Redwood - Your Best Choice in Swing Set Construction

By: Alex Petigraw.

Everyone has their own reasons for choosing a particular wood for their swing set. Some buy pine because of budget restrictions, others select cedar for its low maintenance and buyers of redwood may do so just to match their deck. All those woods are available to you as well, but before you decide there are a few facts you should know about redwood that makes it the better choice.

In order to fully understand the qualities that make redwood the best choice for your swing set, you need to know a little more about the wood itself. Not all redwood is the same and it's important you know exactly what kind you're paying for.

Redwood has a unique pinkish-red color which turns to gray as it ages. There are several grades of redwood, but one of the most commonly used grades for outdoor construction is called Con-Heart. The 'con' stands for construction grade and the 'heart' refers to the fact that it comes from the inner part of the tree, or the heart of the tree.

Only the innermost part of the tree contains wood that has a natural resistance to bugs and decay. If redwood comes from the outside of the tree, it must have a coat of stain applied every year, otherwise it's susceptible to rotting. If your swing set is composed of 100% Con-Heart redwood, there's no need to stain or sand it. Watch for companies that try to sell you redwood that isn't from the inside portion of the redwood tree, those swing sets will need annual maintenance.

Be sure to take note that there's no white or light colored wood in your swing set. This wood is sapwood and doesn't have the natural resistance of redwood to decaying and bugs. This is not a problem if you're getting true Con-Heart grade, since it doesn't contain any sapwood. If you buy Con-Heart redwood, even the exposed areas of the wood caused by nails or sawing are protected by the natural oils and acids that repel bugs and decrease rotting.

All wood will swell or shrink in the presence or absence of moisture. Redwood is more stable than most other woods and while it will swell or shrink slightly, it's still able to maintain its shape better than other woods. You'll have much less cracking, splitting, and warping with a redwood swing set.

Swing sets made with redwood are incredibly durable, in part due to their natural ability to ward off disease and decay. This means your redwood swing set will look better than one made with a different wood, even 20 years later.

Some companies will use just enough redwood in the construction of their sets that they can legally call it 'redwood', when in fact it may be a mixture of redwood and red cedar, or even Chinese Fir. Read all the fine print and if in doubt, ask! If you're paying a higher price for redwood, you certainly want to be sure that's what you're getting.

For the ultimate benefits of redwood, find out if Con-Heart grade redwood was used for all pieces of the swing set. This way you're assured of getting all the natural protection redwood has to offer, not just in the beams and larger pieces, but throughout the entire swing set.

Article Source: http://www.yesparenting.com/articles

Author: Alex Petigraw is an expert on Children's Play Equipment. Get more information on Swing SetsFree guide on choosing the right Swing Set

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