Wood

[Sean]

hi

im hoping any of use could answer these questions

What wood is best for building the mews?
whats the best for value of money?
what width should the posts and framework be?
do you have to varnish it?

lol sorry to ask so much but i gotta find out some way :P

[Saker-Clive]

Sean, any timbers you get should be tanalised (pressure treated). Fence posts of either 75x75 or 100x100mm, framework of 6"x2" (150x50mm) or minimum of 4x2"(100x50mm). the bigger the better to stop bowing,twisting and warping.
You wont need to varnish it but you must coat it with shed/fence paint. I gave my timbers and boards 5 coats before I assembeled any of it. Make sure all the edges of the panels are covered.

I know what I'm talking about as I have worked in the timber/furniture trade for over 26 years.
Check out places like, Wickes, B&Q, Travis Perkins etc. find the best place for your prices, work out how much you are going to need, then price it all up and get it delivered. If you cant get it all in one hit, start off with the posts, get them painted up and fixed in the ground. Then get your timbers (framework) sorted, painted and screwed up. I used 100mm green screws from scrwfix direct. green as they are exterior grade. Then sort out your boards/exteroir weather ply 12mm minimum. carry on until finished.
hope this helps; print it out for future reference. Good luck.

[Johnny]

Check building sites late at night .

[Sean]

thanks for the help, lol johnny i was waiting for you :P

[Saker Mad]

try building with fence panels they are a 10er fora 6x6 fence posts and 2x2 for trying it all together

[Sean]

cheers :)

[Johnny]

No sean on a serious note m8
Its what ever pennies you,ve got .
Ive built my mews to last twenty years they are built out of brick and roofing sheets .
But if your dad or you have m8,s in the building trade you could do some kind of deal .
Hope this helps ?
If you dont ask you dont get ?
All the best
Johnny
If you lived near me sean id sort you some gear out but you live in sunny ireland

[Sean]

my uncle owns a building firm so he is sorta me out with galvinished fenching, didnt talk to him about the wood yet :(. im sure he gets it for dirt cheap

[Kornie]

It has to be 100yr old english oak, that or something equaly as stylish. Bog standard wood will not do! Mahogany is fine too.

[Saker Mad]

or you could go round the industrial estates and get loads of pallets i got 23 t6he other night aswell as scafold boards i was on a roll :lol: :wink:

[Johnny]

ill buy the scaffold m8 how much ,lol

[Wightwings]

J you crack me up mate you really do :lol: :lol:

[Johnny]

I hope its in a nice way though m8 ?
do you want me to leave the site ?
johnny

[Wightwings]

:? :?

[Johnny]

:evil: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:
What are,nt i aloud to have the crack you muppet ?
Go and get your slippers and a cup of horlicks .lol
Me birds doing 50 jump ups a night

[North East Harris Hawker]

whatever it is you decide to get, remember that it has to be able to withstand a battering from the weather. if the roof comes off it in a storm your bird will be lost :(

[Sean]

Ill keep that in mind :)

[North East Harris Hawker]

good lad, have you actually started putting anything together yet? or have you sourced any of the materials?

[Sean]

been pricing it out, all i got so far is a building site fencing panel and the supporters for the posts. gonna try and see if my uncle can get me the resy at wholesale price tho

[Shaun Byrne]

Sean, dont forget mate, you dont have to build a huge aviary, a good weathering will do if you fly your bird regularly.

[North East Harris Hawker]

im looking forward to see what you build sean, have you got a digi camera so you can do the before and ater thing?

[Albie]

Hello Sean,
I'm an old painter & decorator when I built my Mews some 7 yrs ago I used Tanalised timber (pressure treated) but if and when you saw into these woods have a look and see on the bare edge just how far into the wood the treatment penetrates (not very far)so after the first season when most of the tanalised treatment had worn off, I then on a nice warm sunny weekend primed all the timber with one coat of Leyland Aluminium wood primer (oil based) and when dry gave all the timber Two coats of Leyland Trugaurd Smooth Masonry Paint (water based) I painted my Mews black but after sealing the Tanalised or any other fence/shed paint thats been used you can paint your Mews any colour you like!
I hope this as been of help to you or anyone else that views this.
Oh and by the way, my flight part of the Mews was started from ground level with a concrete footing and one course of 9" concrete blocks all the way around then the wooden frame was built on top.
another tip, where ever the wood screws to the concrete blocks put a plastic spacer of about a 1/4 on an inch thick between wood and the block to leave an air gap and this way after it's been raining the air can get to the underside of the wood to dry it, and like mine after 7yrs so far no rot!
All the best,
Albie.. :wink:

