Timber is a natural material which is sensitive to atmospheric changes. The autumn and winter periods can be the most harmful for any garden cabin wooden construction. The influence of rain, snow, frost and strong sun all affect timber and can damage its structure, shape and exterior look.
Melting snow and ice can get into the interior structure of timber. The water freezes again quickly (sometimes within 24 hours), which contributes to the widening of the cracks inside and outside of the timber. This process constantly repeats during the whole period of winter thereby negatively affecting all aspects of the timber and also providing good conditions for mould and rot to emerge.
How to Protect Your Garden Cabin?
It all starts from the proper preparation of the base of the wood. First of all, it is necessary to remove all the mould and any sources of rot as well as any old paint and varnish; this can be done using sand paper. The next step is to treat all garden cabin walls with special wood preserver. There is a wide range available so you have a choice.
It is also important to take into consideration the weather conditions. Temperatures lower than 5°C as well as a high humidity factor prevent the wood preserver from penetrating the timber, which means that the drying process might take longer. It is recommended that you cover the timber with 2-3 coats of wood preserver.
Another Thing to Be Taken into Account Is Preserving the Windows and Doors
As timber is a material which tends to expand or contract depending on the weather conditions, it is natural that some gaps may appear in its structure which allows moisture to get inside. There were times when such gaps found in a garden cabin would be filled in with the first thing one had at hand, for example newspaper, however, today it’s a far better idea to fill in the gaps with silicon or some other material, for example wood filler. It is important to remember that it is not recommended that you seal the windows completely as fully sealed windows contribute to the growth of mould.
It is also important to check if the roof covering is intact, whether there are no roof ends or roof edges which have been damaged and hang freely (for example, because of high winds). It is also important to inspect any damp patches on the ceiling and walls of log cabin. If these defects are not eliminated at once, you'll have a lot of problems in spring when you'll probably need to replace a rotted roof or floor. And finally, even after these things have been checked, the roof preparation is not over just yet as it is necessary to inspect the guttering as well. In autumn guttering is frequently blocked by old leaves which prevent water from running freely. In these circumstances water usually finds another path, for example through the walls. So, it is very important to clean the guttering properly in order not to allow any water to find its own way to run down the garden cabin.
