footings or bases for 24/7 outdoor structures

[Anonymous]

Folks, I've only built one structure so far. A pretty basic looking mine.I used ply for the walls and then glued icypole sticks onto the outside. The glue gave out so I used steel brads. Predrilled the sticks and then hammered them in. They rusted verrry nicely.
Problem2 is.. I had it on the ground for too long while I did other things. It's got a little soft around the base.

What do you use to sit your wooden structures on? My garden is somewhat tropical, so it can be wet for quite a while.

Does anyone use Creosote for their structures? I use it for my turnouts I make painting it on the pine ties.. which are retreated every 18 months or so..and haven't lost a ite yet. But for structures I'd like to give them some sort of paint. Perhaps I slap on some creosote on the inside of the structures..

Whadaya reckon?

(I'm now standing the mine a spare paver or two.. which I think I will wind up going with unless anyone else has some proven ideas)

[John Busby]

Hi Andrew H
Painting the structure with exterior grade finishes just
like you would your house will help.
But you also need a damp course under the timber with no soil contact to the timber.
I would sugest some sort of exterior grade plastic that is 20mm thick attached to the timber with exterior no nails.
If you want grey weathered tinber finish about a month.before building the model get some steel wool put it in a jar add vinegar leave it as long as possable use that to stain the timber befor building the model it will go that weathered grey and the give it three coats of exterior flat varni***o finish.
regards John

[Anonymous]

Instead of trying to stop the wood from getting wet, I'd take a differeent approach.

1. Use materials that can handle the water. No matter how much you paint the outside, the inside will still get wet by the moisture in the ground "sweatting" on the inside. The paint will stop you from rotting from the outside, but you'll still rot from the inside. Marine plywood would be the best, but pricey. If all you can afford is exterior plywood, I'd for sure paint it inside and out as you build it. I'd also add a small vent in your structure to help keep the inside dry.

2. I'd work on keeping the base of the structure dry. I'd do it by putting it on a good base (+6") of gravel and making sure there's plenty of drainage in the area so water doesn't puddle.

Mark in Utah (grew up in Washington)

[whiterab]

For wooden buildings outside the key is the type of wood you use. Some woods like cedar and redwood are rot resistant and will last for years outside.

They still need to be protected. As mentioned earlier a good coat of outside house paint works well for building you wi***o paint. For a real wood look, there are plenty of products out there to protect wood such as Thompson water sealer and other stains. For heavy duty stuff, I like Behr's Patio Furniture Finish although it is a little thick, it last a long time. Although I haven't used it, I have friends that swear by Spar Marine Varnish. The wood will still weather naturally.

Just like a real building, paints and varnishes need to be renewed every year or two.

Use a wood glue specifically designed to be waterproof. My preference is Tightbond III. If you clamp it or nail it while it is setting, the glue will be stronger than the wood.

Wood structures should not be left on the ground. The waterproofing will fail and the wood will wick the soil out of the soil. Concrete or hardiboard bases are commonly used to insulate the wood from the soil. My preference is to dig out an area the size of the building in the soil, edge it with some garden edging plastic and fill it with gravel. This creates a French Drain and keep the water away from the wood. I have found that if you are in a wet area, the concrete will asborb water from rains and will never fully dry.

As an example of a gravel base:



I'm in a hot climate and creosote is not my friend.

There are some great wood kits out there. Check out Garden Textures or Smith Pond Junction. Both have great kits and plans for garden railroad structures.

Keep experimenting. I think building the structures is the most fun part of building the layout.