When investing thousands in a new garden office, the last thing you expect is a finish that fails within days.
In this professional case study, Roger of R&A Pressure Washing Services explains how a common mistake nearly ruined a brand new timber garden office and how he utilised Owatrol to save it.
Contents
The Mistakes: Mill Glaze and Unstirred Pigments
The owners of this beautiful spruce garden office applied an Osmo wood finish just three days after construction. Unfortunately, the project suffered from two critical errors often seen in various timber installations:
Failing to Stir the Tin
Wood oils and stains contain heavy pigments that settle at the bottom. Without thorough stirring, the applicator applies mostly just the ‘binding agent’ at the top, followed by a thick, patchy pigment at the bottom. Without rigorous stirring and mixing, the result was an uneven and unattractive finish.
Ignoring Mill Glaze on New Timber
This is one of the most common reasons for a premature wood finish failure. New timber is sawn and often compressed during the milling process, creating what is known as ‘mill glaze’ (a shiny, hard surface) along with other natural greases.
- The Rule: New wood should typically weather for 9 months (2-3 seasons) before coating with a finishing product.
- The Consequence: Applying a finish to new wood without removing the glaze means that there is a barrier and as such, the finish cannot properly saturate – it simply sits on the surface of the wood and then eventually peels and flakes.
“This was a costly mistake for the owners. They had just spent thousands on the building and had nothing to show for it.” – Roger, R&A Pressure Washing Services.
The Restoration: A Step-by-Step Recovery
Thankfully, the entire building wasn’t coated – just the front & side elevations. To fix it, Roger utilised Owatrol to remove the failed Osmo finish and then neutralise and brighten surface:
Step 1: Strip away the Osmo finish with Prepdeck
Prepdeck is a water-based 3-in-1 wood stripper, and mill glaze and grade stamp remover. It can be used as is, or diluted, making it very economical and can be used on all types of exterior wood.
Quick and easy to apply, you can have potential final results in as little as 20 minutes.
Step 2: Neutralise & brighten with Net-Trol
Net-Trol is a water-based wood cleaner, stripping neutraliser and colour restorer. Commonly used to restore grey weathered wood to it’s original colour before a finishing application, it’s easy to use and quick to work, with results in as little as 15 minutes.
Net-Trol neutralised the Prepdeck stripper and helped bring the spruce back to its bright natural colour.
Why leave the wood to weather?
While the Owatrol treatment successfully removed the majority of the failed stain, Roger advised the owners to let the building weather until next spring. This professional decision ensures the timber’s moisture levels stabilise and allows the pores to fully open – to help ensure that the next application will bond perfectly.
Expert Advice for New Garden Buildings
If you have just installed a new timber garden office, shed, fence or anything else for that matter – follow these professional tips to avoid yourself a costly mistake:
- Test for Mill Glaze: Drop a small amount of water on to the wood. If it beads and doesn’t soak in, you most likely have mill glaze.
- Use Owatrol Seasonite: If you don’t want to wait 9 months for natural weathering, you can instead apply a coating of Seasonite new wood protector. It protects the wood during its first year, preventing warping and cracking while allowing the wood to ‘breathe’, in preparation for a final finish.
- Always Stir: Ensure you stir your wood finish thoroughly with a flat blade, both before and during application – shaking the tin is rarely enough!
A huge thank you to Roger of R&A Pressure Washing Services for using Owatrol on this project. You can learn more about him via his website, as well as on his Facebook page.
Images credit to Roger of R&A Pressure Washing Services.
We hope you found this post on how to fix a bad finish on new wood interesting! If you have any other advice or top tips, please feel free to leave them in the comments below. We love hearing from you!
You can also follow Owatrol UK on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or TikTok at @OwatrolUK or join the conversation at #OwatrolUK
About Owatrol Team
Our team are ready and willing to support you with your requirements whether it is protecting your newly laid deck or renovating a luxury yacht, whatever the application Owatrol has the solution you are looking for.
