Maintenance of stable yard - creasote ?

[BBH]

My stables have been up for about three years now and the outside has gotton a bit ' grey' so this summer i'd like to clean them up and waterproof them. They were tanalised wood when I bought them and never leak but am assuming they need periodically waterproofing.

Which would be the quickest most cost effective way of doing this and what products would you recommend.

I have someone lined up to power wash any algae before I start.

Thankyou

 

[Spottyappy]

I creocote mine every 1 or 2 years. They are 25 years old now, and touch wood, I have had just one minor area rot, which I have filled in. I have never had to wash any algae off, and I would be cautious of power washing anything, as the power can be strong and I would worry it may force inbetween the planks , or knots. Have you spoken to the person doing it about any risks such as that?
I buy my creocote from Wickes, I think I paid about £35 for a huge container.I needed 2, although I have about 1/2 left.It did 3 12'x12' stables,a corner 14'x14' and a 6'x12' feed room. I am rather messy though

, and unless you are going to be extremely careful, it is worth covering windows and chew strips, as well as any nearby concrete!

 

[Bosworth]

The cheapest and incredibly effective way to preserve and to prevent them being chewed and maintain the waterproof(ness) is used sump oil. if you go to any garage they will let you have it free and as much as you want as they have to pay to get it taken away. It does however darken the wood. I have used it on field shelters and 3 years later they are still waterproof and completely unchewed. I use it on the top of all my post and rail fences in the fields, wooden gates and posts. No horses chew it and as long as it is all done it actually looks extremely smart.

 

[BigRed]

The products they use to tanlise wood these days are not very powerful, so you do need to treat the wood. I use the Wickes stuff because it is cheap. It is probably not the product in the world, but the rain does seem to run off it afterwards. I paint it on and I do it each summer. My husband prefers to spray his timber buildings, but then he has access to a compressor. And if I sprayed the front of the stables, the wood preserver would go inside...