Thursday 18 December 2008

Looking after you Fence and Garden Furniture

If someone wants the wooden fence and garden furniture they have to last for years to come it is crucial that they take care of it in the right way.

Certainly before winter or even autumn sets in it is a good idea to clean the items down and then apply a good quality protective coating to them.

Below we look at the steps one will need to take to care for and maintain wooden fencing and garden furniture.

You first need to get together the appropriate supplies to care for and maintain any wooden furniture or fences in your garden and below we list what these are.

1. A stiff scrubbing brush or a high powered washer.

2. A set of good washing up gloves.

3. A bowl into which some mild detergent and warm water can be placed.

4. Either some teak oil or water based wood stain depending on what wood the furniture or fencing has been made from.

5. A good quality paint brush.

6. Some wood preservative, which again will be used only on certain types of wood.

After you have got all the necessary equipment together you can now start to look after your wooden fence and garden furniture. The first thing to do is remove any dirt that has built up on the fence or furniture during the past year. You can either wash it off using the scrubbing brush and soapy water or to carry out this task more quickly use the high pressure sprayer.

After washing the fence and garden furniture down allow it to dry out for several days. If it isn't allow to dry out completely then you will find that the stain or oils you apply to the woods surface in order to protect it won't be able to be absorbed into it.

When the wood has dried out fully can you move on to the next stage which is applying the wood oil or stain and to do this you will need the paint brush.

However, if the furniture in your garden is made from teak no wood preservative will need to be applied beforehand, instead only a good coating of teak oil or water based wood stain is needed as this will then enhance the furniture’s appearance.

For those fences and garden furniture made from the kinds of softwoods like pine it is important before applying any water based wood stain to them you initially apply a coat of wood preservative.

This will help to prevent the wood from rotting and to ensure that the feet of the chairs, benches and tables outside get enough wood preservative on them it is a good idea to fill some jars with the preservative and then stand the feet of the furniture in these overnight.

By following these steps one can ensure that the wooden fence and garden furniture they have will last for a long time in to the future. It is best if such work is completed on an annual basis if one wants theirs to retain the looks it had when it first got placed in the garden.

Tuesday 16 December 2008

Advice on How to Build a Garden Shed - Lean-To Style

Why Buy a Garden Shed when you can build one?! Save some cash! :)

As anyone with a small garden knows finding somewhere to store their garden implements can prove a problem as space is limited. However, what many of these people have now found is that by getting a lean to shed this is the best possible solution to their problem. Not only are these structures small but they can be placed close to another structure and will offer adequate protection for everything kept in them from the elements.

In this article we provide some useful advice that you should consider when you want to know how to build a lean to shed.

If you intend to build your own lead to shed the first thing you need to make a decision on is what materials it is to be made from. Some people will build theirs using wood, others prefer to use metal or plastic, but in some cases people will build theirs using a combination of the materials we have mentioned.

It is important however that when selecting the materials that you choose ones that match closely to your home.

Lean to sheds can actually be constructed and attached to the side of another structure if you wish. However, if you do not want this then you need to construct 4 sides for the shed rather than 3. But if you want to construct your lean to shed quickly then the best option is to attach it to the side of another structure so you are only having to build 3 sides for it. Also to further ensure that the shed then doesn't look out of place why not finish it of using the same materials that have been used on the side of the structure. If you do this then it helps to ensure that the shed looks as if it has been there all the time.

It is crucial that the pitch of the roof on your lean to shed is correct and the mono pitched type one is best. This type of roof actually helps to direct water away from the structure to which the shed is attached or stood beside and also to prevent it from pooling on the roof itself.

If the water is unable to drain away because of the roof not being properly pitched it may result in this part of the shed being damaged. Plus it may mean that water is allowed to get between the shed and other structure and so result in damage to it as well. So you must at all times when building a lean to shed make sure that the roof is correctly pitched if you want prevent water from pooling.

One thing that you will need to do before you construct your lean to shed using the instructions that you have got for doing so is you need to prepare a base on which it will be placed.

It is important that the foundations for the base of the shed are even and can be made either using concrete or wood. Although concrete is much stronger than wood it needs time to set before the shed can then be constructed on top of it.

Whether you build your lean to shed from scratch or from a kit you need to ensure that you have everything you need beforehand such as materials and tools. It won't help you if you find that during the construction of the shed you have to stop work simply because you need to go and get a new tool or some more materials because you don't have them already.

It is important that even before you purchase the materials or kit to build a lean to shed you check that you don't need planning permission for it.

Generally you shouldn't need to seek planning permission for such a small structure, however there may be occasions when you do. For example you may need to if you live in an old or listed property or if you live somewhere that such sheds are considered to be an additional structure on your home.

In this article we have provided you with some useful advice with regard to how to build a lean to shed. If you remember the things that we have mentioned then finding a suitable lean to shed for your garden will be a lot easier.

Also you will find that you then purchase that not only fits into the space available but provide adequate protection for the items stored in it.