Do I need to store my wooden Adirondack chairs in the winter?
It is always best if you can put the wooden Adirondack chairs away in the garage or shed for the winter. If you do not have a place to store the wooden Adirondack chairs and you would like to cover it, just remember to make sure the furniture is dry before you cover it. Plastic tarps often can promote mold growth or will leak, so be careful.

How do I finish my furniture?

1. Oil/varnish combinations: the easiest to use, flood on, wipe off in 10-15 minutes; continue to touch up as needed.
2. Oil/Water Based Stain: Your cedar chair can be stained any color utilizing a good brand of oil or water based stain; paint on, wipe off; maintain as needed
3. Paint: to paint cedar you must first utilize an acrylic water based primer followed by a water based acrylic enamel top coat; if you do not use a primer, the cedar will always “bleed through”” your top coat.

What will happen if I don’t put any finish on my chair?
Over time your chair will change to a silver/gray color.

How often should I refinish my wood Adirondack chair?
The sun and exposure to the elements change the surface color of unprotected woods in unfinished Adirondack chairs but does not affect the structural integrity of the wood. It really is a matter of personal preference. Whether or not you decide to keep the 'like-new' color or let it gray, it is important to clean the outdoor Adirondack chairs at least once a year.

History Behind Adirondack Chairs
There is a little town on the edge of Lake Champlain, by the Adirondack Mountains, called Westport. This is the town the first Adirondack chairs, called Westport chairs, were originally named after. In Blue Mountain Lake, New York, the Adirondack Museum proudly preserves the Adirondack chair's interesting history. Each summer in Westport, New York, a man named Thomas Lee enjoyed time with his large family. Stony Sides, the home this family occupied, had a shortage of outdoor furniture and Lee felt he could not find relaxation. So, in 1903, on the lawn in front of the house, Thomas Lee began nailing boards together to form new, different chairs for his 22-member family to sample. History relates that, with all of this feedback, Lee created a unique new chair with a slanted back and seat, and the now well-recognized spacious armrests. Lee's family whole-heartedly approved. Thomas Lee knew a carpenter who owned a modest shop in town. Lee showed his new creation to the carpenter, Harry Bunnell. Bunnell predicted that the yearly residents flocking to the region during the summer would really appreciate Lee's chair. Although Lee originally intended the Adirondack chairs to make his family's summer stay at Stony Sides more pleasant, Bunnell saw the potential for great profit. In 1904, Bunnell requested a patent, calling the Adirondack chair the Westport chair. In the summer of 1905, and without Lee's knowledge, Harry Bunnell secured the patent for what would become one of the most recognized furniture pieces ever. Harry Bunnell's Westport Adirondack chair became popular all around the region. Over a twenty year period, Bunnell experimented with some variations on the original, including child Adirondack chairs and tete de tetes. Bunnell's painted Adirondack chairs were made of hemlock, painted in either dark brown or green, and signed by the carpenter himself. Today, Bunnell's original chairs come at a hefty price, about $1,200 each (Bunnell sold them for around $4.00).