Lots of people find themselves asking this question as summer draws to an end.
You’ve spent the summer in your garden and you’ve splashed out on some new fence panels, treated yourself to a new deck or even delighted the children with a new playhouse and they’re all looking great!
However, you know that winter’s approaching and your new wood needs protecting to prevent it from splitting and warping. The main issue is that new wood has mill glaze and does not allow protective finishes to penetrate the surface. This means that they are not effective and the wood can still be damaged.
If you instead leave the new wood to weather naturally first as some products recommend, it will be extremely vulnerable to the effects of moisture and damage from the sun and will be prone to splitting and warping.
Preventing Splitting & Warping over Winter
We would recommend applying Owatrol’s new wood protection Seasonite which stabilises the wood and protects it during the first year of weathering. It controls the transfer of moisture in and out of the wood to prevent warping and splitting. It also provides protection against damage caused by UV rays.
Unlike water repellent products, which make the water ‘bead-up’ but just sit on the surface and scuff off, Seasonite penetrates, bonding with the fibres of the wood to stabilise and protect it.
Seasonite is easy to apply with just a single coat and is colourless so will not spoil the natural look of your new wood. It is essential for all softwoods, especially pressure-treated wood and will ensure that your new investment will be looking good and ready for your choice of protective finish next summer. You should apply it as soon as possible after installing the wood (or you can even apply it before installation). But definitely, have it all set and ready before the wet weather sets in.
Applying Seasonsite
To apply Seasonite, you simply give the wood one generous coat. You can do this with a brush, roller or garden sprayer. Be sure to soak the ends and when treating a deck, work the Seasonite into the cracks between the boards. You can use it on vertical or horizontal surfaces with ease.
Treating Wood after Winter
After a year of weathering, wood treated with Seasonite is easily maintained and protected using your choice of finish. We would recommend either Textrol clear penetrating oil finish or for colour use Solid Colour Stain Stain with its up to 15 year guarantee against peeling and flaking. Be sure to use Net-Trol wood cleaner to restore the wood to its original colour before finishing for the best look.
We hope you found this post on how to protect your new wood over winter 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.
We have had a new fence put up in March this year,a brilliant job done.The fence is an
overlap with a smooth type finnish,which has been treated with some type of oil base.
This type of fence is a standered one which is seen in many gardens through out the
country. Now been up for 4 months with a hint of the natural colour,only a hint by the
way of natural look just begining to faid slightly. Like to keep the natural look and do not
want to see it go grey. Would it be advisable to put the Owatrol Seasonite wood protection on. If so will it keep the natural look . If one puts this on now,how long do you have to wait to put on the Textrol wood oil afterwards Thank You
Hi Richard,
I have sent your query to the technical team and hope to get back to you with a response very soon.
Many thanks,
The Owatrol Team
Hi Richard,
We would recommend that you use our new Textrol HES for this project. But please be aware that the wood will go grey over time whatever oil you use on it but you can clean it periodically using a product such as Net-Trol. If you don’t want to see it go grey then you would need to use a coloured finish. You currently cannot but Textrol HES through our website so please call us if you would like to buy.
Thanks,
The Owatrol Team
Is this product still useful on wood even after the first year of winter or is it too late to use?
Hi there Tim,
After the wood has naturally weathered for 6-12 months there would be little use in using Seasonite. We would recommend instead to clean and brighten the wood with a product such as Net-Trol https://www.owatroldirect.co.uk/product/net-trol/ and then applying your choice of finish.
All the best,
The Owatrol Team
I have a wooden clad Victorian house which is painted regularly with white Bedec water based barn paint. On the front of the house it suffers from green algae due to close proximity to a river and a number of fir trees. Do you have an additive I can mix with the paint to prevent this occurring.
Hi Tony,
Unfortunately no, we do not have a paint additive to help you with your algae problem.
If we can be of further assistance then please let us know,
The Owatrol Team
I just bought a new utility trailer with pressure treated floor and sideboards. I would like to apply seasonite with a sprayer to get into nooks and crannies and between boards. Is there any harm to painter, or powder coated in my case, surface should seasonite get on an is not removed?
Hi Kevin,
Thank you for your query.
Whilst Seasonite is likely to have no effect to powder coated paint, it is always recommend that areas that you do not wish to be coated be covered adequately. If there does happen to be any Seasonite on these areas the advice is to clean these with water.
For reference I have attached the technical data sheet which provides guidelines for application, which you can see here: https://www.owatroldirect.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Seasonite-Product-Information.pdf
I hope this is helpful.
All the best
The Owatrol Team