Outdoor bar Help

[brewmonk]

if you are really concerned with termites, and are bracing the schniznitz out of this, you may be able to get away with using steel studs in the design (strength would come from the ply skins - monocoque construction), maybe up to a third or half.

just another wacky thought sitting here, has anyone ever tried mixing borax right into the paint?

 

[timbudtwo]

just another wacky thought sitting here, has anyone ever tried mixing borax right into the paint?

While reading about the different treated woods I saw that one was borate based. I was wondering if you could do that, or put some boric acid in the paint? I will have to see if anyone else has done this.

 

[bengerman]

I would go with cedar vs treated, it looks nice, doesn't warp as much, I hate working with treated. But you do pay a premium. Just IMO.

cedar's better than pine or oak, but for direct ground contact there's no substitute for pressure treated. (if you do go with cedar, at least slap some copper coat on it.) Regular stud-grade 4x4s would work if you elevated them with galvanized or stainless steel brackets, but you would obviously still stain them for rain/UV resistance.

 

[bengerman]

While reading about the different treated woods I saw that one was borate based. I was wondering if you could do that, or put some boric acid in the paint? I will have to see if anyone else has done this.

sorry to double post, but i feel the need to point out that boric acid is not the same thing as borax.

 

[CABeerMaker]

I know it is a bit pricey but for weather and termites redwood is a great option.

 

[timbudtwo]

sorry to double post, but i feel the need to point out that boric acid is not the same thing as borax.

Which is why I specifically said "or." Borax and boric acid are common boron containing chemicals. While borax is known for its use in washing machines, boric acid is mostly known as something that kills insects.


From what I remember, redwood wasn't terrible. I haven't looked at prices in years, but when we were rebuilding my deck outside it was probably 2x the cost of pine. Has it gone up?