Summer House going black.

CountryGirl#

We bought a summer house last year and we treated it with preserver and also another preserver on top of that. Each tin was £50 so not cheap. Around the window frames on the doors the wood has started to go black and mottled and also on the main wood of one of the doors. It is guaranteed for 1 year. It's just past 1 year but cost £4k. The handle and screws have gone rusty within that year but I've left it as I am not overly concerned with that. We even have put guttering on it. We have done out utmost to look after it. I've contacted the company but they don't want to know. Is there anything at all I can do? Is it true expensive purchases you have comeback of 6 years? The wood preserver is supposed to make it last 20 and the wood is supposed to last at least 10 years without issues.

neilmcl

It would help if you knew exactly the reason for the discolouration.

A picture would be nice (post links without the http: if you can;t post the full link)

DoaM

Have you used a preserver that's incompatible with the treatment applied to the wood during manufacture? (Do the supplier give any guidance on this on, say, their website)?

The 6 years thing isn't just for expensive goods - it comes from the Limitations Act and applies to almost any contractual situation. It merely defines a time limit within which a claim can be made - not whether any such claim has any validity. The validity of a claim comes from other legislation, such as the Consumer Rights Act.

In this case (as it is more than 6 months from purchase) you would need to prove that what is happening (the fault) is due to manufacture (inherent) and not due to anything you've done to it.

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

My man cave, shed, also went black and grey very quickly. It is part of the weathering. The felt roof got torn and I patched it up. Still inside as good as new.

Cetshwayo

Where do you live OP and where is the summer house situated? Living in the West Coast of Scotland and in the lee of some trees everything goes black and/or green.

sysadmin

Our log cabin has been up for nearly 3 years and it still looks like new. However, every year it gets treated with Sadolin which is around £90 for 5L.

Where on the cabin is the black appearing? Top / bottom ?

If its the bottom, is the cabin raised slightly off the floor in order for the wood to breathe, as if not this is may be part of your issue.

peterowe1

I've worked in the timber industry for over 20 years and can tell you that the black discolouring is either mould or Blue Stain fungus. I've seen thick layers of mould living on the surface of pressure treated timber and unfortunately preservative won't prevent mould, unless it specifically contains a mouldicide, which very few do.

Mould loves damp areas, as anyone with a steamy bathroom will attest to, if your timber has a moisture content of 20% or more the conditions are ideal for mould. The winter months are especially favourable because of the very high moisture content in the atmosphere. Mould lives on the surface of timber so won't be affected by preservative as it penetrates into the layers of timber sitting under the surface. Mould will feed on the surface sugars present in the exposed cells of the timber and will also feed on any surface debris such as sawdust or ordinary dust.

The very best way to cure the mould is to apply a high quaity mouldicide such as Barrettine Mould & Mildew Cleaner and once it's gone apply a high quality weatherproofing finish to repel moisture. I won't use anything other than Timmersol Exterior Timber Stabiliser, absolutely amazing stuff.

It's my opinion that you can't blame the manufacturer for mould growth, it's down to nature!
I hope this helps anyone that has a mould problem on their exterior timber.

Keep_pedalling

Why would you apply 2 lots preserver to brand new already treated timber? You should not have to treat in the first year, and in doing so you may have caused the blackening. Who knows what sort of chemical reactions are going on as the result of three separate treatments.

I am assuming we are not talking about a cedar building, which does not need preservative at all.

Mr_Singleton

peterowe1 wrote: »

I've worked in the timber industry for over 20 years.......

Thankyou for your very enlightening post.