Exterior Wood Protection

Lengthen the life of wood trimmings around your house with quality exterior wood protection

Many older houses has wood finishing outside, whether it is the trim, window sills, patios or even the garage doors or gates. It was a rather popular building material a few decades ago, and because of the beauty of natural wood, has made quite a comeback in upmarket residential areas. While wood is aesthetically pleasing, it does not stay this way if not taken care of and it is important to apply exterior wood protection. The wood is permanently exposed to the elements and need some form of shield against water damage, harsh sunlight and abrasion from use. A number of different paints, stains and varnishes are available that offer exterior wood protection, and most of them simultaneously enhance the natural beauty of the wood with their transparent coatings. When treating your wooden trimmings, you should be sure to choose products suitable for exterior use, otherwise your work will be in vain.

The most critical part of the entire treatment process is the preparation of the surface. If you do not pay careful attention to this, you may end up with a paint job that looks horrendous, or the treatment might be insufficient to protect the wood against the elements. You want the surface to be strong, smooth and clean. In order to achieve this, you should sand the surface using successively finer sanding paper, and always sand in the direction of the grain. Before you start painting, make sure you remove any excess dust from the surface by wiping it with a damp lint-free cloth.

The application of the chosen paint, varnish or enamel can differ greatly, depending on which product you choose. The best advice is to either follow the instructions on the tin, or to ask your paint specialist at the hardware store. Before you start painting, however, make sure that it hasn’t rained in tow to three days so that the wood is thoroughly dry. Also check the weather forecast to make sure no rain is expected for the next two or three days, so that the paint has time to dry properly.

King’s Paint & Hardware stocks a large selection of exterior wood protection products by the leading brands at the best possible prices. They believe that their customers should be treated as royalty, so you can expect excellent service and expert advice on any job you want to tackle. Visit kingspaint.co.za to find out where your nearest branch is.