What would you recommend for the best weatherproofing for a wood run-in? We have used something like a patio sealer in the past and I hate it. Not sure why it was recommended to us, as it seems like it needs reapplication every year.
Hummmm, I never did weather proof mine. I kind of like the way the wood looks as it ages. The 36 x 16 structure (steel frame) is actually a mobile home frame (lots of trailer factories here) with oak panels set vertically. There is some minor damage at ground level (maybe an inch of board has gotten icky where it touches the ground), but the rest looks, well, rustic. The oak came from my trees, so except for the cost of making boards (Amish guy brings a board thing to the place and cuts them from trees), I was good. I have about ten boards left in my storage to replace anything that breaks, rots, or wears away. Shed’s been there 20 years . . .
Foxglove
we use regular exterior latex paint (painted to match the house, barn, etc)
Painting is fine if you don’t mind doing it year in and year out to keep it looking nice. A house doesn’t have horses “playing” with it and scratching, chewing etc the paint off in places. I prefer to keep my list of maintenance needs as short as possible. I don’t paint my fences nor run-ins. So the wear and tear doesn’t show much.
Thompson Water seal is a good choice. Put it in a pump up weed sprayer and have at it. It’s not a house nor furniture. Figure out how many square feet you need to cover. It is cheaper to buy in 5 gallon buckets.
Personally I don’t think it is that necessary. Especially if it is in a sunny location where it will dry out quickly.
the Lowe’s near us has some super expensive fence preservative paint on sale now trying to get rid of it, original list was $120 for 5 gallons, now $10
Most of our wooden fences are coated with solid color satin… haven’t had any problems yet
