Gardening

[Gazza]

That keeps the bird watching down to just one bird for a while.

[JohnF]

I hope so Gazza we’re overwhelmed with pigeons at the moment.

[Debs]

The Gatemen cometh…

Meanwhile, Disa checks out the secret side cat entrance.

I can’t wait to brush on the wood stain, but as soon as the guys finished and left it started drizzling and hasn’t stopped since

[Gazza]

Very nice.

[Count.d]

Wood stain? Nooooooooooooooooooooo!

[Debs]

@Count.d

Wood stain? Nooooooooooooooooooooo!

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!

It’s only knotty-pine so Jacobean Walnut here it comes

[Count.d]

Debs, it may be just pine (nothing wrong with that), but I would stain it first, then look after it using Roxil decking oil. Using a wood stain finish is the worst way to begin and look after any wood. It will look horrible and get worse.

[GeoffC]

I like the design of those gates @Debs !

Is this why you played Relayer featuring The Gates of Delirium today?

[Debs]

I could answer that with a Roger Dean art font

[anon17748768]

Finally got our ‘gate’ fitted this a.m. - overdue from late December…

it is rustic, very sturdy, well built, and was fitted with care…

Pleased with it…

[Debs]

@Count.d

Debs, it may be just pine (nothing wrong with that), but I would stain it first, then look after it using Roxil decking oil. Using a wood stain finish is the worst way to begin and look after any wood. It will look horrible and get worse.

Thanks for the advice, the Sadolin is okay, it is an excellent wood preservative that penetrates deep into untreated softwood, however it does tend to colour dominate over the grain so i’ve had a re-think and decided to use what the gate maker recommended but in the ‘light brown’ which should protect well but leave the woodgrain enhanced.
This will probably go on tomorrow - weather permitting.

[Gazza]

Look forward to seeing the end result.

[anon17748768]

We use Barrenttine clear preserver on all our outdoor wood items…shed/furniture/gates, etc. Brilliant stuff, came highly recommended by the. Guy who supplied our last shed.

[Count.d]

Hi Debs, the Sadolin is basically an all in one coating, like a lot of the other exterior wood finishes. It’s basically a varnish, so doesn’t penetrate the wood much, even thought the sales literature says so. The problems with a stained varnish are 1) as soon as you apply subsequent coats, the stain becomes more and more opaque and you’ll have a painted brown gate with no grain. 2) In most of these stained finishes, they use paint pigment to achieve a uv protection, so you are painting the gate brown and not staining the lovely naturally wood grain.

IME, the exterior wood starts to go downhill within 12 months due to mold, algae and flaking. If you treat the wood with a good clear preserver first, then stain with pure wood stain, then look after the surface with a decking oil containing biocide, it gives the best long term results and looks the best right off.

I used a Barrettine decking oil last year on a project which contained a biocide, but within 4 months small amounts of black mold started to appear . So disappointed.

[Ardbeg10y]

It’s not really gardening but the garden house now has preparations for floor heating & concrete floor fitted

[bruss]

That looks a wonderful space.

[HiFiFoFum]

Just wait until the rest of the pieces are in
It’s pretty neat !

[Debs]

Before and after on the gate progress:

After the 1st coat of Barrettine ‘light brown’ wood preservative:

[Gazza]

Looks very nice.

[Count.d]

This camellia yuletide has been flowering constantly for 3 of the worst months of the year. Always covered in flowers! Not even 3-4 consecutive nights of -7c knocked it. Here it is today. Rapidly becoming a favourite.