A wood shed in a garden can provide great storage space for wood and other stuff. Furthermore, wood is often preferred for building a shed since it is a natural material and therefore it enhances the garden environment. However, if you wish to paint your wood shed, you must be careful to do the job correctly in order to apply a protective coating on your shed to protect it from water penetration and even pests. Hence, here are some tips which you should consider before starting painting your wood shed.
1. Surface Preparation
Preparing the surface is the most important step when painting a wood shed because if you don’t have a surface that is free of dirt, loose paint or other debris, you are going to end up with flaking and blistering down the rot. Hence, if your wood shed is made from bare wood, you don’t have to do any scraping or sanding. So, all you need to do is use a pressure washer to clean up your wood shed so you will have a nice clean surface to paint on.
2. Using the Pressure Washer
Before you start using the pressure washer, make sure to repair or replace any loose or broken boards from the shed. Additionally, try also to work in a set pattern while you spray to avoid missing some spots while cleaning others repeatedly. Remember to clean all surfaces that will be painted and not just the obvious ones. Once ready, leave the shed to dry for a day.
3. Apply a Paint Primer
Once the shed is completely dry, you can apply an oil-based primer before starting painting. The primer will seal any holes and will prevent any pests to feed themselves from the wood. Hence, before you apply the primer remember to mask off anything you don’t want material sprayed on. Moreover, if you are using a paint gun for painting the shed, try to maintain a level spray pattern throughout the entire spraying motion and avoid spraying in an arc.
4. Painting the Shed
Once the shed is cleaned and primed you can start the painting process. At this point, it is recommended to use a paint gun rather than a brush in order to evenly paint the wood shed. If necessary, try to apply the paint in thinner coats rather than in one heavy coat to avoid runs, drips and sags. You should also hold the sprayer level at a distance of about 10 inches or 12 inches from the surface and move at a steady pace until you spray all the shed. Furthermore, overlap the spray pattern by approximately 30% to achieve even coverage.
5. Check for Missing Spots
Once you have sprayed all the surfaces of the wood shed, check the shed for any spots that you have missed during spraying. If you find some, carefully spray them and make sure that you maintain the coating evenly.
At this point, you will have your wood shed painted completely and ready to use. If you wish to have your wooden shed camouflaged among your garden trees and foliage, it is advisable to choose any green-toned paint and not a bright conspicuous colour.
