Exterior painting of garden saunas and wooden hot tubs

If you have purchased a barrel sauna or a wood fired hot tub unassembled and unpainted, you should paint its exterior after assembly and installation.

Untreated wooden surface of a garden sauna or a wooden hot tub needs protection against the external factors, such as precipitation, temperature fluctuations, air humidity, and UV radiation.

There are many different paints and impregnation agents suitable for protection of wooden surfaces from the environmental impact. In general, any paints, glazes, and impregnation agents, intended for external wooden surfaces, can be used to protect the wood. It is more important to consider what colour, transparency, and shine you wish to get in the end.

2 main options for surface treatment of Baltresto garden saunas and wooden hot tubs

Opaque – these are non-transparent, usually acrylic and alkyd paints, which form an additional layer over the wooden surface. Main distinctive feature of these paints is a monochromatic opaque layer that repeats only the relief, but not the texture of the wood.

The paint is usually applied in 3 or more layers:

• The first, primer layer, is necessary for disinfecting and degreasing of a wooden surface. It also makes the surface resistant to moisture and protects against the formation of mold, fungus, and other biological formations on the wood.
• The second and third layers are formed by the paint. It is important to use the primer and paint from one manufacturer and apply them according to the instructions. Commonly, hardware stores offer a wide range of different shades and colours of the paints from several manufacturers.

Glaze – semi-transparent paint that preserves the appearance of the garden sauna or wooden hot tub and retains its wooden texture. With this type of paint surface retains its natural look, while wooden texture becomes more contrast and beautiful. These paints can be either used with or without a primer.

They can be applied in 1, 2, or 3 layers. Each following layer usually enhances the colour or shade. Most of our customers prefer this type of paint. Manufacturers usually offer 10-50 colours and shades of glazes.

Baltresto recommends some trustworthy manufacturers, who produce quality products

Remmers HK-Lasur – glaze 3 in 1 (impregnation agent, primer and glaze), premium class agent for protection and decorative finishing of exterior wood surfaces. This particular glaze is used at our manufactory and offered to the clients who buy barrel saunas or wood fired hot tubs.

Remmers HK-Lasur characteristics:

• Protects wood from moisture and provides preventive protection against blue staining
• In combination with structural wood protection, reduces the risk of rot
• Film protection against mold and algae
• Breathable coating
• Deep impregnation of wood
• Does not require sanding when renewing the coating
• Thin layer coating
• Bright colours
• Does not flake off

Different colours of the product can be mixed with each other to create a unique garden sauna or wooden hot tub

OSMO Holzschutz Öl-Lasur – decorative silky-matte protective coating based on natural plant oils that can be used for exterior treatment of all types of wood.

• The glaze is water-repellent
• Resistant to weather impact and UV rays
• It  leaves the pores of wood open
• Preserving the ability of wood to “breathe”
• Provides preventive protection against the growth of staining (blue rot) and destroying (mold) fungus

Pinotex Extreme + Pinotex Base – first apply one layer of Pinotex Base primer, and then treat the surface with 2 layers of Pinotex Extreme glaze.

Pinotex Extreme – glaze paint that creates a semi-matte, self-cleaning, protective coating. Due to the self-cleaning technology, dirt is easily washed off by the rain, making the surface look freshly painted for a long time. The hybrid formula of the glaze, with a high content of alkyd emulsion and acrylic polymer, nourishes and creates a particularly durable, elastic coating that reliably protects the wood even in harsh climates. Thanks to the UV filter and UV absorbers, the painted surface is highly resistant to the sun. The glaze contains additives against blue stain and mold. Semi-matte shade keeps the wood structure visible.

It is recommended to use Pinotex Extreme together with Pinotex Base primer to enhance the protective properties of the glaze.

Pinotex Base – antiseptic primer that contains indelible additives against fungus, mold and blue stain. Pinotex Base penetrates deeply into the wood structure, enhancing protection against biocorrosion. The primer improves the quality of the wood surface by levelling the absorbency and ensuring an even application of subsequent layers of finishing impregnation agents.

Antiseptic primer Pinotex Base is a part of the coating system for outdoor use and complex application of the primer with any of the Pinotex finishing impregnations provides double active protection of wood.