To ensure longevity of your structure, we have put together this basic guide to help you care for your installation.
We use A-grade 18mm pine shutter-ply boards for our wood paneling. We found them to be the most durable and affordable timber material for use in our structures. The elements, especially heavy rain and sun, take a toll on the wood. The same goes for horse manure and urine. The equine tenants themselves do damage through water spillage, kicking, and biting.
We use a variety sizes and thicknesses of A-grade mild steel for our structures, and we treat the steel with anti-rust paints. Although paint can come off the steel is durable. However, constant wetness and especially urine can speed up the process of degradation, and if you are at the coast, salt water will erode steel very fast.
It is true, marine shutter-ply boards are more durable than the standard boards. However, marine shutter-ply boards cost 5x more than normal shutter-ply boards and as such make them uneconomical and impractical to use. One can rather treat normal shutter-ply boards with marine wood treatment once installed, but it does also drive the costs up.
1. Cleanliness. Keep the stables clean. Avoid leaving damp bedding against the wood paneling for extended periods. Typically grooms clean stables regularly, so it should not be a problem, but train them to take extra care to clean against the paneling where bedding has become lodged against the sides.
2. Annual wood treatment. This really depends on the amount of elemental exposure. Panels that face the sun and get drenched in rain regularly will experience a faster wood treatment degradation than ones that do not. We recommend that all panels are checked once year, and then a decision can be made whether to apply a new coat of wood treatment. We treat wood panels with Silkwood M2 products. It is an oil-based treatment which means you can directly reapply a new coat onto the old coat without having to do any sanding. Make sure the surface of the wood is wiped down to remove any dust/dirt. Silkwood is available at most hardware stores.
3. Waterproofing. An additional treatment that could be done is to apply a layer of waterproofing (like rubberizer, or acrylic sealers) around the areas that take the most punch. Typically, around the inside the base of the stables. There are many products available at all hardware stores.
4. Early action. Don’t wait until the wood is completely beyond repair to do maintenance. Often early action will avoid any major repairs and costs.
1. Galvanise. If you are at the coast, galvanise your steel prior to installation. Its expensive but your steel will last.
2. Cleanliness. Keep the stables clean. Avoid leaving damp bedding against the base of the inside of the stables for extended periods. Typically grooms clean stables regularly, so it should not be a problem, but train them to take extra care to clean against the base of the stables where bedding has become lodged against the sides. Urine is particularly harsh on steel.
3. Repainting. There is no specific time cycle for this. The best thing is to check steel, particularly hinges and joints, periodically and make a call on when you feel it needs another coat of paint. We do however recommend that the steel at the base of the stables is given a fresh coat of paint every 2nd year (once a year if possible).
4. Waterproofing. An additional treatment that could be done is to apply a layer of waterproofing (like rubberizer, or acrylic sealers) around the areas that take the most punch. Typically, around the inside the base of the stables. There are many products available at all hardware stores.
5. Early action. Don’t wait until the steel is completely beyond repair to do maintenance. Often early action will avoid any major repairs and costs.
We use Zincal roof sheeting which does not rust, does not require painting, and has a 40-year manufacturer warranty. You don’t need to do annual maintenance on the roof, unless if something has specifically damaged a roof.
Our structures are built to provide shelter from the elements, but they are not built to the same specifications as for human occupation. As such, we do not waterproof all the seams where the wood paneling is attached to the steel. Doors and windows have gaps where they are fitted. In extremely heavy rain, there may be some seepage of water into the stables at these seams and gaps, but it will be minimal and is not cause for concern. It is possible to completely close such gaps, but the cost typically outweighs the benefit.
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