XTEND GARDEN BUILDING AFTERCARE
Xtend Garden Building
Aftercare
2. Weatherproofing Your Garden Room
1. Protecting Against Rot
After your Xtend garden building has been built, steps are required to ensure the building is rot-proof,
weatherproof and watertight. Carrying out these steps will ensure your Xtend garden building is protected and
durable.
Detailed below are the steps required and the best way to accomplish them.
1.
Protecting against rot.
2.
Weatherproofing.
3.
Adding interior finishes (and electrics).
Your Xtend garden building needs to be protected from moisture and, to a lesser extent, the sun’s UV rays.
Timber will constantly try to reach a moisture content equilibrium with its surrounding environment causing
the cells of the wood to continually expand and contract. In addition, any untreated timber exposed to rain,
or water in general, can expand rapidly. This constant movement leads to issues such as twisting, warping,
splitting, bowing, cupping, and many more potential problems. In fact, the largest percentage of timber related
issues are directly linked to movement.
UV rays break down lignin in the surface cells of timber causing it to turn grey. This doesn’t harm the timber in
any way but it does look unsightly.
Therefore, a good quality exterior timber treatment must be applied the exterior of the garden room to protect
it from the extremes of our climate.
Your Xtend garden building comes untreated (the bearers are wrapped in DPC as they come in direct
contact with the ground); therefore, the correct treatment for your building should be applied as soon as
your Xtend is built.
For the exterior treatment, we recommend the use of a solvent based preservative such as Barrattine
Preserver as it is slower drying than water based alternatives, ensuring better penetration of the surface
layers of the timber.
Start the treatment process by
applying a minimum of two coats
of preservative to the exterior of your
garden building.
Ensure you treat the ends of the T&G panels
to prevent any moisture being absorbed.
Preservative contains substances that will prevent the build up of fungi, mildew, and wood boring insects.
Some of these fungi are potentially very harmful to your Xtend garden building, causing it to rot.
Though not necessary to prevent rot, the walls and roof are primed so you can paint the interior your
desired interior paint once the building is constructed. Additionally, you can add laminate or other floor
covering.
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