If the garden shed you purchase is not made from pressure treated or cedar wood then to ensure that it lasts you will need to make sure that you take care of it regularly. Generally today most garden sheds do come with some sort of basic treatment such as a wood based primer to protect them but this won’t be sufficient to ensure that they last for many years to come. Below we take a look some of the kinds of garden shed treatments available and why they may be needed.
So why does one need to treat a garden shed once it has been built? Of course the main reason for treating a garden shed with any one of the treatments we list below is to help prolong the life of it. Unfortunately many of the woods used today for construction of garden sheds unlike cedar are not very resilient and deteriorate quite a lot because of the changes in the climate. However, garden shed treatments are what prevent the weather from encroaching into the material from which it is made and causing damage to it.
Above we have explained the importance of treating garden sheds, now let us look at some of the types of treatments that one should consider using for protecting yours.
Treatment 1 ” Creosote Substitute
You will find that this treatment is available under a number of different names including ones such as Creotreat or Creotech. To really ensure that your shed remains in good condition mix 5 parts of this treatment with 1 part clean engine oil. The oil is needed because it prevents the wood from becoming brittle or from cracking and provides some waterproofing to the wood as well.
This particular treatment is easy to apply it just needs to be put in to a sprayer. However, although it is a cheap and effective way of helping to increase the life span of your garden shed you are limited in colour choice. In fact the only colour choice you have with this particular garden shed treatment is brown.
Treatment 2 ” Wood Preservative
You can use this either on its own or as a base coat before you then paint your garden shed. If you will be painting your garden shed after applying this type of treatment make sure the one you use can be painted over after applying, If it isn’t then when the paint is applied it will simply slide off. Plus when looking at using a wood preservative treatment go for the spirit rather than water based types as this will ensure that more is able to soak into the wood and provide it with even more protection from the elements.
Treatment 3 ” Combined Preservative, Colour and Waterproof Agent
This of all the garden shed treatments available is proving to be very popular with homeowners and just as with treatment 2 you should go for the spirit rather than the water based types. It is also important that if the wood of your shed has been planed then you use a treatment which is suitable for these types because if you don’t over time the coating will begin to peel and leave the wood underneath unprotected from the elements. There are a great number of advantages to be had from using this kind of treatment and the main one of these being is it comes in a wide choice of colours as well as being quick and easy to apply.
Tags: Outdoors
