How To Assemble Outdoor Log Furniture

So I wrote a few days back on how to assemble indoor log furniture. Well, we received a few requests after that to write about what is involved with assembling outdoor log furniture. So today I'm going to talk about that.

How To Assemble Your Outdoor Log Furniture

When looking at a cedar log swing, or a log porch rocker, or a cedar log lounge chair on our site you may feel intimidated mentally breaking the piece down in your head. The truth is... assembling your outdoor log furnitureis very easy. Nope, you don't need to attached each and every back slat or each and every seat slat - it has already been done for you! All of our outdoor log furniture is sent partially assembled, so all that is needed is basic assembly. Let's touch on a few pieces in a bit more detail.

Cedar Log Lounge Chair, Log Loveseats, Log Dining Chairs and all variations of our Outdoor Log Settees

The log lounge chair is one of our most popular sellers due to its versatility. It can be used on a porch or on a deck. Around an outdoor fireplace or in an outdoor seating area. Our log lounge chairs can even be used indoors! We are going to start with the assembly of the outdoor log lounge chair since it is so popular.

When you receive your log lounge chair it will more than likely arrive in one box. The seat will already be assembled as well as the back. The hardest part of the assembly is already done! We do it for you at the factory. What nice people we are you are probably thinking, if not... well please feel free to think that. So you have your assembled back and your assembled seat, you will simply set the assembled seat on the floor and insert the assembled back into the seat. The first step is done and it probably took you all of 30 seconds!

In your outdoor log chair box you will also find two arms, two front legs and two back legs. For the second step you are going to take the back leg and insert the doweled section into a hole on the front leg. You will then place the arm onto the doweled section of the front leg. Next check your watch, that should have taken maybe 2 minutes. Repeat the process again and you will end up with the two arm and leg sections that will attach to the seat and the back. That will complete the second step.

So 5 minutes or less has gone by and we are now heading into step 3. For this step you are going to tip the back and seat (from the first step) onto it's side and insert the sides (the legs and arm assembly you just created in step 2) onto the 2 doweled sections of the seat. Flip the seat around and attach the other side and... nothing... that is it for step 3!

We are now on step 4 and your chair is looking like a chair after just 6 or 7 minutes, you are probably not even tired enough to sit in it yet which is good because we have a couple more steps to go through first. Ok, we have the chair sitting upright now, we are going to open up the hardware packet that came with your log chair and take out a couple lag bolts. Head around to the back of the chair and insert the lag bolts into the back upright log support - you may want to look at the instruction sheet that came with your chair - it has pictures which will probably be a lot easier to understand than this. Anyway - you will insert the lag bolts through the back upright log support and will semi-tighten the lag bolt with a 7/16" wrench or socket. The lag bolt will screw into the arm of the arm and leg section. You will repeat this for each side. All done with step 4, let's move on to step 5.

In the box you will have found 2 angled log braces. You are going to tip your chair on it's back and attach the log braces the the front legs and the bottom of the seat using 4 screws - 2 for each brace. Step 5 is done and you have spent maybe 10 minutes on assembling your chair now.

Step 6 - the last step. Set your log chair on a level surface and tighten down the two lag bolts. Then take the remaining screws and secure all of the doweled joints with the screws - best to refer to the picture in the instruction sheet. This step is actually the most time consuming step and may take 5 minutes. Your outdoor log chair is now assembled and ready for use! Total time for a chair 15'ish minutes!

Cedar Log Rocking Chair, Porch Log Rocker, High Back Log Rocker and Rocking Log Love Seats

Assembly for our outdoor log rocking chairs will be the same as above with one extra step, that step will be attaching the rockers. The rockers will attach to the log chair at the bottom of the legs. Lag bolts will be included to attach the rocking sections to the legs.

Log Yard Swing and Cedar Log Porch Swings

Our log yard swings though larger than a log chair are still very easy to assemble.  The assembly is possible with a single person though it is much easier with two people.  We'll start with the log porch swing because the assembly will be the same for it as for the log yard swings.

Swing assembly part 1.  The first step will very similar to the first step of the log chair.  Simply take the pre-assembled back and pre-assembled seat (feel free to think about how nice we are again) and attach the back into the seat.  Step 1 is short, sweet and is now complete.

For the second step you will find an arm and an arm brace in the box - you will attach the arm to the arm brace by placing the doweled portion of the brace into the hole of the arm.  Then attach the arm to the back of the swing with a lag bolt just like you did with your outdoor log chair.  Repeat this step for the opposite side of the seat.

The third step is very similar to the 6th step of the log lounge chair - you are going to secure all dowel joints with the included non rusting screws.

For the fourth step you are either going to attach the eye bolts for chains if you purchased a Rustic Natural Cedar Log Porch Swing with Chain Kit, or you are going to attach log swing bars if you purchased my family's Contoured Comfort (Lakeland Mills, Inc) porch swing.

