Which Is Better for a Picnic Table: Red Cedar or Redwood?

Cosmetic Factors

• Both redwood and cedar tend to gray as they age, although redwood tends to hold its color longer. Redwood eventually weathers to a reddish gray while cedar turns a lighter gray. If you seal the wood, both will hold their color longer. If the wood turns light, it is time to reseal. The more seal you apply, the darker the wood will become. Though redwood tends to remain its original color longer, it contains high levels of water-resistant oils that make redwood more difficult to glue. Redwood also doesn't retain stain as well as cedar, though it does resist gouging and surface damage better.

Durability

• Western red cedar contains natural oils that preserve the wood and make it highly resistant to insect attack and decay. If a sealer is applied, western red cedar can last for decades with little maintenance. Red cedar is more flexible than redwood. For this reason, cedar is preferred for electrical poles where vibrations can cause other woods such as redwood to crack. California redwood at 763 pounds per cubic yard is more dense than western red cedar at 645 pounds per cubic yard, making redwood tables heavier than cedar. Because of its density you need to predrill screws to prevent the wood from splitting when you fasten the pieces of your table together with screws.

Cost

• The cost of transportation of lumber is a big factor in price, so where you are in relation to the forests from which the wood is harvested affects the price. Cedar is often less expensive in most cases and some varieties of redwood can be significantly more expensive. Check with different lumber yards, though, as you may find redwood cheaper in some locations, even within the same town.

Shape Holding

• Western red cedar absorbs and discharges moisture naturally, maintaining equilibrium with the atmosphere. This hygroscopic property of cedar gives it very low shrinkage, making it the most resistant of the conifers to twisting, checking or warping, especially in high moisture climates. Redwood warps easier than cedar, although sealer can help reduce or prevent shape distortion due to weathering.

Choosing

• Western red cedar leads redwood in being lighter in weight, more insect resistant, easier to cut, shape and assemble, easier to stain, more shape stable over time and often more economical. With picnic tables, where weather resistance is important, red cedar is a good choice. Redwood is tougher, however, and resists surface damage. Properly sealed, it holds up rather longer than cedar and where the table will not be moved, makes a sturdy, solid choice for a picnic table.