Having a tree house is every child’s dream. For those of us who are lucky enough to have the space to build one for our children, it’s a rewarding project.
If you’ve ever built a tree house, you’ll know how much hard work and time can go into it. Once it’s finally finished, you want your tree house to last as long as possible.
That’s why it’s so important to weatherproof your creation. That way, you and your children can enjoy it for many years to come.
When wood gets wet and doesn’t dry properly, mould can form and the wood may start to rot. This can happen more often in a tree house than in other types of wooden structure, because a tree house isn’t generally properly ventilated.
Here are some things that you can do to weatherproof your tree house.
Protect new wood before applying a finish
If you want to keep the natural beauty of the wood, it’s important to protect it from the weather. If you have just installed a tree house and used new unfinished wood, we recommend applying our new wood protector Seasonite.
New wood, fresh from the sawmill, is particularly vulnerable to cracking and warping in its first year due to high moisture content and sensitivity to environmental changes.
Seasonite deeply penetrates into the wood, stabilising it from the inside out. It shields the surface from moisture and UV rays, while allowing the wood to breathe and dry naturally. Unlike traditional sealers, Seasonite doesn’t trap moisture in the wood – preventing it from long-term damage.
Apply a single coat and leave it to work its magic! By using Seasonite, your treehouse will be well-protected from the elements, preserving its structural integrity and natural charm.
After 6-12 months, the wood will have sufficiently (and safely) weathered, so you can now apply your chosen protective finish.
Protecting the wood with a finish
For a natural look, you could apply a penetrating oil finish such as Textrol. 
As Textrol works by penetrating deep inside the wood, there is no film on the surface and as such, it will not peel or flake.
Also, because it can be applied wet-on-wet, you don’t need to wait for coats to dry during application. Simply apply the first coat, leave it to saturate for 15-30 minutes and then apply the second coat. If required, you can repeat this procedure until the wood is fully saturated and will accept no more oil.
Maintenance is also easy with only local touch-ups needed and no laborious sanding required.
Alternatively, you could use Textrol HES which can be applied with just a single coat.
Perhaps you want a semi-transparent finish? Aquadecks, our water-based penetrating finish, is available in 6 different shades.
If your tree house is made from a hardwood, you could opt for D1 Pro, our high performance saturating wood oil. It is specifically made for hardwoods and comes in a natural finish with a honey tint.
Fancy standing out of the crowd and painting your tree house? Then Shed & Fence Paint is the ideal choice as it contains Emulsa-Bond, our bonding primer that gives excellent adherence without the need for lengthy preparation and priming.
It is available in 35 shades and when applied to bare wood is guaranteed against flaking and peeling for 15 years on vertical surfaces and 5 years on horizontal surfaces. Stick with a neutral shade or opt for two colours to create a stunning stripe effect.
A good roof can help to stop water damaging your tree house
Having a good roof is essential. It serves to protect the whole of your tree house from rain and snow.
When you’re building your tree house, ensure that your roof has a steep pitch. This will help to stop snow from gathering. Also, a generous overhang is needed to keep the rain away from the tree house walls.
Is that trunk really a good idea?
The best way to weatherproof your tree house is to consider its placement on the tree. While it may look pretty to have the trunk or a branch running through it, they can also cause damage in the long run. Not only could a branch channel more water into your tree house, it could also damage in high wind as the tree’s branches move and flex.
We would recommend installing the house around the trunk where possible. Designing a tree house in a way that protects the walls and base from water is essential, as well as protecting the wood you’ve used to build it.
So there you have it, we hope you found this post on how to weatherproof your tree house 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!
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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.
