A gardening expert and these DIY tips will help you get the most out of your shed this summer

Is your garden shed looking tired and neglected, leaving you apprehensive to open the door for fear of the creepy crawlies lurking inside?

With summer right around the corner, Dave Malcolm founder of ShedPlans shares his top DIY tips for how to give your shed a new lease of life, so that it becomes an extension of your home rather than a feature you’d rather forget.

Inspect and replace rotten wood

The first call of action when reviving your shed is to look for any structural damage to the exterior of the build. Identify if there are any rotten pieces of wood by looking for areas of darker discolouration or where the wood feels spongy or crumbly. Flaking or loosening of existing paint can be a good indicator that rot is present underneath. Try to first replace any rotten pieces of wood on the shed as well as any rusty screws that are holding pieces in place, before moving on to the next step.

Clean it thoroughly

Use a wire brush to remove any growing lichen, moss, spiderwebs or dirt that might have formed on the outside of your shed. Investing in a fungicidal wash can be a great way to loosen fungus before scrubbing with a wire brush, and it also helps to prevent the growth of further bacteria on your shed.

Remove flaking paint

Next, you want to remove any old flaking paint from the exterior of the shed. Use a plastic scraper, sanding paper or an abrasive pad to carefully remove paint from any areas with noticeable flaking or bubbling. If the previous coat of paint is still intact, you may wish to omit this step and apply a new layer of paint directly over the top of the original.

Make it waterproof

Applying a sealant such as caulk to fill in cracks or holes can prevent excessive moisture from entering your shed. Moisture and heat provide optimal conditions for mould or other bacteria to grow, especially during the summer months, so making it watertight helps to limit the chance of this happening.

Cover those surfaces

When applying a new coat of paint, place dust sheets on the garden surrounding the shed as well as on any nearby fence to avoid paint dripping onto your garden. Before painting, use masking tape to cover up any hinges or handles that you don’t want painting and for larger areas such as windows, attach old sheets of newspaper with masking tape.

Apply a primer

Before you begin painting, it is best to apply a good quality wood primer to the outside of your shed. Doing so serves two purposes; firstly, it helps to strengthen and protect the wood from decay, and secondly, it allows the paint to better hold to the wood and decreases the chances of the paint flaking.

Apply a new coat of paint

Using a timber brush, first begin by painting any trimmings around the windows or door as well as any panels that are oriented vertically. Then begin painting each horizontal panel. Starting at the top, move the brush in broad sweeps from left to right in a horizontal direction. Starting at the top will allow you to cover up any drops of paint that may have fallen on the panels below, as you go on. Once this has had time to dry, you can apply another layer of paint in the same fashion, if you feel it is necessary.

These tips were provided by Shedplans.org which ensures homeowners have everything they need to build their own shed by providing a comprehensive library of plans to cover every step of the way.

Further information can be found at https://www.shedplans.org/ who provided the expert commentary.