I have recently been commissioned to build a hundred plus units of children's picnic tables and sandboxes. I am not a professional woodworker, but an advanced DIY'r in an MBA program, with a background in manufacturing management.
I am partnered with an experienced contractor, who is a capable builder, but not specifically a woodworker. I was hoping to get some advice on here to aid me in making some informed decisions.
I built the prototype out of cedar for the customer, as they are a higher-end retailer, but they want to keep the costs down for seasonal goods. The mill where I purchased my lumber also said that cedar was less readily available (at least right now) and they recommended pine, which they had heaps of, it was more affordable and more regular in shape.
I do not have a lot of experience building for outdoor use, aside from fixing up my old deck. My understanding (and pardon my naivety) is that the most common woods for this type of application was cedar or pressure treated wood (Lowe's calls it pressure treated wood, and does not indicate what type of wood it actually is, during my cursory research)
The pine they had at the mill did not appear to be treated at all, and in a best case scenario I would prefer not to use pressure treated as it seems to be expensive and often unavailable in Ontario these days, and furthermore, less attractive for kids to be playing with.
So all that being said, can I use pine to build these tables and then seal/stain/paint them to protect against the elements, or must the wood be pressure treated? If this is an option, what seal/stain/paint would you all recommend?
Other than cedar, is there any wood you would recommend that is robust enough for the outdoors, but affordable enough to be practical?
This is my first post on woodweb, and I was warned that you guys can be tough, so I'm wearing my thickest skin in preparation for your answers ;)
Thanks in advance.