HOME TECHNICAL SHED MAINTENANCE
Keep Your New Garden Buildings Looking New Year-Long
At Merit Timber Products, we take pride in our work. From the materials we source to the craftsmanship our team provides, our garden buildings are treated to best suite the needs of our clients. While we utilize high-quality lumber and building supplies, and we treat our wooden products with water resistant preservatives, the weather in the UK can wear them down over time.
Whether you own one of our garden workshops, studios, sheds, log cabins, or summer houses, we’d be happy to help you determine the right way to keep your backyard shed for a lifetime. If you are interested in learning more about how to best maintain the appearance and improve the lifespan of your garden building, we encourage you to contact us today. Feel free to stop by one of our locations in Bedfordshire or Suffolk to speak with a team member.
Standard Shiplap & Loglap Golden Brown dipped treatment – Our buildings are treated with a base coat of preservative that provides an excellent first base coat. However, we recommend that you treat your building soon after delivery and then regularly to maintain the building in good condition, usually annually. Always follow the proprietary treatment manufacturers instructions with regard to use and how often it will need to be treated.
Pressure Treated Shiplap & Loglap – Prevents rot and insect infestation, using treatment which conforms to British and European standards and which is impregnated using proven vacuum, high pressure technology. The colour of pressure treated timber slowly weathers from an initial green hue to a natural grey. The treatment does not, however, waterproof your shed and we recommend you apply a clear sealing treatment to your building when all timbers are completely dry. You can also apply a treatment to colour the building when the timber is dry. We do not recommend that pressure treated sheds are dipped treated at the time of manufacture. Where there is high humidity, and low air circulation, you may find that mould deposits may occur where air is unable to circulate and you may also find that chemical deposits may occur over time. Although, this may not be attractive, these can be brushed off and will not affect the integrity of the timber.
PLEASE NOTE THAT TIMBER IS POROUS AND NONE OF THE ABOVE TREATMENTS WILL TOTALLY WATERPROOF YOUR BUILDING.
Wood is a natural product and should be regularly checked and maintained to ensure a long life. It is subject to shrinkage, cracking and warping due to it being a natural product. Special care should be taken both during extreme weather conditions and prolonged harsh conditions, particularly if the building or parts of the building are in exposed areas. This can be due to heat, rain, snow, frost, wind etc.
Roofing
Felt Roof – We usually staple the roofing felt in place. Check your roof regularly to ensure that the roofing felt is firmly fixed to the shed roof and particularly following high winds and storms. You may need to re-felt your roof from time to time or you can apply a product such as Thompson’s Roof Seal which will prolong the life of your roof. You could ask for Heavy Duty felt as an optional extra to prolong the life of your shed.
Shingle Roof – Please note that the shingles are both nailed or stapled on to the roof and have adhesive backing. Over the heat of the summer this will adhere strongly to the roof. Check your roof regularly to ensure that the shingles are firmly fixed to the shed roof particularly following high winds and storms. In the case of wind lifting the shingles please use a suitable roofing adhesive to re-affix.
Check your roof regularly to ensure that there is no debris or tree or hedge branches that can come in contact with the roof. Remove snow after a heavy fall, otherwise leakage may occur when the snow thaws.
Moisture, caused by damp, wet conditions, can get trapped inside sheds, especially if they are not used often. If the outside temperature drops, any moisture inside the shed will cause condensation on the inside of the shed panels, roof floor and possibly other items stored in the shed.
Windows & Doors
We recommend that you seal your window glass with silicone or suitable waterproofing to ensure that water doesn’t come through. Ensure that you regularly oil or grease the door hinges and lock as necessary. Use the turn buttons at the top and bottom of the doors all the time to prevent the doors bowing.
Check Your Base
If your base drops even a few centimetres, it can cause the building to become out of alignment. This can cause twisting or listing of the building and door to drop. Take preventative action if this looks like happening. If your base is larger than the building then check to see if any water is pooling up on the base which can cause problems. Take action to stop this.
If you look after your timber building it will last a lifetime.