How To Treat Fences And Sheds

Garden woodwork lasts longer if treated with a preserver.

- Tim Rumball

Autumn is a good time to treat fences, sheds and other wooden garden structures with a preserver, as plants die back but the weather’s still fair. Wood treatments are generally either solvent based or water based.

Solvent-based treatments

Solvent-based treatments are thinner, so they penetrate the wood deeply, carrying insect, fungi and water-repellent products to give maximum protection. Solvent-based treatments can be painted over once dry to colour the wood, though some, such as Barrettine Premier Wood Preserver, are coloured and can be used as a single treatment or painted over with an exterior wood oil or decking oil.

Water-based treatments

Water-based treatments such as Ronseal One Coat Fence Life are designed both to colour and protect wood. They don’t soak in as deeply as solvents and they are usually a lot cheaper, which is why they’re so popular. Water-based treatments applied every one or two years are fine for rough-sawn timber fences, sheds and the like. But for posh planed-timber decking and summer houses the expense of a solvent-based preserver followed by wood oil is worthwhile and should last longer.