Summer’s coming, the BBQ’s on standby and you’ve given the garden a mini-make over, but lurking in the background you’re let down by some tired looking garden furniture and winter worn decking. So what do you do?

Fear not! With a little knowledge and the right products, your weathered sheds, fences and exterior wood can be brought back to life in an instant.

Here at Wood-Finishes-Direct.com, we have a wide range of quality wood finishes, wood stains and treatments to help you protect and restore your exterior wood to its former natural beauty. So here’s our advice on some top selling products that stand up to the job.

Shed and Fence Stains

Normally the summer air is filled with the smell of creosote but today, there’s a much better choice of low odour shed and fence stain alternatives. No longer limited to the traditional brown that creosote used to offer, new safer and more environmentally friendly exterior stains and treatments have emerged in colours such as Harvest Gold, Country Pine and Rosewood. If you have large areas to stain, such as a garden fence or shed, we recommend our simple hand operated spray system. These easy to use hand operated pumps don’t require a compressor or electricity to build up air pressure, they are light, portable and at under £16 are great value saving on the much more expensive elbow grease.

One such product that works hand-in-hand with these spray systems is Barrettines Shed and Fence stain - a product that is both an exterior stain and wood preservative offering unrivalled protection against weathering.

Garden Furniture

The British climate can be quite ruthless on our wooden garden furniture, even brand new tables and chairs can look second hand by the end of the year. There are a reasonable number of products available but if you wish to enhance and maintain the natural colour of your garden furniture, the best protective wood finishes are the products that penetrate deep in to the wood grain to replace essential natural oils.

Our Exterior wood oil, Garden Furniture Oil and Osmo wood stain protector all offer superior protection whilst enhancing the natural wood grain and warmth. If you fancy changing the character of your wood, then there are some great exterior oil based paints available in a range of colours through our online shop. We have had very good feedback with our Osmo Country Colour range, which blocks out the wood grain, and the equally popular Osmo Wood Stain Protector which allows the wood grain to show through. We’re also getting excited about adding some up and coming exterior varnishes to our Morrells range. They will be available in wood tones, ideal for exterior doors and garden furniture, or as primary colours which could be used to brighten up a child’s climbing frame, gazebo or a drab garden shed!

Decking Oils and Stains

Wooden decking presents the toughest challenge for any product as it is a high-traffic area and is normally always exposed to the elements. For those of you that want to preserve the wood’s original appearance, we recommend choosing a decking oil that has mostly pure natural ingredients, such as our Tung oil or Decking oil. From the decking stains that are available, our Barrettine Decking Stain and Treatment offers an all-in-one solution for decking that is harmless to pets and specially formulated to help prevent timber from splitting and cracking.

Protect don’t replace

Finally, it needn’t just be the old wood in the garden that needs looking after. Although the majority of new garden furniture, sheds, fences and decking come pre-treated, it doesn’t take long for the effects of the weather to start taking its toll. Even during summer, the ultraviolet rays of the sun can bleach wood stains and strip away the natural oils leaving them jaded, greying and vulnerable to wind and rain.

By using the right treatments with the right tools, decking, sheds, fences and garden furniture can be quickly and easily treated so they can be enjoyed again and again for many years to come.

As with any product always apply to a test area first as different wood types and ages will greatly influence the overall finish.

We’ve recently added more wood stain colours to our site which includes 6 different Mahogany shades, the simple but hard to find Black Stain, and the beautiful Antique Yew. If you don’t know already these stains can be easily intermixed or diluted to create an endless number of shades and new colours!

Homes that feature real wood finishes such as hard wood flooring, kitchen surfaces and furniture seem to be gaining appeal as more and more people are drawn to a more natural way of life. With the continuing boom in anything organic and the desire to be surrounded by more of a country cottage feel than the starship enterprise, natural features are becoming the must have accessories for the modern day home.

After being used to sterile looking wipe clean laminate surfaces, people often have concerns and questions about using real wood for flooring and kitchen surfaces, this is understandable when talking about something that children could be crawling over or in the case of kitchen work tops, food will be prepared on.

In reality, getting the look you want in the kitchen and on wooden floors that is hard wearing, easy to maintain and above all safe is probably quicker and easier than you may think. Ticking all the right boxes, Hard Wax oil is tough and hard wearing, perfect for high usage floor areas and food preparation surfaces.

One of the most versatile and easy to use products available for these sorts of projects, hard wax oil is available in matt, satin or satin gloss finishes. Easily applied with a cloth, paint brush, floor applicator or spray gun system, Hard Wax oil has hardly any smell. Penetrating the wood to form a layer of water resistant wax, Hard Wax oil can be gently buffed to achieve the desired finish.

Perfect for all types of wood including reclaimed, hard wax oil is durable and safe and can be used on children’s toys or furniture, perfect for food preparation surfaces and great for floors. For upkeep and maintenance, further coats of wax can be added; even areas of wear and damage can be restored with a light sanding and a re-application of the hard wax oil – as good as new again.

So if your dream is of a farm house kitchen with real wooden floors and surfaces but were afraid of the care and upkeep - don’t be, it’s probably a lot quicker and easier to create and maintain than you think.