Best wood for outdoor mouldings?

[Vala]

Well I finally paid a visit to the nearest mill with samples of my mouldings and trim for the outside restoration. They wanted to do it in pine I said no way, and I asked for cedar, they claim cedar won't mill good that it would require a lot of sanding to become smooth and recommended Fir.

So I wanted to ask on here if what they're telling me is true or what before I order anything from them. Are they right and is cedar only good for things like clapboards or other things that don't have fine detail or what exactly?

Thanks,

[Mick_VT]

cedar is a bit softer than pine, I could believe it would not mill well, I have been using it quite a bit on projects recently. Pine would be fine for what you are doing IMO

[Vala]

Pine would be ok for exterior crown moulding and other things that shed water? I've been told that modern pine is garbage that will fall apart in the near future?

[Mick_VT]

I put some pine (at least I'm pretty sure it was pine) crown molding up on the outside of my place about 6 years ago, still looks as good as when I put it there. Cedar is that soft stuff they make pencils from, its quite rot resistant but its very soft lightweight and a little difficult to work with in comparison. Does smell nice when you work it though.

[Vala]

Well from everything I heard on WG and OHW, I'm concerned about the longevity of pine. I'd like to say the house would be in good hands in the future, but I'm a little more concerned with things down the line. I wouldn't want someone to hack off all the moulding again down the line because it was made from pine instead of fir or cedar and rotted. The PO's rebuilt some woodwork on the west gable in the 80s and its rotting now and its pine. At the mill they said pine would probably last 40 years if I was lucky that sounds about right for the pine that they used on that gable.

So would fir be alright for longevity?

[Mick_VT]

I think Fir would last better than pine. I think either would be fine for your application, but if it brings peace of mind thats worth it IMO. Some others have more experience than me on this stuff too, Casey for one springs to mind.


Also from what I have heard Cypress is supposed to be very good for exterior millwork due to its rot and cup resisitance

[Vala]

Alright thanks again Mick!

Ever since I got tricked into letting the masons put portland cement on my foundation a while back I don't trust anything workers say at face value without fact checking it with the old house experts first!

[Mick_VT]

Take a look at this: http://www.vintagewoodworks.com/woodchoices.html it will give you some thoughts on various woods for millwork. It seems to concur with you on pine too

[Casey]

Hi,
We have been using spanish cedar and mahogany for about 13 years. For some things we have used red cedar or even poplar (where it is well-protected).
You can often get away with using pine if you do three things: Backprime with oil primer; Prime all cuts/end grain; Pre-treat knots with shellac sealer so the sap doesn't bleed through.
Casey

[Vala]

Thanks again I'll keep all that in mind.