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Redwood - Your Best Choice in Swing Set Construction

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.

Although redwood is available in several different grades, a commonality between them is the pink/red color that ages to gray over time. A widely used grade of redwood is Con-Heart, which means it's a construction grade wood that comes from the heart of the redwood 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.

If there are any white parts in the redwood, it's called sapwood and it has virtually no resistance to rotting or insects. Again, you're protected with Con-Heart Redwood, because it contains no sapwood. Heart redwood has a natural resistance to insects and decay that goes all the way through the wood, not only the surface. This is important because it means the exposed ends and edges created from sawing or nailing are just as resistant as the outside surface of the wood.

Redwood is also naturally stable and while all woods swell and shrink to some point depending on moisture in the environment, redwood does it less than the others. This means redwood stays flatter and retains its shape much better, with a lower risk of warping, splitting, or cracking.

The true test of durability comes in how your set looks after many years of use. Redwood is very durable and even after as long as 20 years later, will hold its looks better than most other woods of the same age.

When shopping for a redwood swing set, be sure to ask enough questions or read enough fine print to know that if you're paying for redwood, you're getting 100% redwood. Many companies use a mixture of woods, including redwood, but still refer to their product as 'redwood construction'. Look and listen for words that indicate other woods have also been used, including Chinese fir and Red Cedar.

Before you finalize a purchase, especially if your swing set is made from Con-Heart wood, find out if Con-Heart was used for the entire set or just for the larger pieces. In order to enjoy the most benefits from heartwood's natural protective ability, the whole set should be constructed with it, not just the beams and bigger pieces.

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