Timber outside moves, weathers and keeps settling for years after it's built, so a garden building needs a different approach from a house. We sand it, pick the system for the wood, and don't skimp on coats.
Garden room painters for timber that lives outdoors
We paint garden rooms, cabins, garden offices, summerhouses and decking in Beckenham, Bromley, Chislehurst and West Wickham. Our list runs from a cedar-shingled office by Park Langley Golf Club and a Breeze House gazebo in Kelsey Park to cabins in Beckenham and Chislehurst, a Bickley pergola and a deck in West Wickham.
Painting a new garden cabin: knotting, primer and Sikkens
Sikkens, a Dutch system with a good name for quality, is what some cabin makers supply. On a new Chislehurst cabin it started with knotting dabbed on every knot, so none could bleed through the finish.
Then came the oil-based primer, which is harder to apply than an acrylic and runs if you overdo it, so it goes on thinly and with care before any colour.
Garden cabin warranties and fresh timber
When we first painted one Bromley Road cabin in 2021, sap was still weeping from the boards in several places. In our opinion it was too fresh to paint, but the makers insist on their system going on within a few weeks of installation or the warranty's void, so on it went.
Three years later we were back. The timber had kept settling and drying out, and some of that first finish was breaking down, so we sanded the whole cabin back, washed off the dust and redid it in a water-based exterior matt, which we think is a much better system. We'll always follow a maker's warranty, but we'll tell you if we think the wood isn't ready.
Decking and pergolas in Cuprinol Urban Slate
A Bickley pergola had a light sanding and two heavy coats of Cuprinol Garden Shades in Urban Slate, the paint version of the range, applied generously.
The deck below was pressure-washed to lift as much of the old product and ground-in dirt as possible, swept once dry, then stained in Cuprinol Anti-Slip Decking Stain in the same colour, which is made for areas that take foot traffic.
Garden building painters around Beckenham, Bromley and Chislehurst
During: decking steps part way through, with Cuprinol Anti-Slip Decking Stain in Urban Slate brushed into every groove.A pergola and decking in BickleyBickley
It depends on the product and how exposed the building is. Two coats of a varnish such as Sadolin Extra over properly sanded timber is meant to protect a gazebo for 10 to 15 years; we'll tell you what to expect from yours when we quote.
Can a garden room be painted in Farrow & Ball colours?
Yes. The colour is tinted into an exterior system that suits the timber, such as Zinsser AllCoat, so you can choose from Farrow & Ball or any other range.
Can you repair damaged timber on a garden building?
Small parts and trims, yes. Anything structural needs a carpenter, and we're happy to recommend one, as we have for clients' storage and ceilings before.
Do you paint sheds and garden borders too?
Yes, usually alongside a bigger garden job. One Bickley couple had a pergola, a large deck, a shed and the borders done together.
By Colin Fry, Founder and Director.
Published . Last reviewed .
