Spice it up, protect and renew

the essentials in brief

• A Garden shed(€ 39.99 at Amazon *) must be protected from moisture, pests and sunlight by the paint.
• Depending on the desired effect and type of wood, oils are used, Glazes(€ 65.00 at Amazon *) and colors in question.
• Before painting, the wood must be cleaned, sanded and, if necessary, cleaned. U. impregnated and primed.
• Glazes and oils must be renewed every two to four years; high quality paints and varnishes can last up to 15 years.

Protect the wood

Wood is a raw material that is exposed to the weather and is constantly changing. It is therefore important that you paint your garden shed properly before building it. Regular repainting is necessary because the paintwork is not permanent either.

Why painting is important:

• humidity: Damp wood swells and forms cracks when drying
• Exposure to sunlight: Wood yellows and turns dark
• Pests: Blue fungi, sponges and insects damage untreated or damp wood

Oil, glaze or paint?

A basic protection made of oil has to be renewed more often than a coat of paint

Before painting, you should think about how the garden shed will look later. You can keep the natural character and just provide the wood with a transparent protective layer. The paint coat should be renewed every ten to 15 years. Basic protection from glazes or oils must be refreshed every two to four years.

Glazes and coats of paint

Gray or classic white are popular colors for a simple and modern garden house. The trend is Swedish red or blue. Accentuations of door frames or roof gables in white go well with such coatings. Light shades such as pine are popular for glazes.

Digression

The Swedish red and its history

This is to be observed with glazes

Pigmented glazes guarantee protection against UV radiation. The darker the pigmentation of the paint, the better the wood is protected from radiation. Colorless glazes do not offer sun protection. The garden shed should be painted two to three times. It is possible to paint over old coatings if it is a thick layer glaze. Thin-layer glazes must be completely sanded off.

Thick and thin layer glazes

A thick-layer glaze is an open-pored and translucent coating with lacquer-like properties. The protective layer is water-repellent and still open to diffusion. This makes such glazes ideal for outdoor use. Thick-layer glazes can also be mixed with a UV blocker.

Thin-layer glazes are less suitable as an exterior paint for garden houses. They are also open-pored and translucent, but do not form a closed paint film. The wood can still absorb moisture and swell. Subsequent coats are necessary regularly, as the thin-layer glaze washes away quickly on the outside.

What to look out for when painting

If you want to paint the wood in color, you should impregnate it beforehand. For an optimal result, a layer of oil is first applied, which is then painted over with a primer. It ensures that the paint adheres better to the wood and does not peel off. It also prevents yellowish discolouration, which is often caused by escaping wood constituents in white paint coatings.

Different colors can be used to paint the garden house

Oil, solvent or water based paints

The solvent-based paint category includes products that contain oils or acrylic resins. Therefore, the terms oil and solvent-based are used synonymously. Such paints are characterized by a longer drying time, which is why they are better suited for painting large areas. Due to a high solid content, these colors guarantee high coverage and are extremely economical. They cover up color differences in the wood and preserve the natural wood structure. When stored in a dry place, oil-based paints have a shelf life of around five years.

Properties of oil-based paints:

• very hard surface that becomes brittle over time
• strong odor when drying
• good adhesion properties on the substrate
• environmentally harmful and hazardous to health

Water-based inks are less opaque, dry faster and are more environmentally friendly. During the painting process, the wood fibers stand up, creating a rough surface. Therefore the wood should be sanded before painting if a smooth result is desired. The paints are permeable to water vapor, which prevents the formation of bubbles and peeling of the paint. The colors are sensitive to frost and should be kept in the cellar during the winter. Their shelf life is limited to about 24 months. Usually, water-based paints are referred to as emulsion paints.

Preparations before painting

If you are building a new garden shed, there is no need to sand and clean. Untreated wood needs an impregnation. With pretreated wood, this step is also superfluous and you can go straight to priming.

Sand and clean

Weathered wood or old paint residues are sanded off with coarse sandpaper. If the wood has already been painted, you can roughen the paint layer with a wire brush. The flaking residue can be scraped off with a spatula and smoothed with fine sandpaper. The wood must dry before painting and be free of grease or dust particles. You can use turpentine or a white spirit for this. Ballistol offers a harmless alternative to health. It not only cleans, but also serves to preserve wood.

Impregnate

Impregnation is of great importance because it ensures sustainable wood protection. Cheap products are often of inferior quality and are quickly washed out of the wood. The impregnation of all wooden parts should already be carried out before construction. This is the only way to completely provide wooden planks with a protective layer, which are later pushed into one another with a tongue and groove.

Indoor floors and walls are usually not impregnated as they are not exposed to the elements. If you use the garden shed as a tool shed, you should also protect the interior. Additionally, impregnate the underside of the wooden floor so that it is protected from rising damp. If you want to apply glazes or opaque paints, the waterproofing layer should dry for at least 24 hours. For the best result, apply several coats of oil.

Suitable impregnations:

• Outdoor area: natural linseed oil or treated hard oil
• Indoor: Beeswax or vegetable wax

Priming

This layer is the basis for a long shelf life of the subsequent glaze or paint coats. It ensures that paint or glaze adhere optimally to the impregnation layer. Pigmented primers also protect the paint from discoloration. These must be matched to the following coat of paint. Wood protection primers are available on a water or solvent basis.

Paint the garden shed

Regardless of whether you are a new one Paint the garden shed or if you want to freshen up an old garden shed, you should carry out the work at a minimum temperature of ten degrees Celsius. Warm and dry conditions favor the drying process and the coatings are easier to apply.

Renew paint

If you don't want to sand off peeling paint, you can use oil to protect the old wood

For surfaces that have already been weathered, it may be advisable to use an oil-based paint. This ensures an even and even surface without having to sand down the wood beforehand. For reasons of better environmental compatibility and lower health risks, water-based paints are also the better choice for old wood. Even if the preparations are more labor-intensive, you benefit from a longer durability of the coating.

The perfect paint job:

1. Process the wooden facade with a steel brush
2. Thoroughly sand off paint residues
3. Impregnate wood with oil if necessary
4. apply primer after a drying time of 24 hours
5. let dry for another 24 hours
6. Paint in the desired color with a soft brush in the direction of the grain

frequently asked Questions

How often do I have to paint a garden shed?

The interval depends on the respective paint. Pure oil impregnations should be renewed every two to four years. This also applies to glazes. Coatings made of varnish or paint have a significantly longer shelf life and need to be refreshed after about ten to 15 years.

What does it cost if I want to have a garden shed painted?

Painting costs vary depending on the company. Factors such as the hourly rate, square meters, travel time and workload play a role. Some companies summarize all costs in what is known as the painted square meter. For this, the employee needs information about the dimensions and whether the garden house should be repainted or refreshed.

Will the garden shed be painted before or after it is built?

That depends on whether the wood is pretreated or natural. Pure wood should be impregnated before construction so that the areas that are no longer accessible later can be protected. Primer and paint can be applied after construction.

Can I paint the wood without sanding it?

This is possible when you use oil-based paints. These leave a smooth surface, but are harmful to the environment and health. Therefore, you should use water-based products that are applied after sanding.