Protection and care tips for your wooden garden shed

How to keep your wooden garden shed beautiful for a long time? How to maintain them and protect wood from the negative effects of sun, rain, wind or snowfall? Do you need to take extra precautions and how to choose between the different types of paint and chemical products? We shall give you some useful tips which will help you maintain the properties and the unique beauty of wood.

How to take proper care for your wooden garden shed?

Photo by Pat Freling of Paint Strategies

Wood is not only a natural, but with proper care, also a very durable building material and widely used for outdoor structures like garden sheds, pergolas, gazebos, benches, swings, bridges, seating furniture, etc. One of the main advantages of wooden structures is the warm, natural look and the pleasant atmosphere that they create. All hobby gardeners know the advantage of having a shed which allows them to enjoy time outdoors and store their tools. These structures are a great option for all homeowners and on Quick Garden you can find a wide variety of log cabins, wooden garages and carports, garden offices, mobile homes and other garden buildings to choose from and arrange a garden office, a man cave in the backyard, an artist studio or simply a comfortable space to enjoy a cocktail or a quiet and relaxing time with a book.

However, to ensure that your wooden garden shed remains in good condition you should think about the right wood care even before construction. To avoid rapid destruction of the material, it is necessary to effectively protect the wood from external factors – excessive moisture, fire, pests, mold, etc. Nowadays you can choose from various varnishes, paint, impregnation solutions which have substances that protect the wood from insects, rapid deterioration and decay.

 

Protection and care tips for your wooden garden shed

There are a few factors that you should consider before or during construction to increase the life of your wooden garden shed:

Make sure that the structure lies on a stable foundation which is a good insulation against moisture and cold from the soil.

It is essential to treat the wood with wood preservation or wood care products before assembly. There are special solutions that help protect wood from moisture. A wood preservation product is a chemical agent that penetrates deep into the wood. They are divided into two groups: penetrating and film-forming. The first group provides a more reliable barrier against the penetration of moisture into the structure of wood. When using products from the second group, you should repeat the treatment with time.

There are some wood species such as bangkirai or teak, whose native compounds make them resistant to fungi, moisture and many insect species. However, most wooden garden sheds nowadays, are made from local wood species such as spruce, pine, oak, chestnut, etc. These wood species need proper care and adequate weather protection. You should also keep in mind that softwoods, such as spruce and pine and hardwoods, such as oak and chestnut, have different resistance to pest infestation and weathering so they will require different coating.

How to choose between oil, varnish and paint? Each product has a different purpose and when you choose the one for your wooden garden shed you need to know what the right one for the type of wood is and what specific needs it has. Paint is the top choice as it protects the wood from sunlight and moisture, but it does not have any nourishing ingredients that would be beneficial to the wood itself. Treating the wood with oil is advisable prior painting. Wood sealers provide protection against the effects of weather and leave the natural grain of the wood visible which adds to the visual appeal of the structure. Make sure that you choose a product, whether paint, sealer or varnish, which will allow the wood to breathe as this is essential for the lifespan of your outdoor structure.