That's it!  Assembling the rustic porch swings are quick and painless - they will probably take around 15 minutes to assemble as well.

For those with Log Yard Swings we have a couple more steps to go.  We are going to assemble the Log A-Frame assembly now.  The log A-frame will consist of the top log and 4 legs.  The 4 legs will attach to the ends of the top support log with bolts.  Half log braces then attach to the legs and from the legs to the top of the top log - this is the part where it is handy to have 2 people.  One person can hold one end of the A-Frame as the other attaches the half log braces.

Lift the porch swing up and attach it to your A-Frame and enjoy your new log yard swing!  We estimate assembly of a yard swing to take around 30 minutes or less.

Cedar Log Ottomans, Log Coffee Tables and Log End Tables

Outdoor log tables and rustic log ottomans also need just basic assembly.  The tops will already be assembled.  All you will have to do is attach the legs to the tops.

I would like to thank those of you who requested this article/blog writeup.  If you would like to read about something log furniture or rustic furniture related please feel free to contact me with your requests of what you would like to see me write. 

Thank you,

Jason Hunt
JHE's Log Furniture Place

How hard is it to assemble log furniture?

Today we are going to talk about the assembly of log furniture and rustic furniture.  We receive quite a few emails and calls from customers and potential customers who wonder or worry about how much assembly may be required with the rustic furniture they are ordering.  Hopefully this blog will help to clear up some of the questions that may have arisen in your mind.

Assembly and the amount of assembly will vary between our rustic furniture collections and between other log furniture manufacturer collections.  There will be a lot of similarities as well though so I will concentrate on the similarities and group everything together as much as possible.

First, let's start with the question, 'What tools will I need to assemble my log furniture with?'  The answer to this is just your basic household tools; a rubber mallet can come in handy, a screwdriver or drill and a basic socket set is all that is needed for assembling most of our log furniture.

Let's begin with log beds and rustic beds.

Our rustic log beds will generally come with the headboard fully assembled and the footboard fully assembled.  All that is left to do is to attach the frame to the headboard and footboard.  Our rustic beds can typically be assembled within 20 minutes by those who have never assembled a log bed before.

Our log canopy beds will be the same except you will also need to attach the side canopy rails as well.  Rustic log canopy beds are much easier to assemble with 2 people.  Give yourself about 30 minutes to assemble your rustic canopy bed.

Our log daybeds will generally come with 4 main sections, the back is generally one assembled piece as well as each of the sides.  Simply connect these three pieces together, attach the frame for the mattress and you are done.  As with our standard log beds assembly will take around 20 minutes.

Our log bunk beds will arrive partially assembled as well.  The headboard and footboard ends are assembled, you just need to attach the side rails and safety rails.  As with our log canopy beds assembly of our log bunk beds are much easier with 2 people.  Give yourself an hour and a half for the assembly of your first log bunk bed.  You can cut the time in half on your second bunk bed.

Assembly is fairly easy for the most part as you can see. Our rustic log beds are dry fitted in the factory to ensure all parts will fit correctly as well.  This is just another quality control step that we like to take.

Let's continue on with rustic dressers, rustic chests, log night stands and rustic wardrobes and armoires.

Our rustic casegood furniture will generally come either fully assembled or 90% assembled.  All that may need to be done is to attach the log handles.  These may be shipped unattached so they are less likely to be snagged shipping.  In the case that the handles are not attached you will find that the holes are predrilled and the screws are included for attaching the handles.

Let's move along to rustic dining room furniture.

Our rustic log dining tables will generally arrive either as one piece or as two main pieces.  When shipped in two pieces all that needs to be done is to attach the table top to the table base.

Most of our log dining chairs and rustic bar stools also generally arrive fully assembled.

Our log buffets and rustic cabinets will ship assembled like our rustic dressers.  The only thing that may need to be done is to attach the log handles.

We now move down the hallway to the rustic living room with log sofas, log loveseats, rustic lounge chairs, and log coffee tables.

Most of our rustic log coffee tables and log end tables will ship fully assembled.  All you have left to do is to place them where you want them and then stare at the rustic natural beauty.

Most of our rustic log sofas, loveseats and chairs will arrive to you fully assembled when the pieces are able to fit through a standard 36" door.  The exception to this is if the rustic living room furniture pieces are too large to fit through a 36" wide door then we will ship the pieces partially assembled.  Assembly may take 15 - 20 minutes in these cases.

Budget/Economical Log Furniture



Our budget log furniture will need a bit more assembly.  These pieces are typically shipped partially assembled so that they can ship via UPS or FedEx.  These pieces will be from the Rustic Natural Cedar, Rustic Lakeland, and Old Adirondack collections.  These will arrive in partially assembled sections that will go together very quickly.  The log beds may need to have the legs attached to the headboard and footboard sections, the rustic night tables and nightstands will need to be partially assembled, dining chairs will be partially assembled and will need about 15 minutes of assembly.

