How to look after your shed in winter

So you may have noticed that its getting pretty cold? Now I’m not going to be the one who reminds you that it is early Autumn, mainly because I don’t want to believe it myself but also because it’s cruel. However, I will just leave you with a few helpful tips that you can carry out just now to help keep your shed protected in the colder months.

Make Sure it’s Treated

If you haven’t done so already, the best time to do this is now so that your garden building is protected during the cold, wet months. This especially applies to older sheds that maybe haven’t had a coat of paint in a few years.

It may be hard to determine if your Shed already has an oil or water based preservative on it, in which case you’ll need to sand it back and put a couple of new coats on. It’s not advisable to mix water and oil and if you do you usually find the top coat flakes off.

Our Recommendations

Both Oil and Water work in completely different ways; oil penetrates the timber whereas water seals it. Both work equally as well as long as you are using a reputable brand. If you can find it in your local hardware store it’s most likely not going to stand the test of our Scottish climate.
Water Based: – Sadolin Superdec or Sadolin Quick Dry

Oil Based: – Sadolin Classic

Inspection!

While you’re out checking to see if your build needs painted, have a look for other potential issues that need sorting. Are there any plants growing up outside? How is the general condition of shed? Are there loose boards or anyway for water to get in?

If so it will be worth your while spending a little time to have these repaired. While some issues can seem minor just now, things like this can aid much bigger problems especially in winter months.

Clear Up the Inside

This depends a lot upon the contents inside your shed. One thing to do is simply have a quick clean out. Store any pet food/bird feed in containers to prevent any animals attempting to make a winter home there!

Also have a look at what else you are storing; are there any liquids that could spill and cause damp? Wet; tents, golf club bags and even bikes, all contribute to moisture mould.
Here’s a great Pinterest board with lots of little storage hacks and ideas which could help

https://www.pinterest.com/explore/storage-shed-organization/

Check Up Now & Again

Have a nosey now and again to see how your build is getting on, open up the doors and windows let it breathe! It will take only a couple of minutes and has the potential to save you from a lot of hassle.