weather proofing a wooden greenhouse

weather proofing a wooden greenhouse

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This message was edited Jan 3, 2013 6:53 PM

weather proofing a wooden greenhouse

Next day -- dang what happened to my message????

Let's try this again. . .

I have the frame of a green house done -- all wood, some new and old wood, all unpainted or treated at this time.

I know I need to treat it with something to preserve it from rot. Any suggestions as to what is best??

I'd like to treat/paint it before putting windows or roofing on. Really hoping to get it done it time to use this late winter, as in February. Mostly wanting this greenhouse to start plants and overwinter my more tender plants.

Please help.

Is any of the wood in direct contact with the ground? If so then you really ought to have used pressure-treated lumber for those parts. But if it's not in direct contact with the ground, any sort of stain/sealant that they sell for use on decks ought to work fine.

No wood on the ground -- oops, except around the door.

Thanks!

My greenhouse has a lot of wood and the areas that have plenty of exposure to air and sun are doing fine. One spot behind a big rain barrel, so stayed damp when it rained, has completely rotted away after 5 years. All of it is painted inside and out, which I know helped prolong the life of the wood.
Barb

Thanks Barb. Do you remember what kind of paint you used?

We are still planning to paint. Tomorrow promises to be warm enough to get a coat on., Just did a search and someone suggest buying 5 gal of oil based white barn paint and adding 1 gallen of boiled linseed oil. 2-3 coats. Even suggested topping with white latex, to which another writer said no, just another coat of the previous mixture. Both claimed it would last. . . didn't say how long.

I sure wish this was already done! I want my plants in it and new ones started.

I just used outdoor latex (not oil based). It's lasted me 5 years. It could use another coat for aesthetics, but the wood is still protected and going strong.
Barb

We have awful winds here too. Spent the first winter chasing panels all over the neighborhood. This year I have a solar cover on and we don't have to chase panels. Here's a pic of how mine is anchored to the ground. We built a wood base and it is attached to 6 -4x4's that are ointo the ground 32 inches, then the frame is attached to that.
The 3rd pic is with the solar cover. I have ropes wrapped around it just for extra security and the fence panel is because the door was bent by the wind last year so I wanted to give it a little more protection.
BTW, I heat it with propane and the guy came to fill the tanks the other day and said I should have been empty but I only needed 30 gallons. The $200 spent on the solar cover has paid for itself already!

Cool! Mine is anchored with straps and hurricane anchors.
Solar cover?? Do tell!
Barb

It helps to warm it up just as it does on a pool and I guess it helps to hold the heat at night a little. The other day it was 30 degrees out but sunny. It was 97 in the greenhouse!

Wow. Definitely worth the money.
Barb

Anyone have any experience with a cold frame? I have a friend getting new windows in her house & I can get the old windows.

Since I just thought of this today, I've not thought about it too much.

Hi Quilter, Strange, I built a cold frame for my sister who has a passion for quilting and gardening.

I used wood framed windows to make it easier to adjust the window sizes to the frame.
(I will try to take a picture and include it in a post. Unfortunately, I have lost the charger for my Nikon
camera and haven't replaced it yet. I will borrow my daughter's camera and get some pictures.)
When I say adjust the window sizes to the frame, I mean to make the openings roughly similar size.
I do this by adding framing to the smaller windows to make them close to the same size as the
larger windows. Wood windows make this easier. Aluminum frame windows can be adjusted by
using a stepped method of adding wood trim.

Having said this, one way to make a cold frame, is to rim the area you want the cold frame to heat
with hay or straw bales and place the windows on top. This gives you about 14 to 16" of space
above the ground.
Once the cold frame season has passed, you can plant things in the bales that are on the down;
East or North sun side; to prevent shading. You can plant most anything in the bales. (See the
Strawbale Garden section of Dave's Garden more for information.)
You can use the other bales as mulch between rows, etc.
Paul.

I had not considered ringing it with bales. I was thinking of a raised bed then some sort of frame so the windows would be on an angle, like a roof.
I'll go find the strawbale thread. I'd heard of doing that.