As you can see it won't take long at all for you to sit back and relax in your new log furniture!

This blog article covered a broad range of our rustic furniture so if you have any questions regarding a specific piece of log furniture you are always more than welcome to contact us.

Information & Benefits of Northern White Cedar

Northern White Cedar has many benefits and is very popular for log furniture because of its many aesthetic and molecular advantages. The USDA Forestry Division ranks it as one of the best woods to use in exterior building. Northern White Cedar has the lowest shrinkage factor, lowest moisture content, and requires very little maintenance. Northern White Cedar is one of the most versatile woods available. In fact, Northern White Cedar is one of only three woods allowed by National BOCA Code to be used to build a deck or porch without pressure treating for rot, decay, fungi, and wood infesting insects.

Northern White Cedar is one of only a few woods that can be used for outdoor log furniture instead of pressure treated lumber because of its long life, durability, stability, and resistance to rot, insects, and fungi.

Northern White Cedar is produced in the greatest quantities in Canada, Maine, and the Great Lake States. Although it is a difficult tree to harvest, its many aesthetic and structural advantages make up for this.

Northern White Cedar grows in damp swampland and can be harvested only when the winter's chill freezes the ground sufficiently to support the weight of the loggers and their heavy equipment. Even with the most determined effort and the longest winter, loggers manage to fell barely half the Northern White Cedar trees that are ready to harvest each year.

Northern White Cedar is an extremely slow growing tree with very tight growth rings. The trees that are mostly harvested are from 25 - 75 years old. The cedar wood is one of the most versatile. It is nearly impervious to insects, rot, and fungi. It requires little maintenance, it is easy to handle, dimensionally stable, and as durable as it is beautiful. The heartwood is light brown, and the sapwood is thin and white.

Northern White Cedar is a superior choice for log furniture because of its beauty, practicality, and durability. The Northern White Cedar used in log furniture is a creamy white color that gracefully weathers to a silver-gray color when left out in the sun. Cedar is naturally resistant to decay and insect damage. Because of this, cedar log furniture can be used indoors or out, and may be left completely unfinished, treated with protectants, even stained or painted. Whether finished or not, each piece of log furniture will be a durable, beautiful addition to any home, cabin, outdoor setting or garden.

The information above was provided by our knowledge as well as our friends at Timber Ridge Furniture

Appreciate the Value of Log Beds

Appreciating the beauty of log beds depends purely upon the way you view log furniture. If you are someone who loves log furniture, then the mere mention of beds would conjure up the image of a log bed in your mind.

Log beds are beautifully handcrafted beds which can be woven into elaborate patterns which help in providing support. Log beds make for a tremendous value addition to any kind of bedroom, be it big or small. These beds can make you feel one with nature. These beds are strong and sturdy and its construction quality allows for a peaceful sleep. Now you can spend time with your children sitting on the bed itself. Even your children can also enjoy play fighting on these beds. You can even let them enjoy jumping up and down the bed. The high quality of the wood ensures that your log beds remain strong forever. No wonder then, log beds make for an excellent long term investment.

The warmth of a log bed radiates the entire bed room. It makes for a perfect gift for any newly weds. A log bed helps in creating a cozy and comfortable atmosphere in your bedroom. So, take time out today itself and buy something which will remain with you for a very long time.

When you are purchasing a log bed, make sure that you get a top quality product made up of the right kind of wood. There are different kinds of wood used in the making of log beds. These woods come in different colors and texture. Log beds can be made by using pine, aspen, oak and other such high quality wood. Whatever be the kind of wood you may use, the one thing that is guaranteed is an uninterrupted and comfortable sleep.

Truth, Honesty and Log Furniture

Truth is not something that comes to mind when you think of the furniture in your home, or pieces that you have yet to purchase. Yet, it is a dominate issue in most home furnishings on the market today. Truth is what you look for in the company you purchase your log furniture online from.   You won’t find a cheap, tawdry, sugar-coated piece of particle board anywhere in the main construction of handmade log furniture on our site. We know that truth and trust go hand in hand and we only place products on our site that we know will reflect the quality JHE's is associated with.  There unfortunately are online companies more interested in making a buck than quality and truth.  They may brag about a large selection and offer extremely low prices - but look beneath the exterior.  Read reviews about the site, check the BBB, the Web of Trust, etc.  This is your log furniture.  Pride of craftsmanship and the purity of natural wood is essential and promising when you live with log furniture in any room of your home.

The inferior particleboard is well disguised in some finer brands of furniture, as long as you don’t move it much. Every time you move particleboard furniture, the structure is just a bit more compromised. Log furniture, being made of 100% solid wood, not chips and sawdust glued together, is the type of home furnishings investment that is built to withstand the test of time. There are many pieces of log furniture built over a century ago that are still in great shape and under daily use today.

