Whether it is wooden decking, furniture, sheds or barns, the only way to keep your wooden structures good and free from rot is to treat them. Regular maintenance of wooden structures will help ensure you can enjoy your prized possessions for longer. In this article, we aim to provide a comprehensive introduction to treating wood, to help you along the way. So for information on how to protect wood outside, read on!
Types Of Outdoor Wood
Wood is often used externally on features such as cladding, fencing, pergolas, decking, sheds and sleepers. Whether you are using softwood, hardwood, or even marine wood, you will need to know how to treat wood to prevent damage from the elements. So let’s start by taking a look at how to treat wood for outdoors.
How To Treat Untreated Wood For Outdoor Use
When it comes to treating wood for outdoor use, proper preparation is key. New wood is particularly vulnerable to sun and moisture during its first year. Therefore, we recommend using Owatrol Seasonite. Using this to treat new timber, allows the new wood to weather naturally in its first year without damage. It is suitable for use on pressure treated woods, softwoods and hardwoods and can be used both horizontally and vertically, making it ideal for use in the garden. Please note that Seasonite is not suitable for use on oak. If you have oak that requires an outdoor wood treatment, please contact our Technical team for further advice.
Alternatively, Centrecoat R26 is a powerful and effective pretreatment for new tanalised timber prior to the application of paints or stains.
How To Prepare Outdoor Wood
First on the list is to clean the wood. Failure to clean and wipe down the wooden surface could lead to the finishing agent not holding or sticking sufficiently.
If the surface you are coating has previously been painted with wood oils, or has been damaged by UV rays, we would recommend using Owatrol Aquanett. It is ideal for removing oils and mill glaze from both new and old weathered exterior timber. This can then be followed with Owatrol Net-trol.
Owatrol Net-trol is a powerful wood cleaner and restorer. It is the ideal preparation to treating outdoor wood. It will save you both time and effort by effortlessly removing both the surface and ground in dirt in as little as 15 minutes without the need for sanding. Furthermore, Net-trol is also biodegradable and does not contain solvents or bleach, meaning it’s not harmful to plants and shrubs and is therefore safe to use in the garden.
If you are finishing decking, then Osmo Decking Cleaner is ideal. It has a special concentrated dilution for cleaning untreated or oiled wooden decking and garden furniture. Osmo Decking Cleaner ensures the surface becomes resistant against soiling and water.
Treating Wood: What Finishes Can You Achieve?
There are various finishes available depending on the type of look you want. From wood stains, oils, solid colour paints or varnishes, you can give your exterior project the protection it requires without having to lose any of the beauty.
Wood Stain
A wood stain is a great way to protect exterior wood, whilst also making it look stunning! It is important to check the wood stain you choose is suitable for the type of wood you are preparing, as some types of wood are more resinous than others. If you rush into coating resinous or exotic woods, you risk the coating causing a reaction to the wood’s surface.
Below are just a few of the wood stains available from Promain:
Lacq Produra Exterior Wood Stain
A natural wood stain containing very little solvents. Lacq Produra nourishes the wood from within, providing a translucent stain. With its high flexibility, it will not crack, peel or blister even in severe exterior weather conditions.
Lacq Produra is suitable for all exterior wood such as wooden cladding, as a shed stain, as a decorative coating for veranda’s, fences and shutters.
Osmo Natural Oil Woodstain
An all-in-one primer and topcoat. Osmo Natural Oil Woodstain is recommended for any wood in outdoor areas such as doors, windows and window shutters, car ports, wooden cladding, balconies, wooden decks, gates, pergolas, garden furniture or summer houses.
Teknos Woodex Classic Wood Stain
Another product to consider when looking for a treatment for wood is Teknos Woodex Classic. This product protects external wood against weather strain by slowing the effects from moisture, UV radiation of the sun and soiling.
It is easy to apply and penetrates into the wood where it forms a uniform film after the first application.
Solid Colour Paints and Stains
If you are looking for more of a solid colour stain, there are many different options available. Some of which can even be tinted to thousands of different colours.
Bird Brand Outdoors
Bird Brand Outdoors is a multi-purpose paint for treating wood. It is suitable for use on decking, fencing, sheds and garden buildings. But is not just for timber, you can use Bird Brand OUTDOORS on metal garden furniture, PVC cladded huts, stone, guttering, fencing, benches, gates, tables and even terracotta.
This versatile outdoor paint is suitable for prepared garden buildings, furniture, cladding, pots, planters & even decking.
Owatrol Solid Colour Stain
Perfect if you are looking to add colour whilst still protecting the wood. Owatrol Solid Colour Stain is available in 34 different shades.
With the correct application method being followed, Owatrol Solid Colour Stain is guaranteed against flaking and peeling for 15 years on vertical surfaces and 5 years on horizontal surfaces.
Osmo Opaque Gloss Wood Stain
Osmo Opaque Gloss Wood Stain produces a white, opaque finish based on natural oils that penetrate deeply into the wood. Extremely weather resistant, it allows moisture to evaporate, preventing the Gloss from blistering or peeling.
Suitable for use on fences, gates, sheds, and garage doors.
Bedec Multi Surface Paint
When used as a wood/timber coating, Bedec MSP does not require a primer, it is also quick drying, making it ideal for use in the garden (even with the unpredictable weather in the UK!).
Tintable to over 35,000 colours, you are sure to be able to find the right shade!
Wood Protectors and Preservatives
If you are simply looking for information on how to treat wood for outside, then there are a number of products available that are used as preservatives to prevent fungi and decay on external timber.
Bird Brand Ecosote Wood Preserver
Ideal for domestic timber surfaces such as garden fences Ecosote Wood Preserver provides an eco-friendly alternative to standard wood stains and paints giving a beautiful, colour fast finish keeping both you and your garden happy.
Furthermore, Ecosote is HSE (Health and Safety Executive) approved. It provides very low hazard to the user and to the environment.
Jotun VISIR Primer Pigmented
A water based water repellent primer that contains powerful fungicides against wood rotting fungi and film fungicides to protect against surface moulds.
Jotun Visir Primer has been formulated to protect woodwork against dangerous UV light and has a colour that resembles natural timber.
In Conclusion
Hopefully this article has provided you with enough information for you to determine the best product for your needs and the best way to treat external wood. If you have a question that has not been answered here, you may find our other articles useful:
- Staining Exterior Wood: A How To Guide
- Popular Exterior Wood Paint Comparison Guide
- How to Treat and Finish Weathered Wood
You may also be interested in an article on Teknos Woodex Aqua Solid which was used on a row of Beach huts in Folkestone. View the article on our Instagram Page.
If you still require further help on how to treat timber for outdoor use, or how to weatherproof wood for outdoors, then we have a highly knowledgable Technical Team ready to help with your questions. Whether your project is large or small, simply get in touch, and we will endeavour to assist you with product and application advice.
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