Timber Product Protection and Care

Looking after your timber product

Wood is one of the worlds’ most beautiful, versatile and natural products; it is probably the most natural “green” material there is and unlike steel, concrete or PVC it is “friendly and warm” both to the manufacturer and end user. As with all natural timber products, they will be subject to movement and deterioration as they season. This may become evident with shakes, splits and warping. Timber is a natural product and these are not considered to be a fault or defect.

WE CANNOT GUARANTEE AGAINST ANY OF THESE NATURAL OCCURRENCES.

Use external wood treatments

Timber, Softwood in particular, will rot and this process will be speeded up if the timber is left untreated or if the top treatment is not carried out adequately.

WE CANNOT GUARANTEE AGAINST THIS NATURAL OCCURRENCE.

We recommend the use of high-quality wood treatments to weatherproof your gate. These products should be applied in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidelines which on untreated timber, recommends that you wipe clean the surface with methylated spirits before applying 1 base coat and then a minimum of 2 top coats (please allow 2-3 weeks for drying in between applying these coats). If you require the gates to be painted, we recommend Dulux Weathershield exterior (oil based) paints. Apply 2 coats of Primer/Undercoat and then 2 coats of Gloss, we always use a solvent based paint. The new timber generally settles down and acclimatizes to its surroundings within the first 6-12 months, at this stage we recommend that you re treat your gates. We then recommend that you then treat your products at least once a year or whenever they look like they need another coat to keep them in top condition.

Repair cracks and splits

When treating wood products in the future, you need to regularly check for any splits or cracks that may appear. These should be filled with a good quality 2-part wood filler immediately to stop water penetration then re-treat the timber as above.

th to effect of wateof the timber.For long term care if signs of rotting appear (remove the rotten timber straight away, do not leave it as it can spread very quickly) the rot needs removing back to the good timber and then, as before, filled with a good quality 2-part wood filler and re-treat the timber.

We recommend that you avoid using water-based stains and fencing paints on our products because in our experience they let the timber dry out too much leaving bigger splits and cracks and can also allow the timber to warp and twist and, again in our experience, have actually speeded up the rotting process.

Tanalising

Tanalising is a pressure impregnated powerful water-based wood preservative treatment system to prevent rotting and infestation. Because the process does not seal the timber, splits and cracks may appear in the timber. Generally, this is only cosmetic and does not structurally damage the timber. Tansalised timber is not waterproof and a timber product will require a good quality waterproofing product to mitigate the effect of water with the natural expansion and contraction of the timber.

WE CANNOT GUARANTEE AGAINST THIS NATURAL OCCURRENCE.

FINALLY…

Our Services

A product manufactured from wood can be one of the most “green” and pleasant items we own and deserves to be looked after with care to give lasting satisfaction.

IMPORTANT – If we are called out to make any adjustments to any of our products or asked to replace supply-only products, a charge may be made if:

• it is found that a natural occurrence has occurred
• the product has not been properly maintained/treated
• the product has not been installed correctly

A charge may be made for any subsequent corrective treatment or procedure.