The natural beauty of the wood is allowed to remain in all pieces of log furniture. There is no attempt to cover up the pureness that Mother Nature has built into every log and planed board. Many pieces of log furniture made attractive ornamental use of the bark to add character and originality. For a more rustic look in your home décor bark intact portions of these beautiful pieces denotes a stronger presence of nature within the home.

Log furniture is safe for the environment. It will not remain clogging the earth’s landfills for hundreds of years like plastic will. Not that anyone would want to dump these lovely home furnishings, quite the contrary. Unlike cheap plastic furniture, log furniture is comfortable to live with and easily becomes instant heirlooms that will be ready to grace the next generation’s nest in fine style when the time comes. One could never expect such long lasting use from any type of particleboard furniture.

Removing plastic and vinyl furniture from the interior of your home is a big step towards embracing and reconnecting with nature. Log furniture is 100% natural and exudes warmth and charm no mass manufactured furniture could hope to convey. No two pieces of log furniture are an exact duplicate of the last. There will always be a variety of unique personality and singular character to furnishings that are built to play up the natural beauty found in each piece of wood.

The openness and honesty of log furniture makes your home an inviting place where relaxing is easy and comes over you quite naturally the moment you enter and shut the chaotic world out. It will be far simpler to allow your own unique style and personality reign in a home outfitted with log furniture in every room. Contemporary, traditional or eclectic, every fabric color is at home on the true, pure colors of natural wood. Timeless charm isn’t trendy; the style is ageless and uplifting. The handmade quality of log furniture is as honest as the day is long.

How To Care for Your Log Furniture

Log furniture is becoming more and more popular, not just in cabins and resorts but in homes and apartments as well.  The natural rustic look of log furniture is very popular because the look is soothing and relaxing.  Finishing log furniture can change the appearance slightly but it is still going to look like the same beautiful rustic log piece that it did before.  Finishing your log furniture will benefit you in the long run.

We recommend finishing your rustic furniture because wood is a porous material.  It will easily absorb the oils and dirt in our hands leaving stains on your furniture.  Hands get dirty very easily, no matter how many times a day they are washed.  Dresser handles, door handles, footboards, anything that comes in contact with your skin can stain requiring you to wash the unfinished log furniture regularly to keep the stains from becoming permanent.  A finish on the log furniture will prevent oils and dirt from absorbing into the wood.

Outdoor Log Furniture

Northern White Cedar (Outdoor Log Furniture) and Western Red Cedar (Arches & Arbors) are some one of the most sought-after woods for many outdoor uses.  It is a fine grained durable wood, naturally pitch-free and resistant to rot and insects.  These qualities combine to make cedar a top choice for carefree living.

Before you start in making a choice of finishes, decide what effect you wish to achieve.  One of the positive characteristics of cedar is its ability to accept a wide range of finishes.  Although it does not require finishing for protection, a properly applied finish will enhance the beauty and life of a cedar piece.

• Untreated Pine: Finish outdoor pine furniture as quickly as possible.


• Untreated Cedar: Left untreated, Both Western Red and Northern White Cedar will weather to a beautiful soft silver-gray color similar to driftwood.  See the following picture for an example of weathered Northern White Cedar.

Although untreated cedar is natural and pleasing, it must be understood that cedar wood is a porous material and, over the long term, will need care to minimize surface problems.  In many cases where untreated cedar sits in a damp or shaded area, the wood may become discolored with mildew.

How To Clean Your Unfinished Log Furniture

A 20 percent solution of household bleach in water with one ounce of detergent per gallon will usually remove the stain.  Even after years of exposure, cedar can be refinished to a bright, clean appearance with this solution.  A high pressure water sprayer will also help to remove the weathered color effects.

Finishing Your Log Furniture

• Stain Finishing: There are a wide variety of penetrating stains, many of which retain much of the wood's natural color and texture while adding a protective element.  For outdoor use we recommend the outdoor stains/finishes that include water repellent additives, mildew inhibitors (mildicides), and UV inhibitors.  Penetrating stains go into the wood without forming a surface barrier so avoid the problems of blistering and peeling of painted surfaces.  They work well on wood with knots and deep surface texture.

• Paints: Before deciding to paint cedar, it must be realized that the natural color and grain of the wood will be concealed.  If you choose to paint, apply the product according to the manufacturer's directions for the best protection and good service.  A good alternative to paint is a stain that has been pigmented with the color you want.  This will give the look of painted cedar log with the protection of an outdoor finish.

Outdoor Log Furniture Finish Options

You have the option of ordering the Contoured Comfort and Nature's Twist log furniture pieces with an outdoor finish on our website:  JHE's Log Furniture Place.  When you do so your pieces of log furniture will go through a multi-coat finishing process.  This in-depth process will insure that all parts of the logs are coated with our outdoor stain/finish.  Our outdoor stains will protect the wood against harmful UV rays and have an anti-mildew agent built in.  As with all outdoor stains and finishes, the outdoor stains will need to be reapplied over time.  Depending on the weather/climate the stain could last one year to five plus years – it varies with all the different climates the log furniture could be in.  You may use any type of outdoor sealant to refinish your furniture as desired.  The outdoor stain/finish that we use has been pigmented with a slight color to provide a finish that brings out the natural highlights of the cedar wood.  Here is an example of our Contoured Comfort 4 ft Love Seat, Coffee Table, and Rocking Chair made by our co-owned factory Lakeland Mills, Inc finished in our cedar tone finish:

Pine log outdoor furniture should be finished as soon as possible to ensure a long life out of the wood as pine does not have all of the characteristics that cedar has.

