Garden Shed, Workshop & Summerhouse After Care

In order to get the maximum life and benefit from your Ace Sectional Building, we recommend the following...

Treatment
Your Ace garden building is manufactured using pressure treated timber. This specialist treatment only protects your building against insect attack and rot and will need a water treatment applied once the building has been installed.
All timber is porous, and your garden building is no exception so we recommend that all exterior timber is sealed using a waterproof paint or sealant. We have used Protek Water-proofing Wood Stain and Protek Royal Exterior colours for several years and highly recommend these products. These sealants can protect your building for between 2 and 5 years depending on wear & tear and exposure and both are available on our website for self-application after delivery/Installation. We recomend waiting approx 2 weeks for the freshly pressure treated timber to dry before painting. This could dry sooner in summer months and longer in winter months.

Sometimes you may experience lighter green marks in places, this is not a fault in the timber or pressure treatment, it is mearly a reaction to the different timber densitys and infact shows how well it is treated.

Sometimes there may be dark spotting in places, again this is a reation of the timber and treatment and is normal and will not affect the timber or its protection.

Guttering
Guttering is also highly recommended. In our experience, guttering prolongs the life of a building immensely stopping rainwater runoff blowing onto the shed walls and soaking the cladding, it also minimises the splashback often experienced around the lower parts of the building. Again, guttering packages are available from us in the shed options part of the order process or can be bought at most DIY Centers and fitted afterwards.

Ironmongery
All door furniture will need to be lubricated regularly and because of the inherent nature of timber, minor adjustments of handles, hasps/staples and locks may be necessary.

Moisture & Mould Issues
If your garden building is erected in damp inclement conditions, you must ensure you leave adequate ventilation to allow the building to dry. If you fail to ventilate the building whilst timbers are drying out, condensation will occur. This will produce drips or runs of water inside the building, which may be mistaken for leaks. Condensation will also build up on the inside of the windows and on the roof underside.
Winter and Spring are the main times that you will see a higher moisture level in the air and this will travel into and around the building.
Moisture is caused by wet and damp conditions and this can get trapped inside the building during the night, warm up during the day and lay on the roof, Side panels, Floor and items within the shed. If the shed is not used often during these times and is closed, air is not able to circulate and the damp air is not able to escape leading this to cause mould and mildew. 
To help this problem we recommend that the building is ventilated as often as possible by opening the door at times when it is safe to do so, opening windows if you can and if possible to install air vents to allow continuous air movement.
If you are storing items that have got wet during use, try to dry them off as much as possible before storing them back into the shed.
You can add various types of moisture traps to help capture moisure in the air which are available at most supermarkets. Try keeping anything paper/cardboard off the floor and away from walls so that air can move freely around these items.
Any mould or mildew that has appeard can be wiped off easily using a cloth and spray cleaner easily obtainable. By removing this as quickly as possible will help the mould and mildew from spreading further and damaging the timber and items stored.

Other ways of trying to combat this issue are trying to warm the internal air of the building more than the outside, this can be done by adding insulation to the walls and roof. Basic insulation like foil backed insulation can be stapled to the walls and roof to help keep the warm dry air inside. Even better would be thicker Insulation board, for example 50mm celotex which will cut easily and fit between the uprights of the building.
If you can add a heater to the building, this will dry out the timber and air all at once, helping to get rid of the damp air quicker.

It is worth noting however that our timber buildings, without heating and drying the air, will have damp air during the winter months and this WILL cause mould and mildew and all we can do is try to keep this to a minimum with the above techniques. Unfortunately we cannot be held responsible for any items inside the building that may become damaged.
Even a house with all of its insulation can become damp at times.

Doors & Windows
Silicone seals around doors and windows may need to be resealed when required. Opening windows have window stays attached that might need adjusting as the timber adjusts to the climate.

Felt
We use an excellent quality polyester based green mineral felt for all our buildings. We recommend that the felt covering is checked regularly for any damage, this mainly occurs when the building is sited under trees and bushes etc. It is best to cut back any foliage that may become a nuisance. You may experience slight movement in the felt once fitted, this is due to atmospheric conditions and will settle down over time.

Onduline/Rubber Roofing
Onduline and EDPM rubber have their own guarentee and generally will not cause issue and give you a long life span. Its always best to periodically check if all is protected and again as with felt, cut back any foliage/ branches that may come in contact with the roof covering.

With a little maintenance each year you should have many years of enjoyment from your new garden building but please do get in touch if you have any further questions or concerns.