Outdoor wood?

Usjes

Hi,

I'm planning on repairing a garden shed. The outer panels on one side are badly rotten but the internal frame is still sound. So all I'll have to do is removed the rotted outer panels on that side of the shed, go the the DIY supplier, buy some planks of wood then treat them with wood preserver/varnish and then nail them on. My question is should I be looking for any particular type of wood given that it is for an outdoor job. I ask because last summer I repaired a garden table by completely removing the rotten top planks and replacing them. It worked well enough except I do notice that the panels I used do curl up at the edges in the hot sun and then straighten out again after the next time it rains. The panels I used were actually spare slats from a bed. So I'm wondering if there is any special treatment given to wood that is intended for outdoor use as opposed to indoor use before it is sold? Or would you buy the same type of wood for a garden shed as for a skirting board?

Thanks,

Usjes

William Powell

Buy pretreated timber. Just go to somewhere that sells sheds and timber. In my area near Dungarvan I use Trihy Swamills where they also make sheds so have plenty of the right stuff. What you probably want is CCA treated shiplap it comes in several different profiles.

Edit> Just so you know CCA not nice stuff, but does the job most off the shelf garden sheds will have been made of wood treated with it.

Most softwoods will expand and contract like you have expereinced so outside hardwoods would often be a better choice but the cost is much higher. Its often a choice of cheap timber heavily treated with chemicals or expensive hardwood that doesn't need so much preservative on a shed where you are using a lot of timber to cover the walls cost will often be the deciding factor.