What is this garden bench made from?

Question

I am looking to fix up this bench and trying to order replacement wood, but what type of wood is it?

It looks to me like white oak. Or is it just faded in the sun? Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Answer 1

I think you're asking the wrong question. This wood is heavily weathered, so even if you get the exact same species, the new wood won't look like the old. Unless you paint it, in which case there's no reason to get matching wood. Here's what you should be asking instead:

1. What's the best wood to use for outdoor furniture? If I was doing this, I'd probably use black locust, since it's tough, it's rot-resistant, and I know a local place where I can get it cheap. I'm sure other people can suggest some other type.
2. Is this bench even worth repairing? If the surface pieces are rotten, then there might be more rotten pieces that you can't see. How much wood are you willing to replace before it starts to make more sense to just replace the whole thing?

Answer 2

Could be teak, ipe, or several other similar tropical hardwoods that weather in this pattern. The rot is very plank-specific, and you can buy typical planks in a 2 foot length that will weather to this in a couple years. In the meantime, worth sanding it and sealing it with a UV-blocking water repellent oil; some of those have stains in them as well.

This probably is worth repairing.