Garden shed sides wet inside

Carnmore

Just moved in to new house and put tools in garden shed. During heavy rain on Saturday I noticed the inside of the sides were wet all the way up on the exposed sides, as if they were absorbing rain water.

I need to store tools and equipment in the shed so it needs to be dry.

Any ideas how I can make it stay dry? It's a rented house and the shed isn't mine so I can't replace it.

It's made from overlap wood.

Davesnave

The wood will have warped and shrunk in the long dry spell, so some gaps may well close.

If not, you might staple some polytunnel plastic sheet to the sides; not elegant, but it's not your job to improve a landlord's shed and you will need to return it in the same condition as it was found.

Carnmore

Davesnave wrote: »

The wood will have warped and shrunk in the long dry spell, so some gaps may well close.

If not, you might staple some polytunnel plastic sheet to the sides; not elegant, but it's not your job to improve a landlord's shed and you will need to return it in the same condition as it was found.

Thanks - I was thinking the same. Do you mean staple clear plastic sheeting to the outside?

Davesnave

Carnmore wrote: »

Thanks - I was thinking the same. Do you mean staple clear plastic sheeting to the outside?

Yes I did it on one of my daughter's cheap Chinese small animal houses. Has to be tough plastic and staples need to be strong too, but they can later be removed ithout damage.

Carnmore

Davesnave wrote: »

Yes I did it on one of my daughter's cheap Chinese small animal houses. Has to be tough plastic and staples need to be strong too, but they can later be removed ithout damage.

A heavy gauge roll if plastic then? Do you know the cheapest place to get this? I'm thinking from a builders merchant at circa £20

Davesnave

Sorry, I don't know. My polytunnel is 42' x 24' so I go wholesale or get a roll end and have a lot left over!



Maybe a garden centre?

chrisw

Carnmore wrote: »

Thanks - I was thinking the same. Do you mean staple clear plastic sheeting to the outside?

Could you not just staple it to the inside? It would look better and be less likely to be torn by the wind getting under it.

I did mine a couple of years ago using opened out rubble sacks and it's still holding up.

Carnmore

chrisw wrote: »

Could you not just staple it to the inside? It would look better and be less likely to be torn by the wind getting under it.

I did mine a couple of years ago using opened out rubble sacks and it's still holding up.

Did you have the same problem?

dunroving

Is the problem on all 4 walls? If not, is the source something like an incline to the shed, or splash back from a neighbouring building, that could be solved?

I agree that stapling polythene inside is better than outside. Less ugly and less likely to tear in high winds.

Davesnave

Inside is easier. It's not the OP's shed, so they don't care if it rots, but the wood will get wetter and hold on to the moisture, making things inside liable to mould or rust rather more too. Once a shed starts to go like that, being constantly wet in winter, it often gets into the floor too.

When I did it, I had ferrets to consider. No sane person staples polythene to the inside of their ferret house!:rotfl:

chrisw

Carnmore wrote: »

Did you have the same problem?

Mine is due to more obvious holes where the wood has rotted and some of the planks have slipped.

I've stapled the polythene to the uprights so there is still an inch gap between the polythene and the walls. There are also gaps between the pieces of polythene, so there is plenty of airflow.

I've not had any problem with stuff going damp or mouldy, but it does let the mice in and snails which eat the paper off labels.