Painting Shed

[wilkie67]

At the moment I use a dark blue paint for the shed and light blue paint for the door, maybe not to everybodys taste but I think it looks nice. The only trouble is that the paint doesn't seem to give very good protection as some of the timbers are rotting, this is a water based paint ( shed 9 years old). My fathers shed must be about 50 yrs old and still going strong, all he has used over the years is cheap green Gloss paint. My query is can I use a paint type which will be hard wearing but not be as shiney as gloss and will stand up to british weather?

 

[TheDec]

Modern day sheds are often pre-treated with a preservative that allows the timber to breathe, after a short period of weathering you would be left with two options an opaque or a translucent finish. I speak hear of such finishes as Cuprinol and Sadolin.

Surfaces such as these rely mainly on breathability allowing the timber to both contract and expand, the coating applied to them must be able to do the same. You say that your Dads shed is covered in a cheap gloss of which appears to give adequate protection and longevity, I would assume from this that the timber used in that is both cured and well seasoned, which could very well be the reason why a gloss coating has achieved protection.

Dec.

 

[joe-90]

No, not really. The protection is in the fact that water can't find a way through it. It's the gloss sheen that makes it waterproof.

 

[TheDec]

No, not really. The protection with regard to substrates such as these do not rely on the fact that moisture cant find a way through it relies on the fact that it can. The application of the wrong paint system such as an alkyd based gloss, will greatly assist the traping of moisture and contribute to the premature breakdown of the paint system.

Dec.