Indoor Rustic Furniture Care

Indoor log furniture that has been finished needs virtually no extra care. Just a dusting as needed.  If you would like to keep your rustic furniture unfinished we recommend washing the wood regularly with a mild wood soap to keep dirt and oils from the skin from permanently staining the logs and wood.

Feel free to contact us with any questions.  Our toll free number is (877) LOG FURN (564-3876).

This article has been written for JHE's Log Furniture Place and for my blog.  It is not authorized to be copied and used on any competitor website without a link back to us.

Understand Checking - Cracking - in Logs

We have all seen the checking that occurs in round logs, heavy timbers, utility poles, and log furniture.  Checking is a natural occurrence in wood components that contain the pith, or center of a tree. But what is the cause?  Checking, or the process of the logs cracking, happens as wood releases moisture, and normally occurs across or through the annual growth rings. It is the usual result of wood seasoning.   Wood shrinks twice as much in the tangential direction as it does in the radial direction. This can be observed in the amount of shrinkage that occurs in individual pieces of wood cut from trees. But, whenever concentric circles (continuous growth rings) occur in wood, the circumference of those circles (tangential orientation) shrinks twice as much as does the diameter (radial direction). Since the circumference is shrinking at twice the rate as the diameter, something has to give.

One way to visualize how the difference between tangential and radial shrinkage causes checking in logs is to consider the concentric growth rings. The line formed by each growth ring is basically a series of tangent lines, or, one continuous tangent line (in a manner of speaking). As a log dries, the length of each growth ring will shorten by a proportionate amount (tangential shrinkage). But even though the growth rings are shortening, the overall log diameter shrinks at a lesser rate (radial shrinkage). Stresses build up, and checks occur.

How big will the checks become? It depends on the location within the log. The larger diameter outer rings shrink more than the inner rings, since they all lose a percentage of their overall length. Thus, the checks in smaller logs are narrower than the checks in larger diameter logs, just as checks are narrower the closer one gets to the pith.  Whenever continuous growth rings exist, the tangential versus radial shrinkage stresses will cause checking. Can checking be prevented in round wood?  Not really.

So why do boards not check while logs do?  Well, individual boards cut from logs usually do not contain the pith, so these boards will not check during drying. Those boards that do contain the pith will typically check only on one side.

It is important to know that we dry our wood in a large heated room for months to ensure that 99% of all “checking” is already done.  All logs are stress tested before they enter production to ensure that they will hold up to the test of weight and time.  This way when we package your log furniture you will know that you will not have to worry about the durability of the log furniture.  Not all companies do this, but you can rest assured that all rustic furniture found on our site goes through this rigorous testing process.  Your safety and satisfaction is of most importance to us.

Checking occurs mainly on the surface of the wood and does not affect the structural performance or integrity of the wood. This natural process adds to the uniqueness of the pieces and lends it that certain rustic appeal that has become so popular in home and garden decor. The degree of checking will vary from product to product and from log to log.  Checking can range from very slight slivers of cracks to larger cracks running the full length of the log to the pith (middle of the log) of the wood. In either case this checking is completely normal and in no way affects the integrity of the wood or the strength of the furniture.

Information above provided by our knowledge and by Merrimac Quality Log Homes.  Pictures below are of a couple pieces of my outdoor log furniture

Rustic Furniture, Perfect for any Home

Rustic furniture is a classification of log furniture, which is made up of constructed pieces of select  timber. It is specially designed to have a ‘pioneer’ appearance as every piece is slightly different. Log furniture in general is long lasting and very durable. In the olden days, log furniture was much more common as people used it to decorate both their homes and work places. Even though modern furniture pieces are more common in homes today, the durability of log furniture is still unrivaled.

Due to the durability, the timeless look, and the eco-friendly construction of log furniture, more and more people are decorating their homes with rustic furniture.  You don't have to own or live in a log cabin to enjoy rustic log furniture.  It is very easy to turn a room into a relaxing back to nature retreat with just a few pieces of rustic furniture.  A bedroom, for example, can become your nightly escape.  With the sweet smell of cedar or the unique twists and burl design of juniper or Aspen, there is nothing quite like being surrounded by the soothing sight and smell of nature and rustic furniture.

