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Over the last decade, more wood has been used on the outsides of buildings than ever before. Fashion no doubt played its part as far as designs etc were concerned. Better availability of different species of wood such as Cedar, Redwoods, and many different types of hardwoods also helped make wood more popular with architects, builders etc. Wood is one of the most beautiful natural building materials when used on places like wall cladding, decking, log homes, gazebos, fencing and lots more.

Unfortunately, everywhere you go, you will see lots of that beautiful wood looking like a pile of old pallets with situations varying from no protection at all, to where it was treated with something or other, maybe a poor choice of finish and has been left peeling off etc.

We regularly hear from home owners who have had less than satisfactory results with their previous decking oils etc.

“It peeled off in no time at all” “It has peeled of most of the high traffic areas and is stuck in the grooves – what am I to do” “It only lasted about 6 months and it was back to square one” are all common complaints.......More

Have you ever felt frustrated at the lack of finishes, colours etc for your fencing, garden walls, garden shed? Generally speaking, your options are limited to a handful of possibilities, usually with a wood tone look, and do they last?

Discover a better way to widen your colour options and cut your maintenance bills and workload at the same time!

Introducing E-B, the amazing stir-in bonding primer. It makes any water based paint (interior or exterior) stick like glue to virtually any porous surface… even wood.

That means, if you want to paint your garden shed, fence, decking spindles or even your terracotta pots blue, brown, cream or whatever, all you need to do is choose a masonry paint, yes exterior grade ‘masonry paint’ that is normally sold for concrete walls etc, and stir in some E-B. Now you can use masonry paint on wood! When the masonry paint has E-B in it, it stays wherever you apply it, no peel, no flake, and, this will really get your attention… it lasts for yonks!

As the wood is dense, hardwood requires a different approach as regards oiling, varnishing etc.

Teak windows and doors and sometimes various types of hardwood decking are is the most common hardwood we encounter with maintenance problems.

The biggest problem is most finishes cannot penetrate into the hardwood properly. This can be worsened by the presence of previous coatings or new wood that still has its own oils present near the surface. Treating new teak etc.

As mentioned above, new teak has a lot of its own oil and before you apply any coating such as teak oil, varnish etc you should first ‘wash’ the teak using several clean absorbent cloths and methylated spirit to remove any surface oils present.

Apply coating after that and you can expect a longer lasting result.

Problem Solvers Latest Edition 2019

• (1) The insulating properties within the Igoe insulating paint Paint forms a thermal barrier reflecting heat back into your room / building, considerably reducing heat loss.
• (2) It helps increase room temperature, even as much as 3 degrees with the same heating settings.
• (3) Keeps the room warmer for longer when heating is switched off.
• (4) You can switch your heating off up to one full hour earlier without any loss of comfort. (that’s how it cuts heating bills & saves energy)
• (5) IGOE Insulating Paint also allows the walls to breath. The incredible combination of the breathability of the paint along with the heat reflecting properties also helps to dramatically reduce condensation problems, if not eliminate them completely.
• (6) Because it reduces, and in most cases eliminates condensation (appears as damp areas on the wall) it prevents ugly & toxic mould growth.
• (7) Superb on ceilings & walls of older flat roof extensions, converted garage etc.
• (8) Makes a huge difference to room temperature and comfort level in any older home, from detached cottages, period houses, farm houses, mass concrete apartments to terraced or semi detached council houses. Note: It improves any home’s energy rating, new / old.

MARJORIE lives in Dublin and her front driveway had become drab. The imprinted design finish / colour had all but disappeared and various areas of it now had algae, moss, weeds etc.

She wanted to freshen it up but she was very concerned about disreputable contractors who make all kinds of claims and don’t deliver etc. She wanted whatever was done to be done properly and stay that way for a reasonable length of time. Having checked around, Marjorie contacted Igoe International the DIY specialist product distributors and they suggested a simple, inexpensive way to get a great long lasting look with minimum work and cost. She bought a 5 litre can of specific brown oil based gloss paint and two litres of Owatrol Oil.

Here’s how it was done… First, a power washer was used to remove all peeling bits as well as any lichens, moss etc that was present. Next a strong weed killer was used to kill any traces of moss etc. In a couple of days, the surface was rinsed off again using the power washer.

Window sills and wall cappings are notorious for peeling paint problems.

There is a perfect answer to this problem and it works every time.

Remove all loose paint using a scraper / wire brush (best option – does not wet the sill) or even a power washer if you have one. If you use a power washer, keep the lance at a sharp angle to ‘scrape the paint off’ and make sure you allow several days to dry out before painting.

You can paint the sills with either a water based masonry paint mixed with E-B (1 part E-B to 2 parts paint) or use any oil based paint mixed with Owatrol Oil (1 part Owatrol Oil to 2 parts paint or even 1 to 1 for a stronger mix) and that paint will stick like glue with no more peeling problems. The same applies to any paint peeling off masonry, stone, etc..

Steel buildings (roofs and cladding) can become faded and tired looking.

You can refresh that building very easily and with minimal cost by using ordinary oil based paint and Owatrol Oil. Make sure it is clean of course. First coat with at least 25% Owatrol Oil mixed into the oil based paint of your choice. This will make the paint stick tight to the cladding. If a second coat is required, apply with just enough Owatrol Oil in it to make it flow out nice and even. 

You should expect years and years from this method. Can be rolled, brushed or sprayed.

Boats of all shapes and sizes are becoming more and more popular with people who want to get away from it all. Boats bring their own unique joys and experiences. As applies to land based property, boats too need their share of looking after. In this section we have endeavoured to show you a broad selection of situations ranging from simple rowing boats, sailing boats to fancy yachts and even sailing ships. Some of the information can cross over to regular non-marine things such as wooden furni-ture, plastics etc so you may find it useful.

As’ good as it gets…

The ‘late’ Irish training sailing ship The Asgard has had its timbers protected and maintained for many years with Deks Olje D1 and D2. Primarily the masts, hand rails and wheelhouse.

Latter day vehicles such as old cars, tractors, machinery, bikes, and other items of all kinds are of special interest to many people who treasure their ‘pet’ try to keep it in good shape, bring it to shows, meet their friends there etc.