How to use fence palings for garden shed cladding?

[mike135]

Hi 

Im looking at bunning small garden shed to house all my gardening equipment.

i was thing to use Marine Plywood with treated pine fence palings for the outside of the shed 

is there anything else i could use? when you google online the U.S seems to have a lot of differnt types of timber and shingles for the roof which seems so easy.

any ideas to keep everything inside dry from the rain would be good 

i have attached a photo of what i want to make

Cheers Mike

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @mike135 

For the base use pre made cement slabs to raise it off the ground, you can still make the timber floor 1. in drawing.

Good  project   I would use  marine ply under the roof too  as the main water proofer and have the roof over hang all 4 sides a bit just to aid in  stopping water trying to enter the timber joins at the side/back  front already shows that over hang. Extent that all round as you wish or just seal wood joins 100%

Use waterproof aquadere glue and a timber sealer like epoxy paint /clear on the  ply and the pailings if you wish.  Pailings are just for looks now as the ply forming main water proofing.

tilt the base of your shed just a fraction  1:20  level to drain any water liquids the spill in the shed. Ie door is open and rain storm hits.

Make sure the base timbers  posts are 3x waterproofed with paint as  water can soak up legs and rot wood prematurely.

Pick these ideas up if you like them for your project.  Have  fun

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @mike135. It's a pleasure to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about constructing a shed.

You might like to have a read through this recent discussion on How to build a bike storage wooden shed? Yours is a very similar project, so I'm sure you'll find some great information there. 

In America, they use a variety of roofing materials like shingles on their buildings, so you'll find them really available. Unfortunately, here we tend to either use tiles or corrugated sheeting. Speaking of which, either polycarbonate or steel roof sheeting would certainly be an option for your project. If you do want to go with shingles, then we can special order them for you. Just speak with the helpful team at your local store's Special Order desk.

If you choose to go with marine ply, you'll need to paint or varnish it thoroughly as although it can get wet and dry out, prolonged exposure to the elements will cause the plys to delaminate.

You might like to consider purchasing a premade shed that's constructed of waterproof materials like the Birch 6 x 3 from Stilla. It could seem a bit pricey, but I'd encourage you to price out your materials and compare them to a premade unit. Also, if you are not set on a timber look, plenty of economy garden sheds made from steel would likely be cheaper to purchase than the cost of your materials.
 

Please let us know if you have further questions.

Mitchell