Many garden sheds have a hard time because it is not uncommon for it to be used for many years after it has been set up, but without receiving the appropriate care. The result: The paint is weathered, and the once excellent garden shed soon looks like an ugly old shed. But this state does not have to stay that way! Even hardship cases can be straightened out with just a few courageous movements. Only with a new, flawless coat of paint will the garden shed provide valuable service for many years to come. So these instructions show you how an old garden shed is sanded down and how the garden shed can then be repainted.
The project: painting the garden house
In this project, the garden shed was left to its fate for many years. The result is visible: the old paint is peeling off in most places so that the garden shed looks like an interplay of old color and grey wood. There can be no more talk of beautiful or natural.
In detail, it becomes clear that the wood was completely exposed to the weather. And even where you think you can still see color, the protection is practically no longer available.
Tools and materials
To be able to repaint this garden shed, one thing is needed above all: lots of sanding tools and sandpaper! Are used here Random Orbit Sander, a Delta Sander, and a grinding roller. Suitable sandpaper in various grain sizes (80, 120/180, 220) should be available for all of these tools. The following applies: the smaller the number, the coarser the grain. Grit 80, for example, is only used to remove the old, not yet weathered material. Peeling paint and rough wooden surfaces are sanded with grain 120/180. The fantastic 220 grit sandpaper is only used for sanding the wood between the various successive coats of paint.
When grinding, of course, appropriate protective equipment such as the mouth and dust protection must not be forgotten. The following tools are also needed to paint the garden house:
- Gloves
- Brush (~2.3 inches)
- Paint tray
- Household brooms
The material used in this project is the primer “wood protection + primer HS” from Xyladecor and a medium- layer wood protection glaze, the Xyladecor “natural long-term protective glaze ” in pine.
Note: Color is the ultimate in wood protection! It doesn’t matter whether it is a glaze or a varnish. It is only important that there is a colored lacquer or a colored glaze. This is the only way to protect the wood from UV radiation reliably. In addition to UV radiation, there are, of course, other dangers to the wood. But there is a solution for that too. If the wood is treated with the right primer, blue stain and fungus can no longer harm it.
Sand down the garden shed
As with all work, a clean workplace makes all the difference with this project. Therefore, all impurities such as dirt, dust, and cobwebs are removed in advance. Then you can use the eccentric sander and dust mask. Because now the side surfaces are thoroughly freed from the old paint!
This can be done very quickly in places where the paint is already peeling. However, patience is required wherever the old paint was protected from the weather and therefore still adheres well. But only if the old coat of paint is completely removed can the result be right in the end. The effort pays off!
Gray areas can be sanded off a little more in this step to make them gray. This not only saves the additional use of a wood degreaser but also ensures a more uniform end result.
After sanding the side surfaces, the edges, corners, and strips must now also be processed. Since the eccentric sander is usually too big for this, a delta sander is used here. Its construction makes it ideal for this. As an alternative to the delta sander, an – admittedly not too common – sanding roller can also be used. This is also ideal for removing the old, weathered paint from corners and edges.
The tool shows its strength, especially in the spaces between the tongue and groove boards. If you want to do without the manual sanding of these gaps, you cannot avoid the practical device. But this only works if the distance between the tongue and groove boards is large enough. So you will usually not be able to do without manual sanding by hand.
Prepare the garden shed for priming.
Once the wood of the garden shed has been sanded, its natural grain comes into its own again. The garden house looks a lot better now. Before painting, everything is thoroughly cleaned again because sanding dust does not offer a particularly good surface, whether for the paint or the primer.
As further preparation, the windows and all other components that are not to be painted must now be masked with painter’s tape. But the grass and the surrounding vegetation should also be protected. To do this, the floor is covered with painter’s fleece, flowers and bushes are tied back if necessary.
Finally, the primer is poured into a suitable container (ideally in a paint cup).
Prime the garden house
Applying the primer is very easy and quick. The brush is dipped into the primer, and the excess is wiped off at the edge of the paint cup. Then it is applied twice in the direction of the wood grain. You can either paint board by board or paint a predetermined, manageable small area. It is important to work wet on wet here to achieve the evenest result possible.
The side surfaces, the spaces between the tongue and groove boards, and all corners and edges of any strips are painted. The invisible areas behind the door hinge or the upper edge of the door frame are not forgotten either.
After the first coat of primer, the brush can be stored for twelve hours. Because now the primer has to dry thoroughly. You can already see that the wood has returned to its original color. Since this garden shed has been neglected for so long and has sucked out the first coat of primer, a second coat of primer is advisable.
Again, the primer is applied with the brush in the direction of the grain. If that is done, another break of 12-24 hours is on the program.
Tip: Finally, the wood can be sanded with a very fine grain (220). This ensures that the color (glaze) is optimally absorbed and a harmonious overall picture is created.
Paint or glaze the garden house
The glaze is finally being used! It is shaken well in preparation so that the pigments are evenly distributed in it. Even if this step is not necessary with the glaze used here: it will not damage in any case! After opening and decanting into the paint cup, you can start. As with the primer, the glaze is applied twice quickly in the direction of the wood grain; either board by board or on a manageable small area. It is important to apply an even amount of paint. This is the only way to create a harmonious overall picture. As always, work is done wet on wet.
The grooves – or rather the spaces between the tongue and groove boards – are not forgotten this time either. Likewise, all attached strips and boards are treated with the glaze.
But be careful with end grain surfaces (front surfaces)! These are particularly absorbent and must be painted at least three times. This is the only way to seal the surfaces sufficiently so that rainwater can no longer wash out the colored wood constituents. Alternatively, these surfaces can also be given a film-forming coating of the same color.
Hinges and other non-wooden components must not be painted over. If you don’t just want to trust a steady hand and clean work, these elements should be masked with painter’s tape, just like the windows before.
The actual painting of the summer house is just as quick as painting with the primer.
Result
Then it’s already done! The garden house was sanded, primed, and treated with a breathable, colored glaze.
A direct comparison shows the difference, and it is really impressive! The old weathered garden house is passé and now appears in a completely new shine. There is a joy!
