Growing-up we had a redwood picnic table that I suspect my father assembled in 1960 or thereabouts.
I looked-around and was surprised you can still purchase genuine redwood outdoor furniture. However, it is exceedingly expensive. Of course, that is because redwood is naturally rot-resistant. And scarce.
Anyway, part of my vast inheritance was the family picnic table (and benches) that I grew-up-with. Birthday parties, backyard BBQs, cocktail parties, throwing a big blanket over it and building a fort - that picnic table has a pile of history.
I refinished it this week. Had it been in pristine condition I would have applied a clear neutral stain. Because it was messed-with over four generations I stripped it as best I could (without disassembling it) and applied a quality tinted redwood stain.
It turned-out reasonably well considering it is Medicare-eligible.
Beyond the inherent durability of the redwood material; dad had the foresight in 1960 with galvanized hardware.
Any all I had to do is tighten the fittings with a crescent wrench to rectify any minimal wobble and creak. When's the last time you saw square nuts?
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