Cedar Wood outdoor enclosure

Leroy's_homeboy

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We recently moved & had to give up our beautiful outdoor garden for Leroy :-( Being that it's near the end of summer, I wanted something that I could quickly & easily construct.

So...dummy me bought 2 raised garden beds without even thinking about the potential harmful effects.

My question is if I use some sort of sealant would that negate the harmful fumes or should I scrap the whole raised garden idea and buy something different?
 

dmmj

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I tend to err on the side of caution, if it was my choice, I would scrap.
 

jaizei

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It's less of an issue outside vs confined indoors. Its a judgement call depending on how aromatic the wood is. I wouldn't discount it just because it's cedar.
 

Tom

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What size are these enclosures and how tall are the walls? If they are small with tall walls, that will tend to hold in the fumes more.

Wide open with low sides and you should have plenty of ventilation.

I'll bet that with a little time and weathering the cedar wood will be fine. I would not use cedar to build an indoor closed chamber, but outside with all the fresh air and a wide open top shouldn't be an issue.
 

Leroy's_homeboy

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What size are these enclosures and how tall are the walls? If they are small with tall walls, that will tend to hold in the fumes more.

Wide open with low sides and you should have plenty of ventilation.

I'll bet that with a little time and weathering the cedar wood will be fine. I would not use cedar to build an indoor closed chamber, but outside with all the fresh air and a wide open top shouldn't be an issue.
One is 4x4 and the other is 3x5. The walls are around 16".
 

Leroy's_homeboy

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It's less of an issue outside vs confined indoors. Its a judgement call depending on how aromatic the wood is. I wouldn't discount it just because it's cedar.
When I first opened the boxes you could really smell the wood but now that its been outside for a while the smell is has gotten less noticable...
 

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