[Sean]

cheers albie :D
h4wka my plans r on the sheds, section
and nehh ill just use a disposable and make sure i take pics throughout the progress, and scan em up for yas

[Albie]

Sean I forgot to mention (you wait til you get to my age).
Somewhere on the Forum there is a picture of my Mews it's under a heading named 12'long 10'wide 8'high hope you can find it!
Albie.. :wink:

[Sean]

couldnt find the pics but did see some interesting posts you made

[Albie]

Hello Sean,
The picture of my Mews is under the heading Hello again.
Albie.. :wink:

[North East Harris Hawker]

hey! great tips there albie 8)

[Sean]

bloody hell nimbus that looks great

[Bill]

Can't say I would ever use fence panels. They can blow apart in a strong wind. In those sircumstances the hawk will either fly away or be unable to.

Tanalised pressure treated timber should need no further treatment, if it has been done properly. It has to be down to the correct moisture content for treatment which is where the problem lies. It takes time or money to dry it. It the timber is still full of water you can't push the treatment in.
Cut ends should be painted with the proper end sealer.
It used to be CCA - copper, chrome and arsenic but health and safety said they cant use the arsenic any more. properly treated timber is good for 25 years in soil contact with no further treatment.

[Sean]

anyone know of a none toxix fence paint that wont affect the hawk if some happens to flake on his food? Ill be going to b And Q tonight so could yous please reply asap. thanks

[Saker-Clive]

I use straight forward B&Q Timbercare shed/fence paint and have not had any reactions..........................once its dry and cured there shouldn't be any probs.

[Sean]

hi clive. what do you mean cured? the wood is pressure treated if that helps.

[Saker-Clive]

Cured normally means when the 'paint' has gone off hard. Take gloss paint for example; it is dry in a few hours but still soft, another 24-48 hours and it's cured. HTH

[Saker-Clive]

The pressure treated timber won't have any effect on the paint. It just means that it is already treated against rot and fungus; all my woodwork is tanalised (pressure treated) but I still gave it about 5 coats of treatment before putting the enclosure together.

[Sean]

ahh thats no prob. so its just b and q own brand timbercare shed/fench paint? are you sure this is ok if it flakes now? thanks for all the help :D

[Saker-Clive]

It shouldn't flake, Kiers enclosure is 3 years old and it hasn't flaked! This year I am going to re-paint it. If you have got flakes, give it a light rub down then re-apply.
it shouldn't affect the bird in any way; it should say on the side that it's safe with birds and animals once dry.

[Mary Quite Contrary]

use ducks back paint

[Sean]

thats great guys thanks
whats ducks back paint?

[Bill]

The pressure treated timber won't have any effect on the paint. It just means that it is already treated against rot and fungus; all my woodwork is tanalised (pressure treated) but I still gave it about 5 coats of treatment before putting the enclosure together.

Why bother with 5 coats on top of pressure treated timber. Even in contact with the ground it should last 10 to 20 years without any further treatment. If it's for decoration one or two coats should do. Additionally once you start to "coat" with other finishes it deteriorates visibly and then needs done again. waste of time and money IMHO.

Pressure treated (tanalised / celcure) when dry poses no toxic risk although any residue should be washed off the timber before use.

[Saker-Clive]

The pressure treated timber won't have any effect on the paint. It just means that it is already treated against rot and fungus; all my woodwork is tanalised (pressure treated) but I still gave it about 5 coats of treatment before putting the enclosure together.

Why bother with 5 coats on top of pressure treated timber. Even in contact with the ground it should last 10 to 20 years without any further treatment. If it's for decoration one or two coats should do. Additionally once you start to "coat" with other finishes it deteriorates visibly and then needs done again. waste of time and money IMHO.

Pressure treated (tanalised / celcure) when dry poses no toxic risk although any residue should be washed off the timber before use.


I didn't want the raw timber colour and the paint stops the enclosures standing out like a sore thumb, it also blends in with thre rest of the garden. :roll:

[Mary Quite Contrary]

thats great guys thanks
whats ducks back paint?


It is a non toxic paint that is waterproof and is used on external wood.

The brand is "ducks back"