Cautioned a client against using pine for outdoor cabinets and they got it.

It felt good to focus on what lasts instead of a fast sale.

3 comments

3 Comments

Ugh, pine outdoors... my cousin used it for a garden bench and within a year it was all warped and splintery. He saved maybe twenty bucks upfront but had to replace the whole thing. Now he swears by cedar for anything outside, even though it costs more. It's just not worth the hassle for something that won't last... kinda makes you feel good when you steer people right, even if it means a smaller sale at the time.

williams.jenny1d ago

Hey, interesting point! What gets me is how a bad material choice can kill the joy of a project altogether. Like, if that bench fell apart, your cousin probably felt all that work was wasted, not just the money. That disappointment might stop him from building anything else, which is a shame. Using cedar might cost more, but it keeps the good feelings alive every time you use it. It's about protecting the fun of making stuff, not just the stuff itself.

the_susan7h ago

Watched my friend build a beautiful planter box from pine last spring... she was so proud of it. By fall the boards had pulled apart at the joints and all her flowers fell out, just a total mess. It really got me thinking about what @williams.jenny said, how the wrong material can kill the whole joy of a project. My friend hasn't built a thing since, which is the real shame in all this. That little bit of saved money cost her all the good feelings she had from making it.