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Paint or not? What colour?
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Paint or not? What colour?


New shed installed last week and some new raised beds…can't decide if it would look better painted, and what colour? however i do like the autumn vibes in my small back garden and i think the shed completes the look so beautifully .

by Actual-Excitement-44

42 Comments

  1. GreenBeret4Breakfast

    My personal take on painting sheds/fences is that you have to decide whether the advantage of it looking different is worth the yearly pain of having to redo it! I personally love wood as it goes grey more than paint that flakes!

  2. organic_soursop

    Not.
    Unless it’s a natural stain?

    Just say no to cuprinol, it’s lovely!

  3. retailface

    I wouldn’t paint it, it looks nice as it is.

  4. tsdesigns

    A wood preserver coat would keep the natural colour of the wood and protect the wood.

  13. intelligent_headline

    I painted mine and don’t regret it! It looks wonderful offset by the colours of the flowers in the garden

  14. theOriginalGBee

    With apologies for hijacking your thread, I’ve just put together my new putting shed and I’m in the same position. Historically I hated painted sheds, but I’m also tired of a grey pine look too. 

    My pros and cons are as follows:

    PROS

    Painted treated timber will last much longer than treated timber alone.

    You can change the colour to either hide the shed or make a statement. 

    The colour can compliment your planting.

    CONS

    Once painted you cannot practically go back to that natural wood look. It’s a one way process.

    Paint will require some upkeep, though the “once a year” statements I’ve seen in other comments is overkill. If you use a good quality paint, apply it correctly after priming etc it should last a few years before needing repainting.

    The need to repaint in a few years makes it less practical to grow climbers up the sides of your shed or large shrubs planted nearby may get in your way later. If you want your shed to be an integral part of your garden design this is worth considering. 

  15. oblectament

    A friend of mine painted the inside of her garden fence ultramarine blue, could be a shed option? it’s deffo a statement colour but I really like it – looks great against all the plants when summer’s in full swing and brightens the garden up even during the drabber months. Your garden looks super cosy as it is tho, love all the different clusters of pots!

  16. MrRorknork

    I stained my shed Cuprinol Cornflower Blue. It’s a Tiger shed so comes in quite a bright orange stain to begin with! Leave your shed until next year as you want to ideally ensure at least a couple of days of good weather – one for staining, one for drying. I’ve never redone mine after one year. You can get a good few years between recoats.

    And don’t paint, stain. Paint requires a load more prep work between coats, whereas stains just need a quick clean of the surface, maybe a sand of any grubby bits, and away you go.

  17. Suspicious_Banana255

    Paint or stain, it will protect it so it lasts longer. I’d probably paint it some bright and fun colours to make it a feature, but I’m not keen on wood personally. As you like wood I suggest just picking a nice wood stain to add protection and maintain a colour you like rather than letting it fade to grey.

  19. sherpyderpa

    Black, totally paint it black. I painted mine black, the shed ‘disappears’, and the plants pop out.
    Sounds awful, doesn’t it, painting it black, but it looks great.

  20. 98Em

    Varnish or a preserving coat (for weathering, but they often have a slight sheen)

  21. Creepy-Examination19

    Looks great as is but if you were to paint I’d go pastel green

  22. chaosandturmoil

    nice potted garden. i would match it and the fence with the garden gate. make the flowers the centre of attention

  26. Snake_Plisskin73

    It’s lovely as is… but if I was to choose a colour, I’d go a nice dark green

  27. jojnitza

    I’d stain it a bit darker. Pain will inevitable chip, and wood looks lovely and blends in nicely.

  28. h00dman

    I know Reddit hates AI but this is the sort of thing that something like Google Gemini is good for.

    I’ve been using it to “redesign” my garden lately and it’s surprisingly good at giving me initial ideas to spark my own creativity.

  29. n0tsureonthis1

    Iris – Cuprinol
    Will match the gate there at the back but warning – may look a bit like a tardis

  30. Illustrious-Eye1673

    Our shed was put up in 2007. We started out with pressure treated, but it had that green tinge to it, so we started with oak stain, then over the years, just piled on different ones, re-felted roof about 3x. It’s sound inside and it’s an odd custom size to fit in our courtyard garden, so removing and replacing would be hard work.

    Now it’s a mish-mash of shades. But we put a good coating of yacht varnish on it after replacing some of the cladding behind the water feature. The plexiglass is to keep the roof felt granules out of the top bowl which burns out the pump. Hard rain sends it over the water butt gutter! In 2021 we changed the old fence to match the shed, and installed a matching gate. (Sorry for the Photoshopping, not used to new phone camera yet!)

    https://preview.redd.it/484541w1hwuf1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5e5fe4b0e93b6c713aa6863e81d16416c5d8e805

  35. CottageWarrior

    Just keep oiling it every year, its looks great!

  36. robynbell91

    Lovely shed! Looking for something similar. Can you share a link of where you got it?

  39. Public_Ad_1411

    I think clear varnish as the colour of the wood is good

  40. puggie214

    Ask ChatGPT to help you visualise it in different colours

  41. I_waz_Perce

    It’s gorgeous as is. If you feel you need some colour, i recommend Barrettine golden oak wood preserver. It’s very easy to apply and gives a beautiful depth. It’s also water repellent. I use it on my sleeper retaining wall.

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