A great attribute of rustic furniture is that each piece is handcrafted to give a beautiful and welcoming appearance to any home or workplace. Additionally, this type of furniture can be designed to your liking, if you choose to take the custom route. As part of the process, the carpenter making the furniture must procure fine pieces of logs in order to achieve the best results. Rustic furniture is made using different methodologies. In most cases, it is custom made and therefore it would take a lot of time to prepare a piece of furniture if you were to do it yourself.

Moreover, it is not cost-effective for most people to make their own log furniture. It is an expensive process without the right tools and expertise. The mortise and tenon method is commonly used to provide strength to each piece of furniture. Log beds, for example, are some of the strongest bed frames you can find to date. They are made using the finest pieces of logs. Even kings and other officials used to have log beds in their homes. This was when rustic furniture was considered a symbol of wealth. However, since then, with improvements to efficiency of construction, rustic furniture can be affordable through the right supplier.

There are many websites online which sell a vast assortment of log furniture at an affordable rate. Compare pricing, style, and overall customer service when choosing your rustic furniture. Then order your soon-to-be new favorite piece of furniture. Any piece of rustic furniture can be shipped directly to your home, thus allowing for a fine piece of craftsmanship without much effort.

Rustic beds are a popular choice of log furniture. There are different types of rustic beds out there, in different shapes and sizes. They are truly beautiful and will catch the attention of any person who visits your home. They are strong and will sustain the weight of a person without difficulty.

Cedar vs Pine, Which is Better?

For indoor rustic furniture cedar and pine are both a fine choice.  In fact we mix pine and cedar in many of our rustic dressers, chests, nightstands, desks, bookcases, etc. Pine will be used for the framing while Cedar is used as trim and handles. The cedar (Northern White Cedar) and pine (White Pine) that we use are extremely similar in color allowing this mixing of wood types. The main difference between the two is Cedar will tend to have more knots and streaks of color in the grain.

All of the log beds from JHE's Log Furniture Place whether they are made of White Cedar, Red Cedar, Pine, Aspen, Hickory, or Barn Wood all are extremely strong. So pick out the bed whose style you like the most and rest assured that any log or rustic bed you purchase from JHE's will last a lifetime.

For outdoor log furniture, unfinished Cedar will last longer than unfinished Pine. Cedar is known for being naturally resistant to decay and most insects and thus is one of the best woods to use outdoors. When left unfinished Cedar will weather to a silvery gray color.  Pine, when regularly treated with an outdoor protective sealant, will also last for quite a few years outdoors. So again, choose the style that you like with the upkeep of the furniture in mind.   One of the reasons we carry so many different styles of rustic furniture is so that you will find the style that fits your tastes.

Expert tips for creating a beautiful landscape

(ARA) - It may be cold outside, but homeowners are already dreaming of creating beautiful garden settings around their homes come spring. Landscaping success doesn't have to be hit or miss, and if it has been for you, it may be time to call in a professional landscape designer.

Why? Because in the long run, hiring a landscape designer can cost less than doing it yourself. You'll get a "doable" design created right the first time, saving you the cost of repeated tries at getting it right or planting the wrong plants in the wrong spots. A professional landscape designer envisions creative solutions to the most difficult outdoor challenges - problems they've more than likely solved before.

Plus, a high-quality landscape increases home sale prices up to 10.8 percent, compared to a home with a simply average landscape, according to the Journal of Environmental Horticulture.  

Here are some tips from professional landscape designers to create your dream garden.

First, consider your space and any "issues" that it has.  Hiding an unsightly air conditioning unit, adding privacy and changing boring views to beautiful ones are issues that landscape designers face with many clients.  

"As a certified landscape designer through the Association of Professional Landscape Designers, I see the big picture," says Boston-based landscape designer Maria von Brincken, APLD. "A designer sees the problems that you see, and often the ones you don't, and can offer solutions to create beautiful, functional and earthy-friendly landscapes to add to your lives."

Next, do your homework. Tear out favorite pictures from gardening magazines, and start making a file on what you would like for your dream garden. While not everything might be possible for your garden, it will give your landscape designer a visual starting point.  Don't forget about hardscape such as patios, decks and fencing; designers can help with these also.

Take your time. Brincken warns of the temptation to impulsively buy plants at a garden center and attempt a garden make-over. This can be a costly gamble for those without experience.  Many homeowners find that it takes the help of a designer to create a well-planned landscape project that includes both plants and hardscape.

While there is a cost to hiring a landscape designer, it is ultimately more economical to work with an expert to create a plan specific to your yard. The project is completed in a timely manner and within budget when you take your time and create a landscape plan.  Expect to spend about 10 percent of the total cost of the project on the design.

Consider what you want to achieve with your landscape. "People are busy, and they want to have an outdoor space that makes them feel comfortable, not frustrated and worn out from gardening chores," says Judy Nauseef, APLD, of Iowa City, Iowa, and president of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (www.apld.org).

"They also want to maximize their investment in their home," she adds. 'Having a well-designed landscape gives the homeowner more living space and also helps with resale value."

