Which means that in 60minutes your shed is rainproof and protected. (Double Action Wood Preserver)

Member Name: LegendaryMrDude

Product:	Double Action Wood Preserver
Date:	01/04/03 (2704 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Rainproof, Preservative

Disadvantages: Cost

When I moved house earlier this year I had to leave my trusty shed behind. True, it had served me well over the years but alas it was nailed together and didn't look like coming to pieces any time soon. So it had to stay. Of course all the stuff in said shed came with us and, without a shed at the new house, made itself comfortable in the spare room, lounge, hall, in fact pretty much wherever it was left when we moved in. This was obviously unacceptable and so a new shed was acquired.

Upon the arrival of the new shed I was somewhat dismayed by it's pallour. It was made of a wood that looked like it wouldn't stand a gentle rub-down with a wet sponge, let alone exposure to the British 'climate' for an extended period of time. Oh no, what this shed needed was a bit of colour. And preferably one that offered some degree of waterproofing and preservational benefits to boot. Enter "Ronseal Double Action Wood Preserver".

Being a Ronseal product, I expect it to do "exactly what it says on the tin" which is waterproof and preserve the wood on which it gets painted, but why did I choose this particular 'flavour' of treatment? To cut a long story short, I originally bought a tin of Ronseal TimberCare waterproofing treatment, but on getting it homt and reading the instructions I learned that it was only for use on rough-sawn timber. Looking at the smooth-sided flanks of my shed, I was a little concerned that it was maybe not quite the right stuff for the job. A return trip to B&Q found me browsing the various treatments available for garden furniture, decking, sheds and fences. The whole assortment can be quite boggling but the thing to bear in mind is what you want to achieve. In my case, I wanted to add a wood preservative and also a bit of water-proofing so the Double-Action Preservative seemed like the ideal choice.

Available in 6 'classic' colours (Country Oak, Rich Mahognay, Forest Green,
Harvest Gold, Red Cedar and Autumn Brown) it claims to provide a colour that lasts for 5 years. As far as the wood preserving portion of it'a abilities go it's allegedly deep penetrating and long lasting with the waterproofing being attributed to a high wax content. All this sounds like fairly nasty stuff, bringing back memories of buckets full of creosote, ruined clothes and dead plants. Not so with the Ronseal, the stuff itself is about the same consistency as a cup-a-soup and has very little odour. While plants are not likely to survive being directly painted, it is a lot less harmful than creosote etc. Th other good thing (especially when considering the British weather) is that it's rainproofing works after only 60 minutes.

Having a house built of yellow bricks, I opted to go for the 'Harvest Gold' colour thinking that it would blend in the best. I wasn't quite prepared for just how 'golden' the colour would be when I opened the tin. Somewhat reluctantly I started slopping it about the shed, working it into all the gaps and making sure the coverage was even. The last thing I wanted was a shed with a streaky fake tan! A 2.5 Litre tin and an aching back later and I had covered all four walls of my shed with two coats of golden gloop. To my relief, it dried a little darker than my first impressions, with the natural grain of the wood showing through to quite pleasing effect. Brushes were cleaned with warm water and a drop of washing-up liquid, so not even any nasty chemicals to get the stuff cleaned. Spallter-marks on my arms washed off in the shower, the only remaining evidence is a pair of speckled jeans.

Just to check some of the claims it makes about being waterproof, I gave it a quick blast with the hose. Sure enough the water beaded off the surface, with barely a drop remaining on the shed walls. It certainly looks promising, I'll just have to keep an eye on how it performs over the next few years. At £1
4 for 2.5litres it's not exactly cheap, but it's certainly cheaper than buying a new shed because the old one roted away for lack of a coat of preservative.

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