Custom Outdoor Furniture in Sarasota, FL

Which woods last longest outdoors in Florida?

Density and natural oils decide how long untreated wood survives on a Gulf Coast patio. These are the species we reach for:

Ipe Adirondack chairs, benches and outdoor dining tables

Ipe Adirondack chairs are a long-standing request: wide arms for a drink, a reclined back and enough weight that an afternoon gust will not tip them into the pool. We also build benches for entries and docks, side tables, planter boxes and outdoor dining tables with slatted tops that let rain run through.

An outdoor table follows the same sizing logic as one of our custom dining tables, with more space between top slats and a lower-profile apron so water does not pool. Inside the house, the shop also builds custom bedroom furniture, and some clients order a teak bench for the foot of the bed to match their patio set.

A set can be one chair or a full deck: matching footrests, a dining table with benches, a potting bench by the screen door or a planter box sized to your pavers. Each piece is drawn to the spot it will stand, with a note on how it drains and how two people can carry it.

Joinery and hardware for rain, salt and sun

• Stainless steel screws and bolts, in marine-grade 316 near salt water, so fasteners do not rust and stain the wood.
• Mortise-and-tenon joints with waterproof glue, and oily species wiped with solvent before gluing so the bond takes.
• Slats spaced for drainage, and no flat ledges where water can sit against end grain.
• Feet that lift end grain off wet pavers, with glides that protect pool decks.
• Rounded edges that shed water and resist splintering under bare legs.

What wears outdoor furniture out on the Gulf Coast

Ultraviolet light breaks down the wood surface and most finishes first. The June-to-September rainy season then soaks end grain every afternoon, salt spray within sight of the Gulf rusts plain steel screws, and pool chlorine and sprinkler water add their own stains. The early signs are a gray, fuzzy surface, rust streaks at fasteners, joints that rock and dark, soft wood at the feet.

Wooden garden gates and remaking an old one

A wooden garden gate takes more abuse than any chair: it is slammed, leaned on and soaked from the ground up. When an old gate has rotted or sagged, we measure its opening, hinge and latch positions and draw a replacement, keeping the original design if you like it.

To stop sag, the diagonal brace runs from the bottom of the hinge side up to the top of the latch side, so it works in compression. Hinges are sized for the gate's weight, and we leave a clear gap at the ground so the bottom rail does not sit in wet mulch. Posts and masonry belong to whoever installs the fence; we build the gate to fit.

Is your gate part of a pool barrier?

If it is, state law sets the rules. Florida’s Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act (Chapter 515, Florida Statutes) requires a barrier at least 4 feet high, and gates that open outward away from the pool, close on their own and self-latch, with the release on the pool side out of a young child’s reach. Pool fences go through your building department’s permit and inspection, so the fence or pool contractor installs the gate; we build it to those requirements and to their opening.

Let it silver or keep it golden?

Left unfinished, both ipe and teak weather to a silver gray that many coastal homeowners like. The wood underneath stays sound; only the surface color changes. If you want to keep the warm brown tone, a penetrating oil or a UV-blocking outdoor finish is applied and then renewed, often more than once a year in full Florida sun.

We generally avoid thick varnish on outdoor furniture because it cracks and peels once sun gets under it, then needs stripping. If an older set has already turned gray and rough, our teak furniture refinishing service can clean, sand and oil it again.

From drawings to your patio

1. 1

   Describe the spot

   Send photos of the deck, lanai or garden, and tell us about sun, shade and salt exposure.

2. 2

   Approve the design

   Check the piece at true scale in drawings and a 3D rendering of your space.

3. 3

   Choose wood and finish

   Decide on species and whether the piece will weather naturally or be oiled.

4. 4

   Build with outdoor details

   We cut, join and assemble with stainless fasteners and drainage built in.

5. 5

   Deliver and set

   We place the pieces, level them on pavers or decking and explain upkeep.

What affects the price of custom patio furniture?

• Species: ipe and teak cost more than cypress or white oak
• Size and number of pieces in a set
• Curved parts, such as contoured chair backs and arms
• Stainless hardware grade and quantity
• Finish choice, since oiled pieces get more coats
• Delivery to upper-floor balconies or island properties

Dense outdoor species are slow to machine and hard on cutters, so an ipe chair takes more shop hours than the same design in cypress. Contoured backs and arms need templates and more fitting, while a straight-slatted bench repeats one setup. Fastener count rises quickly on slatted pieces, and 316 stainless costs more than 304. An oiled finish adds coats and cure time before delivery, and a third-floor balcony or barrier-island address adds carrying time.