One of our top wood preservers, Sikagard Wood Preserver, can be applied on damp or rotten wood and will get to work immediately. If your shed has seen better days, Sikagard is therefore your best choice. You’ll still need to remove as much surface grime as possible, though.

Water-based wood preservers such as Cuprinol tend to be easier for most people to work with. They dry faster than most solvent-based preservers, and are much lower in VOCs (volatile organic compounds), the substances mainly responsible for petrol-type smells. Water-based products are also much easier to clean off brushes.The best wood preserver you can buy in 2023 1. Barrettine Premier Wood Preserver (clear): Best wood preserver for all outdoor jobs Whatever colour or non-colour you go for, at least you won’t have to put up with the fluorescent yellowy green colour of creosote, which used to be the only wood preserver you could get. Thankfully creosote – noxious, toxic and highly flammable – is no longer sold to the general public. Are wood preservers all solvent-based? I’m worried about fumes indoors.

Barrettine Premier Wood Preserver is a high-quality, low odour, oil based wood preserver that is deep penetrating. Barrettine wood preserver is used for wood protection against wood-destroying fungi (wet rot), wood discolouring fungi and wood-boring insects.

Apply Barrettine Wood Preserver using a synthetic brush, microfibre roller or shed & fence spray system*

Freshly cut sawn ends should be thoroughly treated with either Barrettine Premier Wood Preserver, or alternatively Barrettine End Grain Preserver So, you can potentially use it on your old shed, but you should prepare the wood first. Otherwise you’re wasting your time and money. Barrettine’s preserver does contain some wax for water resistance, but despite this it acts as a good base for paint and varnish. But it does a sterling job of repelling water, sun-fading, rot, insects and other wood-worriers all by itself, as well as bringing out the natural grain of the wood. You can also get a 5l version.

Wood preserver is designed to be applied on freshly sawn or sanded wood. You’ll get the best out of it if you sand down whatever wood you use it on, or at least pressure-wash and scrub it. Our main complaint is that there’s no clear version, so you have to choose a colour – and the waterproof finish is difficult to paint over if you don’t like the shade. The six colours are lovely, though, and include Forest Oak, Autumn Gold and Silver Copse. How to choose the best wood preserver for you What’s the difference between wood preserver and varnish? It is designed to be a wood primer and needs a weather resistant top-coat. Either water-based or oil-based top coats can be used. For best results use the following products from the Protek range; Solvent-based wood preservers such as Barrettine Premier and Ronseal Total tend to absorb more deeply into wood, and decorators say they have longer-lasting effects. However they’re more smelly than water-based stuff, and tend to be less safe for the environment. That said, the most eco-friendly preserver in our line-up, Osmo Wood Protector, is solvent-based but uses safe organic ingredients, which makes it perfect for kitchen worktops. Can I use wood preserver to liven up my old shed?