In and Out Buildings - Thoughts and Research

[Dave Sutton]

Is the Cuprinol wood preservative you are intending to use '5 Star' ?Cuprinol 5 Star Complete Wood Treatment | Cuprinol

I ask as IIRC it is the only one that you can use Sadolin or Sikkens stains over.

 

[Focalplane]

A good question Dave. The manufacturer of the kit doesn’t say but I plan to get confirmation of this at Brewers in Winchester when I visit soon. I did plan to go today when collecting a new trolley jack from Screwfix but they have yet to get it in stock by Day 3. Unforgivable!

 

[Mike W]

Thant looks very nice. The Ideal garage/workshop also looks wonderful, especially for the 1950s, and if I were to criticise it at all, that would only be because it can hold just a single car. In my experience classic cars tend to find "friends" and breed quite quickly!

Mike

 

[Tim Humphreys ex Mudhen]

Paul,

Have you had to get planning permission or had the building regulation guys involved? I ask as when we built our garage/studio building we needed PP. As a result we were told that a concrete slab for our building, 10 metres by 6 metres was not acceptable and had to use a block and beam construction. We live on the Essex/Suffolk border, different regulations seem to apply around the country.

Tim

 

[Focalplane]

Tim, the design is within all the PP rules, including area (<36 sq m), distance from boundaries (>2m) and height. The log cabin company has a very useful check list on their web site but I also checked against the government rules to be sure. Also the garden is large so there is plenty of room for the existing and new outbuildings. I also have a good reason, the new build replaces a rotten old greenhouse that was dangerous. I have also discussed the plans with our neighbours.

 

[Tim Humphreys ex Mudhen]

Good news, I really like the look of your building. We're in a listed building so had to go through the hoops for permission. That's when the Building Regs man got involved and decided to push our build cost up! Still it turned out pretty well in the end, here's a photo;

Tim

 

[Focalplane]

Ah yes! Listed buildings, National Parks, AONBs all have additional rules. When I was building the Penmaenpool layout I discovered that PP for the station building and hotel renovation was given by the National Park, not the County Council. We have another advantage, our road is private or unadopted.

Your outbuilding looks great as do the cars! Drool!

 

[Focalplane]

To answer the Cuprinol question. I visited Brewers this morning and picked up the Sadolin Product and Colour Guide. I also sought advice on whether to use the basic wood preservative as a breathable primer or the 5 star wood preservative. The major difference is that the Cuprinol 5 star Complete Wood Treatment kills woodworm, prevents re-infestation and also wet rot. This certainly would be the choice for an existing un stained and un painted shed on our property, but might be a "luxury" for new rough sawn timber buildings. However, as the log cabin material is not rough sawn, it would be advisable to use the 5 star treatment.

So, for the existing shed I have bought the 5 star wood preservative and will see how I get on with it. I should add that the garden has been neglected for years with no obvious ongoing maintenance of the shed. It is, however still standing and water tight.

The plan is then to match the exterior opaque but breathable Sadolin Superdec Satin with an existing choice for the brickwork on the main residence. This is a Valspar paint which I have used with great success in both Texas and North Wales.

I hope this makes sense!

 

[Dog Star]

At this time there are two versions of the Cuprinol 5-star treatment - one is a solvent base fluid and the other is a water base fluid. No idea if they are miscible hence not sure if acceptable to cover one with the other.

 

[Ressaldar]

Ah, Valspar paint, the best gloss finish I ever achieved, back in 1968 and painted a lot of woodwork since then!

regards

Mike

 

[Focalplane]

Dog Star, I have to admit I bought the one Brewers recommended for the job. It's the water based version. Sadolin Superdec is also water borne so I guess that's OK! And Brewers stock both Cuprinol and Sadolin.

Mike, when B&Q announced they were agents for Valspar I was over the moon. However, one of their shop assistants sold me the pure white which had no pigments added! It's coverage was awful. Subsequently I got a complete refund. It's a good idea to get to know your local staff and how much training they have had. There is ready mixed white on the shelf in store.

 

[Dave Sutton]

If you're using Superdec over the water based 5* it should be fine.

 

[LarryG]

I painted my dads Lanchester with Valspar gloss black in 1957. It was looking great until he shot off to the pub while still wet.

The info on Sadolin and Cuprinol has come just at the right time for me.

 

[King Crab]

Another red classic. This is my 1960 MGA Coupe.
I bought it in 1984 and did some repair work to get it on the road.
Then drove it to Le Mans as pictured. This was the track where they performed well in the 1950's and 1960's 24 hour races.
Back in the UK it was my everyday transport around London.
For the past 20 years it has been patiently waiting for me in the garage to get it back on the road.
The problem is the space has filled up with other gear. I can hardly find it under all the other stuff...

Peter

 

[Focalplane]

I ordered the garage workshop today. There is a price increase due this Thursday on Scandinavian timber - 17%! All the paperwork is done and deposit paid. Delivery and assembly of the Motor House (to give it its new formal name) is expected by end of May. As continued lock down seems likely through the summer this is probably a good decision - we were hoping to go to France but this is almost certainly not going to be possible now.

Next planning stage will be for kitting out the workshop and readying a really good, solid work bench.

I will keep this thread going but at this stage I would like to thank the many contributors to this discussion who have shared their knowledge and experience. I hope this will be of use to others with their plans for railway rooms, etc.

Paul

 

[Osgood]

I need to order some curved corrugated sheets and within the last 2 days a message has gone on the manufacturer’s website informing that due to the national shortage of corrugated sheets they have none to curve - delivery has increased by 7 weeks.

 

[King Crab]

You might already have this on your to do list.
But in case not, I would ask your groundworker to include a Damp Proof Membrane, under the concrete pour.
A 1200gauge poly sheet costs practically nothing but I always think it worthwhile to keep the damp away from the concrete.
And perimeter insulation? That's where the slab chills most.

Peter

 

[Focalplane]

Yes, Peter, the DPM is on the list. Very important consideration in my opinion. I also plan to add rubber matting or tiles, at least in the workshop half.

One recent addition I haven’t mentioned is this:



Not cheap, British made and acquired from Screwfix, this is not only useful for high clearance vehicles but also for older cars such as my Rileys.

 

[Focalplane]

I have started to work on ye olde pottinge shedde with the intention of treating the bare wood and then applying Superdec as a test.

First job after brushing and vacuuming the surface is to apply fungicide which I have now started to do. Only then should the 5* treatment be applied after 24 hour wait. This stage is only necessary on old bare wood.

 

[Focalplane]

Today I received all the paperwork on the Motor House purchase and I have to say that the company has thought of everything. Even a set of record sheets to enter what and when various treatments will be done in the years to come to maintain the structure. Also maintenance sheets to show how any warping on doors and windows can be corrected.

The kit will be delivered in the middle of July (it could have been a couple of weeks earlier) and the construction team will come to build it a few days later. It's then up to me to do the wood treatments and Superdec painting. By then the other (old) outbuildings should have been treated and painted.

I took delivery yesterday of steel mesh and bars from the other ongoing project and will not need to buy any. I always knew that builders buy more than they need of everything so it is good that I can use materials that otherwise would go in a skip to the tip.