Drive through Muskoka, Haliburton, or Parry Sound and you'll see white cedar everywhere — docks, decks, Adirondack chairs, bed frames. Ontario cottage owners have been building with Northern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) for generations. It's not trendy. It just works.
Northern White Cedar grows across the Canadian Shield from Manitoba to Quebec, with Ontario producing more of it than any other province. It's available, it's local, and it has three properties that make it ideal for cottage furniture.
Natural rot resistance. White cedar heartwood contains thujaplicins — compounds that resist fungal decay without chemical treatment. A white cedar chair left on a dock in Gravenhurst will outlast a pressure-treated pine chair that cost twice as much. This isn't marketing. The wood genuinely doesn't rot the way pine or spruce does.
Light weight. White cedar has a density of about 320 kg/m³ — roughly half the weight of oak and 30% lighter than pine. That matters when you're carrying Adirondack chairs from the shed to the dock every May, or rearranging a cottage living room for the third time because your sister-in-law brought extra guests.
The smell. Fresh white cedar smells clean and sharp, like pencil shavings mixed with something medicinal. The scent fades over a few months indoors but never fully disappears. Some people buy cedar furniture specifically for this. If you've ever opened a cedar-lined closet, you know.
These are completely different trees despite sharing a name. Knowing which one you're buying matters — they look different, cost different amounts, and behave differently in furniture.
| Property | Northern White Cedar (Ontario) | Western Red Cedar (BC) |
|---|---|---|
| Colour | Light honey to pale tan | Rich reddish-brown with streaks |
| Weight | Very light (320 kg/m³) | Light (350 kg/m³) |
| Janka Hardness | 320 lbf — soft | 350 lbf — soft |
| Rot Resistance | Excellent | Excellent |
| Scent | Sharp, pencil-like | Warm, spicy-sweet |
| Grain | Fine, straight, even | Straight with more variation |
| Typical furniture use | Beds, chairs, outdoor furniture | Outdoor furniture, hot tub surrounds, live edge |
| Price (rough lumber) | $3–5/board foot | $5–9/board foot |
| Sourcing in Ontario | Local — mills in Parry Sound, Sudbury, Thunder Bay | Shipped from BC — adds $2–4/bf in freight |
The short version: if you're furnishing a cottage in Ontario, white cedar is local, cheaper, and purpose-built for the climate. Western red cedar looks richer and is the better choice if you want a darker, more dramatic grain. But you'll pay for the looks and the shipping.
Prices from Ontario makers and retailers as of 2026:
| Piece | Price Range (CAD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Adirondack chair | $250–450 | Most popular item. Log Furniture and More (Dundalk, ON) sells them from $299. |
| Queen log bed frame | $1,200–2,800 | Peeled log, mortise-and-tenon. Custom from Huron Log Furniture (Echo Bay, ON) starts around $1,500. |
| Dining table (seats 6) | $1,400–3,200 | Slab top or plank top on log legs. Price depends heavily on slab quality. |
| Nightstand | $300–600 | Two-drawer styles common. Usually sold in pairs at slight discount. |
| Outdoor bench (5 ft) | $350–700 | Log style with back rest. A dock staple. |
| Bookcase / shelving | $500–1,200 | Open-back style with log posts. Size varies widely. |
| Coffee table (log style) | $400–900 | Cedar slab or peeled log base with plank top. |
Custom pieces from small shops in Parry Sound, Muskoka, or Manitoulin Island run 20–40% more than production furniture, but you get exactly what fits your space. For standard sizes, our full pricing guide covers all species and categories.
If you're building your own, white cedar rough lumber runs $3–5 per board foot from Ontario mills. Some places to look:
For DIY project ideas, see our getting started guide.
White cedar is forgiving, but it's not indestructible. The softness that makes it light also makes it dent easily — a dropped cast iron pan will leave a mark on a cedar table that oak would shrug off.
A penetrating oil finish (tung oil, Rubio Monocoat, or Danish oil) protects without hiding the grain. Reapply once a year. Avoid polyurethane on cedar — the wood moves enough seasonally that film finishes crack and peel, especially in unheated cottages.
Cedar darkens slightly with UV exposure over the first year, settling into a warm amber. If you want to preserve the lighter colour, use a finish with UV inhibitors. If you like the darkening, just let it happen.
Unfinished white cedar outdoors will grey to a silver-driftwood colour within one to two seasons. Many cottage owners prefer this and leave it alone. If you want to maintain the original colour, apply a UV-blocking exterior oil (Sikkens Cetol or similar) every spring. Expect to redo it annually — no finish lasts more than one Ontario summer/winter cycle outdoors.
The rot resistance means you don't need to bring cedar furniture inside for winter. Leave it on the dock or deck — it handles snow and freeze-thaw cycles fine. Just flip chairs upside down so water doesn't pool on seat surfaces.
It depends what you're building. At 320 lbf on the Janka scale, white cedar is about as soft as balsa wood's tougher cousin. That means:
The softness is the trade-off for everything else cedar offers. If you want rot resistance AND hardness, you're looking at black locust or white oak — neither of which grows conveniently in Ontario cottage country, and both cost substantially more.
Most cottage furniture doesn't need to be hard. It needs to resist moisture, survive temperature swings, and look good doing it. White cedar checks all three boxes. Check our full wood species comparison if you want to weigh other options.