Archive for May, 2008

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.