If you are in the market for a new shed or garden building, you may have seen a few places stating they offer tanalised timber options. Many places may use this as a buzz word to help sell their sheds, but what is tanalised timber, and why is it so important to have when buying a new shed?
Normally, timber comes in two options, untreated or tanalised. Untreated timber is timber that has come straight from the mill, untreated and ready to use. Timber on its own is a very versatile product and can help produce strong sheds and garden buildings, but when untreated, is open to all the elements.
Most sheds or garden buildings are going to be kept outside, open to all the elements the weather can throw at it, and while a shed built with untreated timber may look the part, it isn’t designed to withstand all weathers, and more importantly, stand the test of time. This is where tanalised timber comes in.
Tanalised timber is timber that has been pressure treated with a mixture of chemicals, to help protect it from all weathers. The treatment is done under pressure, forcing tanalith (the chemicals used to tanalise the timber) into every inch of the timber, to make sure it is all treated.
Once treated, tanalised timber is more resistant to things such as rot, fungus, insects, and mould, as well as being able to withstand more extreme weather conditions, which makes it the perfect timber to use for sheds and garden buildings.
Tanalised timber can be treated in the same way as normal timber, so can be painted, decorated and treated in the same way as any other timber. We recommend treating the once a year, starting after the first year of ownership.
Tanalised sheds and garden buildings will generally last a lot longer than an untreated version of themselves, but still, require some upkeep to make sure you get the most out of your new purchase. If treated regularly, while we can’t put an exact time on how long it would last, it could be expected to last up to 30 years.
Our view on tanalised timber is simple. It is more robust, better protected and overall the better product to use for our sheds, summer houses and garden buildings, hence why all our products use tanalised timber.