We are often asked what maintenance is necessary on a timber building. Due to the quality of the wood, preservative and finish your bespoke timber building from Shields Buildings should require little in the way of maintenance. But we all need a check-over as we head towards summer. Here are a few tips.
Timber
Summer is the best time to treat timber cladding, the boards will have dried out and will be able to absorb the preservative better.
The high quality timber we use is pressure treated to protect it from rot and we then paint it with 2 coats of water proofer to reduce water penetrating the timber. If you live in an exposed location you may need to reapply a coat of Log Cabin waterproofer every 2 years or so, in other locations 4-5 years. See our website for more details.
Do you have green algae on the exterior walls? we recommend using Algon Organic Path and Decking Cleaner to treat this. Simply brush it on and after a week or two the green growth will start to disappear. It’s best to do this before you think about treating or painting the wood.
Staining and Painting
If you wish to use a preservative stain for a coloured finish, we think that Barrettine Wood Protective Treatment or Cuprinol Garden Shades are excellent choices and are available in a range of colours.
For windows and doors, we use Sikkens Cetol, a semi-gloss wood stain 2 coat system. We find this a superb product and well worth the money.
If your building is already painted, it may need rubbing down before repainting. Flaking paint must be removed before applying a fresh coat of a product such as Sadolin Superdec.
Don’t forget – all the above and more tips are featured in the maintenance section of our website.
Additional Tips
For your uPVC window and door locks, catches and hinges – apply a small amount of silicone spray to these parts. If you don’t have any, you can simply use furniture polish which contains silicone
Flies in shed windows – simply spray with a can of fly killer! They do seem attracted to the windows, but the residual effect of a quick spray can be very beneficial
Roofs– regularly remove any build-up of leaves, sticks and moss
Gutters – check for any leaks caused by the contraction and expansion of the gutter. This can often be rectified by sliding the length of gutter back into the clips on the joints
Weeds – spray or remove any weeds encroaching on the building
As you can see we have been busy cleaning our display buildings too!
