the top and not pool.

conclusion

Stainless steel is often the best choice 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 to which it will be subjected.