Shed treatment

[Ben565]

Hi, I have a 16ft x 10ft shed which is in need of some tlc. It was installed around 10yrs ago and clearly had some sort of resin/oil protection along with a coat of paint.

Since then it hasn't been touched and the paint has worn off. I scrubbed it with fungicide solution to get the "green" off and no it's dry it almost looks like bare wood.

I have some Cuprinol Ducksback to paint it with, but do I need to treat it with a preservative first?

Thanks

 

[JohnD]

has it got gutters?

on sheds, the timber within about a foot of the ground will rot first as it will be prone to damp, including rainsplash. I like to use spirit-based preservative on these parts, very generously, and let it dry fully before applying a stain to the whole thing. The rest of the shed will last better.

A jet washer will usually clean off old stain from wood, though it will raise the grain a bit.

 

[Ben565]

Yeah I gave it a blast with the jetwash yesterday and it's stripped a lot of the old paint off. Let it dry overnight and there's still some patches of old paint/preservative. It's going to be a pita trying to rub down by hand a shed that size, I just tried a small part and 80 grit sandpaper wasn't really effective.
I'm guessing the old stuff is soaked in, so as long as the surface is clean and dry it should be ok to paint over.

Only one part of it appears to have actually rotted and it's like you say about 3 or 4 inches from the bottom. Although it is on a concrete base and raised from the ground by horizontal timbers it's a damp corner that doesnt get the sun. Would say it needs cutting out and replacing.

 

[JohnD]

if it's just cladding, that's easier to replace. Take the opportunity to soak the replacements in Cuprinol or similar and the stain before fitting. You can treat all sides, edges and screwholes that way. When you take the bottom cladding off it will also give you access to the frame timbers, which also need treating. You may be able to put tilers felt or similar between the cladding and the frame.

If you hold the nozzle close to the old stain it will probably blast it off. If not, maybe it is adhering well and can be painted over.

Good gutters that don't overspill will help keep the walls dry.

 

[Ben565]

Thanks John, it doesn't have gutters, although I had thought of adding them.

It's a petrol powered jetwash I've got and rather noisy so best leave it a bit later in the day before annoying the neighbours again.

Looks like the Cuprinol Ducksback is just a paint, I will need to get some preservative to go on. Have you seen the prices ! And for a shed that size I'd need about 7.5 litres just for one coat.

 

[JohnD]

Have a look at the ingredients list or safety doc for Wickes own-brand, and compare it with the Cuprinol docs.

There is a spirit based "shed and fence preserver" that seems very similar and is sometimes sold in large containers at lower price. You have to keep stirring it as the pigment settles. I have used the green and the brown ones. I like to soak the top and the bottom of outdoor timbers.

If you can't afford to treat the whole shed, concentrate on the bottom foot, and any upward-facing surfaces that get rained on.

A gutter will protect the shed walls from falling and splashing water which accelerates rot.

 

[Ben565]

Well a couple of hours with the Jetwasher and it's pretty much all stripped back to bare wood ready to be treated. Much better doing it that way, although it did raise the grain a bit.

Wickes own brand look about half the price of B&Q so going to get and order some of that.