Research and reach out to a few landscape designers. Be sure to interview several designers to find one who meets your needs and personality. Review the portfolio or Web site of each designer, and visit some of their work if possible. Finally, if you have a budget in mind, share this with the designer up front.

Get ready to get dirty. "You can hire a landscape designer for a range of services. You might choose to hire a designer for a two hour consultation for ideas and suggestions that you might implement yourself," says Patricia St. John, APLD, of Berkeley, Calif., and APLD incoming president. "You could also hire a designer to give you a complete design for your garden. When it comes to implementing the design you have choices -- involve the designer while you hire a recommended landscape contractor or even do some of the work yourself."

Also, you do not have to complete the whole plan at once. A landscape can be installed over a period of time as well. Homeowners can decide what areas are most important and start there.

Take the first step to a dream garden. With the help of a professional landscape designer, you can create a plan that will work for your landscape and you. Finding a designer is easy: visit www.apld.org.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

How to warm up your home with natural touches

(ARA) - Interior design continues to evolve rapidly. But it's not just going in one direction - it's branching out in new ways and giving homeowners fodder for ideas about how they can turn their existing house into their dream home. There is something for every taste, too, as different design concepts become more fully developed, catering to all people and all styles of homes.

The wide variety of options that homeowners have means that they need to keep focused on a specific design goal. Exposed ductwork or industrial-looking concrete floors won't work in some houses, while antler chandeliers or tufted chaises won't work in others. There are a few elements that can be mixed and matched across styles, but the inclusion of organic materials, particularly wood like Cedar, Aspen, Pine and Reclaimed Barn wood for rustic interior design works for many styles of homes.

Today, more homeowners are improving and renovating their homes - updating both the decor and the functional elements - rather than taking on the challenge of selling and buying in the current market. Many of them are also using and developing their own skills, when it comes to both design and bringing their ideas to life. And as winter closes in, do-it-yourselfers are looking for low-cost, high-impact projects that will make their homes feel updated and more inviting.

Figuratively, bringing the outdoors in can have a warming effect on your home. Look to nature for inspiration on everything from color to materials to elements that reflect the landscape that surrounds your home.

"Modern technology allows us to blur the lines between indoors and outdoors," says Ray Johnston, an architect with Johnston Architects in the Pacific Northwest. "To enhance this blending, exterior materials can extend through windows to inside walls. This treatment welcomes the outdoors in and has the effect of expanding space.  At the same time, the rich color and texture of a natural material, like a warm wood, adds great character and depth to an interior space."

Minor structural additions and interior treatments add appeal to a stagnant room. Also new, environmentally friendly clay treatments are available in a variety of colors, and add a rustic but subtle tactile quality. The rich color and attractive grain of Eastern Red Cedar panel provide immediate interest without the added struggle of learning to create faux finishes with paint or mastering a trowel. If you want to add a unique touch of color, cedar takes stains exceptionally well. And if you just want to preserve the natural color of the wood, sealing it will help it last for years.

Adding smaller design touches is a great option for those who don't feel comfortable tackling big projects. Many newer homes don't have the classic character of houses from years gone by, but there are ways to incorporate it. "Homeowners are adding natural wood molding and trims as a low-cost way to add warmth and elegance to a simple room," says Paul Mackie of the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association. Look for a stable wood that will not warp and twist over the years. Cedar is a great choice for ceiling, picture and floor moldings, as well as other trims, because of its uniform grain.

Switching out older, hollow-core doors with new wood models will not only help to diminish noise, it will add a long-lasting extra bit of character to your home, no matter its age. Windows are a key design element in any home, too, and can be enhanced by adding new cedar frames, blinds or shutters in styles ranging from embellished and traditional to minimalist and modern.

The dynamic appeal of nature can be applied to your floors as well. Add new interest to kitchens, foyers, bathrooms and more with tiles made of natural materials like cork, bamboo, slate, wood (new or reclaimed) or travertine - the possibilities are almost endless.

Western Red Cedar is also a great choice to create architectural details, like a post and beam look in a home, or to conceal visually distracting elements like support beams or duct work. For more ideas on adding warmth to a home with Western Red Cedar, visit www.wrcla.org.

By updating your home with natural touches, you add long-lasting appeal that won't go out of style. Not only will you be able to enjoy it for years to come, but it will provide added enticements for any potential future buyers.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Differences in our Log Furniture Collections

A question we are asked quite often is what are the differences in our log furniture collections and why do some take longer to receive than others.  Today I am going to explain the differences in the logs that are used in these rustic collections.  This will give you an idea as to why some collections take longer than others.

On our site we feature various log furniture collections and styles.  These styles range from simple log styles to intricate gnarly log styles.

The simple log furniture styles (like our Hidden Lake, Ozark and Rustic Natural Cedar collections) use logs that have been machine doweled.  This process involves placing a log into a machine which sands it down until it is smooth and uniform in size.  From here the furniture making process can be automated fairly quickly since all the parts will be the same size.

