treating timber for outside

[happyhero]

Hi if I am using some 2" x 4" outside and it is not tanilised or treated for outside, can anyone tell me what is the best treatment I could buy to paint it with, so that it is protected from the occasional splash of rain, ie it will never get soaking wet but it might get wet occasionaly if it rains real hard. I want to use it for base of my shed I am making resting on blocks but it will be exposed at the sides.

I will buy tanilised if I need more but I have a lot of 2" x 4" untreated lying around in my garage.

Any advice appreciated.

 

[breezer]

fence paint, comes in a variety of colours too

 

[happyhero]

fence paint, comes in a variety of colours too

Cheers for the info breezer I have been reading up on fence paint, never realised it was so good but are you saying it is about the best thing for the job, rather than all these fancy preservative ones made by for example Sadolin?

Also I would prefer to keep the wood looking its normal wood colour but unless you can tell me different it seems you have to buy this fence paint in a colour. I would like to buy it in clear. You can't get it in clear anywhere can you or do you know one that you can?

 

[breezer]

never seen it in clear, maybe its to with the way it works?

when dry it leaves like a very fine wax coat on the surface. its very good at repelling water

 

[Deluks]

A lot of the cheaper fence treatments only provide water resistance and uv resistance. You need to get the pricey stuff if you want chemical protection from rot and insects. Cuprinol shed and fence is one, or just get a few coats of clear timber preserver on them. Don't leave the sides exposed, nail on a 'skirt' of 6x1 gravelboard all the way round the base, this will be pre-treated against rot. If you are intending on using the 4x2 for the shed framework I'd still give it all a coat of timber preserver; woodlice, wasps and suchlike will still tuck in.