January heralds the beginning of a new year with a chance to reflect on the last and look forward to the coming months. 2011 was an exciting year for Protek seeing our retail range expand greatly with fantastic new products such as Royal Interior & Exterior and Stable Coat.

Technological advances saw improvements to all of our ranges and provided inspirational formulations for new products. Shed & Fence and Decking Stain were both re-formulated to perform even better and be more environmentally friendly than they already were.

New colours were also added to all of our ranges including Wood Protector that now boasts 32 colours, from traditional wood shades to bright purple and pink, contemporary sage and popular greys. Royal leads as our most comprehensive colour range with over 50 shades!

In celebration of a successful 2011 this month’s colours showcase the leading sellers from Decking Stain, Royal, Shed & Fence and Wood Protector.

As we head towards the end of the year, pruning can be finished off and if weather allows, there can be a final push of planting with roses, rhododendrons and azaleas. If we’re lucky enough to have some spells of fine, dry weather you can take the opportunity to finish off some jobs that you didn’t quite get round to earlier in the year and brighten up your garden with a freshly painted playhouse or shed.

The highlight of this month has got to be Christmas with time off work spent with friends and family. Good food and drink can be enjoyed in the company of others and perhaps some special gifts exchanged. Colours for this month are taken from our Wood Protector and Royal ranges and the theme is a traditional childhood scene of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer stalking through woodland trees festooned with festive holly and ivy.

Protek has a long tradition of supplying wood treatment to stable manufacturers. We increasingly found we were being asked to supply the same product to stable owners so they could, when the time came, re-treat their stable in the same animal safe and environmentally sound product. Protek is a family run business, a family that are enthusiastic horse owners and understand what kind of product is required for the busy stable yard. The product must be safe, quick and easy to use but give a finish that is attractive, high performing and long lasting.

Protek Stable coat is available in three traditional colours, Golden Brown, Dark Brown and the dramatic Black. Protek Stable Coat is also offered in a Clear. It is recommended that if you have a pressure treated stable that you apply a quick thin coat to give your stables ultra-high water repellency. It will also help make your stables look cleaner and newer for longer.

Protek Stable Coat is a water-based micro-porous acrylic coating that incorporates a ultra-high performance water repellency additive that uses nanotechnology to deliver an extreme hydrophobic layer of protection. Protek Stable Coat offers excellent long-term protection for stables. The coating is also resistant to mould and fungal attack.

Protek Stable Coat is supplied as a ready to use solution in 5 and 25 litre containers>

Price £25 for 5 litres, £90 for 25 litres including VAT + delivery charge. Delivery is standard 3 working days to main UK locations. Please check our delivery terms for prices.

Golden Brown Shed & Fence paint has been a firm favourite for our trade customers for years and it is now available in our retail range. It is the most popular colour for treating stables and all of our stable manufacturers use it, although they use the Stable Coat formulation specifically designed for stables and animal housing. Stable Coat will also be available on the website soon.

As the name suggests it is a beautiful golden brown that looks warm and rich painted on timber. This traditional and versatile shade suits all types of exterior timber from fences and sheds to trellises and planters.

Shed & Fence Wood Treatment is a waterproof wood stain that is long lasting and enhances the natural beauty of wood. Protek Shed & Fence paint is a cost effective wood stain that can be applied to planed (finished) as well as rough sawn timber, offering great coverage of up to 12m2per litre. This wood stain contains wax additives for the extra protection of a water resistant coating.
Protek Shed & Fence is a natural looking water-based wood stain with very low VOCs (volatile organic compounds).

The stride of Jack Frost lengthens as he marches across the country bringing with him the icy cold of the coming winter. Hopefully most of the outside chores will be complete with only the odd bits of tidying to do. Gardens can still look beautiful with plants such as Cyclamen and my favourite, Helleborus Niger in bloom.

November the fifth will be filling the skies with the colours of bonfires burning brightly and fireworks exploding overhead. A time for wrapping up warm against the cold winter night. This month’s colours are taken from our Royal range with some of the blues from the extensive colour palette reflecting the hues of frost and ice.

After a long, hard summer battling with sun, humidity and downpours (even hail on occasions!) garden wood requires attention in the autumn, in preparation for the long winter months ahead.

The number one enemy for wood is water, which can cause swelling and damage to buildings and furniture, reducing their lifespan.  Mould can take hold of wood quickly and frost will attack any exposed areas.

Protection by waterproofing is the key, perhaps adding a splash of colour at the same time to combat the dark winter months.  Protek’s waterproof coatings which allow the timber to breathe and contain fungal inhibitors to protect from mould and decay are ideal.

Hard working garden wood deserves a real treat …

Preparation is essential – clean and dry surfaces are important for adhesion, allowing protective products to make better contact with the timber. The general rule for most garden wood is to clean it thoroughly with warm soapy water and a stiff brush, then rinse and let the surfaces dry completely.

Sheds and garden furniture can be nourished with ‘Protek Wood Protector’– an easy to apply, low odour, breathable, mould resistant, multipurpose wood stain and protector that weatherproofs all outdoor timber, available in 32 colours to suit every type of garden style. RRP £22.99 for 5 litres.

Timber can look as good as new with ‘Protek Royal Exterior – Superior Wood Finish’ – long-lasting, breathable protection with a soft lustre that allows the wood grain to show through, a water-based environmentally friendly product that is low in odour and with low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) available in a wide range of 52 colours. RRP £15.98 for 1 litre.
 

SHEDS WIN PRIZES – COMPETITION RESULTS

We had such a great response to our competition that we just had to extend the winners to include 3 of our favourites.

Rory Caffyn-Parsons of Farnham in Surrey won first prize with his pictures of his pool huts. The inspiration for colours came from his wife who selected a combination of Amaranth, Cranberry Crush, Marigold, Parsonage Cream, Peacock Blue & Spruce from the Wood Protector range. The concept was to create pool changing huts from some basic sheds with a fun and vibrant beach hut theme. Although there were doubts as to whether the colour scheme would work, when painting was completed Rory’s wife was proved right and they look fantastic!

Runners up prizes of 20% discount vouchers for our website were awarded to Andy Roberts of Deal in Kent and Alleyne Barlow from Plymouth in Devon.

The next competition will open on January 1st 2012 and run until mid-march 2012 although projects can have taken place prior to the opening date. Look out for prize info in the next newsletter or on the website homepage.

SHEDS WIN PRIZES – 1ST RUNNER UP
Andy Roberts of Deal in Kent

Andy’s ‘shed’ was truly stunning and if the prize was for architectural design alone then he would have won. A very impressive building constructed by Ali Guy from Cornwall using Douglas Fir, also sourced from Cornwall. Soft Sage Wood Protector and Tough Coat were used.

SHEDS WIN PRIZES – 2ndRUNNER UP
Alleyne Barlow from Plymouth in Devon

Alleyne Barlow created a beautiful and relaxing Japanese style garden centred around a pond housing Koi carp. Poppy and Ebony Wood Protector were used to create a dramatic and authentic look.

October is a month full of warm colours, changeable weather and autumn is in full swing.Another busy month in the gardening calendar full of preparations for the next year. A time to dig over beds, refresh tired lawns and finish planting bulbs ready for spring and summer blooms. Exterior timber will also benefit from being fully waterproofed and protected for the coming cold, wet season.

It is also the month of Halloween where we get to return to our childhood by escorting children in scary fancy dress costumes trick or treating around the neighbourhood. This month’s colours are taken from the Royal range and inspired by the glow of pumpkins and colours of a witch riding through the sky on a broomstick with her trusty cat clinging on.