We then move a step up to our Rustic Lakeland and North Woods collections. In the Rustic Lakeland collection logs are German peeled.  The German peeling process is the process of rotating the logs against a wheel of spinning blades.  The blades will peel off the bark and it leaves the logs relatively smooth - yet the knife marks in the logs are visible and the log retains it's natural shape.  In the North Woods line the logs are hand draw knifed.  The draw knife process is done by hand using a drawknife tool.  The craftsmen will draw a the knife down the log removing the bark.  This process leaves a very clean looking log with a unique knife pattern.  Once the logs are peeled the log furniture is then able to manufactured pretty easily and quickly.

Moving another step forward we come to the Montana and Wilderness collections.  These rustic furniture collections are skip peeled.  Skip-peeling does not remove all of the inner bark.  A skip-peeled log will show patches of the interior bark producing a more rustic look.  Skip peeling can be viewed as an art.  It sounds simple just removing some bark, but the skip peeler or 'log artist' must visualize each log to envision where the patches will accentuate the furniture the most.  Once the skip peeling is complete the construction of the furniture can again move fairly quickly.

Stepping further into the rustic realm we come to our Cedar Lake, Aspen, Red Cedar, Cottage, Cabin Creek, Nature's Twist and Heritage collections.   These lines will take longer due to all the extra labor and time that goes into the manufacturing process.  The logs that are used in these collections are hand peeled aged dead standing trees and/or logs that have aged in barns for multiple years.  The hand peeling process is done by physically taking the outer bark in hand and pulling/peeling it off of the log.  This labor intensive process leaves the logs completely natural looking with their unique shapes - gnarls from tree limbs, burls and beetle tracks all remain visible.  The logs will be very rustic looking with patches of cambium (the inner bark) left from the peeling process, the beetle trails and occasional surface rot from the aging.  From here the rustic furniture is made piece by piece.  Since all the logs are all vastly different this process cannot be automated.   In this process the 'artists' are the specialized builders who sort through the logs while envisioning the final piece, creating it in their mind, then finding the complementing pieces that will make your finished rustic furniture truly one of a kind.  Bends, beetle tracks, twigs, splits, forks, arches, burls and knots - all of these natural markings on the logs - come into consideration in the placement and construction on your piece of log furniture.

Is Log Furniture Green?

Today I'm going to talk about the conception that the makers of log furniture and rustic furniture are hurting the environment.  In all actuality this is the furthest from the truth.  Our factory and the manufacturers that we work with are in my opinion some of the 'greenest' people in the rustic furniture business.   I would even go so far to say that we/they are the 'greenest' people in the whole furniture business - rustic and modern.

How can I say such a thing?  Well let's look and see where our logs come from.  At our factory we use the leftover logs from the log cabin industry.  They use the larger lower parts of the trees and we use the tops that are too small for them to use.  The logs that would normally go to waste.  For our more rustic line of log furniture - our Cedar Lake collection - we use dead standing trees and aged logs.  Our friends and associates also practice the same techniques as us.  Those who create the beautiful reclaimed barn wood you see on our site gather their wood from old barns - usually 100+ years old - reusing what would have gone to waste.  I don't believe modern furniture companies can claim the same.

You can't go through a day without hearing something about the environment.  If the earth friendly activists would stop for a moment and really look into what furniture is actually eco-friendly I believe that you would see a lot more log furniture out in the world.  I can only imagine how word would spread.  Log Benches in waiting rooms and in foyers of large companies.  Log dining tables in your workplace break room and in restaurants.  Rustic vanities in bathrooms.  Log beds and rustic dressers in hotels and motels.  The list would go on and on.  It would create a demand for rustic furniture that would send prices soaring!

Our Facebook Page

Become a fan of JHE's Log Furniture Place on Facebook!  Why?  Because you will have access to special discounts, you will be the first to see our newly designed products, you will be the first to hear about up and coming rustic furniture lines as well as hear the latest news about us.

To become a fan click this link:  JHE's Facebook Page and click the 'become a fan' button

Rustic Furniture Showroom

We get asked quite often if we have a showroom.  The answer is yes, we do!  Our showroom is located by our factory in Edmore, MI.  We have on display (when we keep it in stock) our Contoured Comfort collection outdoor cedar log furniture line and our indoor rustic furniture lines Rustic Lakeland (featuring log beds - including low post beds, canopy beds, daybeds and futons - and rustic log living room furniture), Lakeland Cabin (featuring rustic bedroom furniture - including dressers, nightstands and chests), and our newest Cedar Lake and premium Cedar Lake Logger lines (featuring very rustic cedar log beds, dressers and bedroom casegoods, bathroom vanities, dining tables and chairs, sofas, chairs and loveseats and so much more!).  We also have prototypes, seconds, and some miscellaneous furniture on sale as well.

Our showroom is open Monday through Friday 9am - 5pm and on Sundays with an appointment.