Does your arbour or your pergola need repainting? Do not postpone the task and get on with it as soon as possible.
It is not pleasant when your shed falls into ruins slowly but surely. And a dilapidated shed full of clutter looks weird to your neighbours…
There is nothing like having a good quality garden construction on your property, which can survive winter as well as strong winds without problems. Additionally, these constructions protect materials, tools or garden chairs, which are waiting for warm days. Every garden construction deserves enough attention from its owner – the care is worth it in her long run.
Good Quality Roof
As with conventional buildings, a barn or a garden shed needs a good and high quality roof. In the moment you find out that rainwater is leaking inside, do not wait and check the roof as soon as possible. It is recommended to examine other places where water could be leaking into the construction, too. Even if the roof is ok, take care of painting it with good paint that will protect the roof against the weather.
Like the roof, the structure of the building is important, too. The individual parts of the structure should be well conserved to withstand invasions of insects, rodents as well as weather changes. If you find out that one of the supporting beams is damaged, it is better to replace now than to see your shed collapsed and tools damaged in winter.
The roof includes gutters and downspouts, as well. Each garden building should have the roof sloped to one side, where water should be drained to the ground. It is not good, if the building gets wet after each rain, neither if the roof is sloped to one point, from which water keeps flowing down to the foundations. The experienced homeowners solve this issue by standing a barrel to the edge of the roof to catch the water; they use it later for flowers and plants in the garden.
Coating Is A Must
Most garden buildings are made of wood (timber) with roofs of sheet metal or other roof covering. The walls made of boards must be conserved very well. This can be done by e.g. high quality paint or by old motor oil. The soaked timber survives weather fluctuations and you can be sure, that either mice or insects (including woodworms) do not like it. If the surroundings of the building are formed by a clay surface, it is far better to coat the lower parts of the building with several layers of paint.
Start From The Floor
The next important part of a garden construction is the floor. It should be made of concrete and the lower part of the structure should be recessed. This will reduce possibility of being washed away during a flood. Whenever you discover that part of the floor is broken, just knock the floor around it out with hammer and fill the hole with new concrete. Cracks in concrete can be sealed with silicone. If you do not do so, frost and moisture would tear the whole floor in winter.
Outdoor constructions, such as garden arbours or pergolas, need only regular painting. Do not save on a quality paint or varnish, as you can prevent bark beetles and other pests from destroying it.
Greenhouses (made either of glass or plastic foil) should be painted once a year. Broken windows or torn foil should be replaced to avoid unnecessary loss of light.
Once in a while, it is advisable to replace the wooden panelling, which is perishable easily due to moisture. Fungi and mould get from it down into the soil and they consume the quality nutrients meant for vegetables or flowers. If the soil is tired and exhausted, good fertilizing is necessary, and if it does not work, the whole soil must be replaced. On this occasion, it is recommended to do the overall repair or reconstruction of the greenhouse.
