Common Wood Types for Garden Bridges

Garden bridges are interesting features to add to any landscape.  Commonly built from cedar, pine, and redwood, each wood has distinct qualities to suit your needs.  Read on to find which type makes the right garden bridge for you.

Cedar

A resilient wood that is especially suitable for outdoor projects, cedar is a popular choice for garden bridges.  Longevity is inherent in any type of cedar.  It resists fungus and repels insects, essential properties to avoid rot and decay.  Cedar wood cells are long and narrow, qualities, which resist splintering while bringing a garden bridge to a ripe old age.

Cedar comes in two types:  western red and white.  Although they are very similar, western red cedar tends to be stronger.

Pine

This is a familiar and versatile wood for decorative garden bridges.  Light yellow in its natural cut allows pine to stain in any color desired.  For garden bridges, make sure pine is pressure-treated.  This process makes pine stronger for use outdoor and gives it greater resistance to rot.  Painting or staining pine foot bridges will prolong their life.

Redwood

A popular material for garden bridges, redwood withstands the elements better than most.  It also resists rotting year after year.  Redwood will naturally gray after prolonged exposure to extremes in climate.  However, returning its vibrant color is as simple as applying a colored sealer.  Do that, and the redwood garden bridge is good as new.

Stains and seals

Extend the life of your wood garden bridge with stains and seals.  The common types of wood take different stains and seals.  Ask a specialist at the lumber yard which brand is best suited to your purpose.

Wooden garden bridges of any type bring immense beauty to any yard.  They are also low maintenance, making caring for garden bridges easy and enjoyable.

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