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cyprus

Gary Chapman

Gary Chapman

Joined
Mar 3, 2009
Messages
244
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Location
Madison, Indiana
A friend of mine had me make a shower stool out of a piece of 2 in. cyprus. I am told cyprus is next to teak for water wear but I am still concerned what it will wear like without some protection in a shower.
jAnyone have any experience making shower furniture? Thanks Gary
 
Gary Chapman said:
... I am told cyprus is next to teak for water wear but I am still concerned what it will wear like without some protection in a shower....
Click to expand...

That is sort of a nebulous description that does not really tell you anything about using cypress (Cyprus is a Greek island) for a shower stool. Its physical properties are not anything like Teak. Cypress is very decay resistant which makes it ideal for outdoor uses where other woods would rot such as buried posts, decking, and other such things where it would be subject to insect damage, decay, and rot. None of those things would be a concern for a shower stool. It is more stable than most other domestic woods for outdoor furniture and less likely to crack and split from weathering. While it is reasonably hard, it is a long way from teak in its hardness so joints might move and come loose if subject to hard use. I have an old water well bucket made of cypress and after about a century or so, all of the staves are are loose and not fit for hauling water up from a well any longer. Some things just don't seem to hold up forever, dang it. :D
 
Gary:

I believe you mean cypress (softwood trees) as opposed to cyperus (See: cyperus wiki link; =cyprus [sic]?) which are herbaceous ("woodless") plants related to grasses.

Depending on what species of cypress you used to make the stool, it could have characteristics that are exceptionally resistant to water, however very few woods will stand up to continual wetting and drying and will often discolor and/or begin surface checking after some time.

I have not ever made shower furniture, but would recommend that some sort of penetrating oil would provide additional water resistance and lengthen the lifespan of the items. Having made an outdoor deck of ipe (Tabebuia spp.) which is also supposed to be rated very highly for water resistance, the periodic application of of an oil finish provides additional protection, and is recommended to protect the wood exposed to the elements. It would not hurt to make some suggestions to the owner to periodically treat the wood for extended life.

Rob Wallace
 
Some of my favorite accomplishments arose from situations in which I was ignorant of their impossibility, so I forged ahead and did it anyway. You may now have a similar opportunity.

Assuming you accept Rob's advice, I suggest you reinforce the assembly with mechanical connections, such as stainless steel wood screws. Wood screws into end grain are notoriously weak. Instead, drill a cross hole near the connection, and place a dowel for the screw to engage. For purity of the experiment, use the same wood for the dowels. If there are lower cross bars, they should be offset vertically so that the same connection can be made from the legs to the cross bars, with smaller dowels in the cross bars.

Go for it. Use waterproof glue, and please post a picture.
 
Little bit of thinking with your butt might help here. Do you really want to plant same on anything oiled up to reject (bead) water? You'd slip.

If you try to texture the surface as the regular plastic surfaced shower stools are textured, you would release a lot of short places for splinters to evolve. Do you really want to slide your butt on splinters?

The Finns prefer aspen ("Popple") for seating in the sauna because it is fine-fibered, interlocked, and won't splinter. It also, paradoxically, feels cooler to the touch than any other wood beside it. Weathers to a white whisker with time, as we all do, but as long as the water drains, it'll last well. Since your stool top will be attached from below with metal fasteners to avoid burning your butt with same up top, you should have little trouble replacing it periodically.
 
Bill Boehme said:
I have an old water well bucket made of cypress and after about a century or so, all of the staves are are loose and not fit for hauling water up from a well any longer. Some things just don't seem to hold up forever, dang it. :D
Click to expand...
Bill you should know this, soak the bucket in water until the wood swells and holds the staves together. Been done like that for yearsssss:)
 
MichaelMouse said:
Little bit of thinking with your butt might help here. Do you really want to plant same on anything oiled up to reject (bead) water? You'd slip.
Click to expand...

I don't know about cypress shower seats, but fishing rod grips made out of wood and finished are not excessively slippery. Common sense says they should be, but tung oil, poly, even CA, all grip well, as far as capable custom builders have reported.
 
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