Finishing Timber Externally

Finishing Timber Externally aims to provide an understanding of the important considerations of
finishing timber elements externally. ‘Finishing’ includes surface treatments of timber elements,
securing timber elements as part of a building envelope, and designing and detailing timber elements
for maximum design life.

This guide complements the Wood Solutions Guide #5 Timber service life design. Design guide
for durability. That guide provides information on the use of bare or treated timber in many external
applications including in-ground posts, decks, fences and pergolas, and should be consulted for
detailed information on these uses. This guide, Wood Solutions Guide #13, concentrates on the
finishes used with timber exposed externally in decks or as part of the building envelope, such as
cladding or external joinery.