Background
My bird table had started to show serious signs of weathering particularly after the last harsh winter of 20017-2018. It was last refurbished in 2010. After an initial examination and when i started to dismantle it some of the roof parts were found to be rotted and beyond salvaging.
The rest of the bird table was in good condition and only needed cleaned, sanded and varnished. Below are the details of the refurbishment which means that the local birds will have a swanky new place to eat in the coming winter.
The rest of the bird table was in good condition and only needed cleaned, sanded and varnished. Below are the details of the refurbishment which means that the local birds will have a swanky new place to eat in the coming winter.
The roof parts were made of tongue and groove sections with decorative end mouldings.
Two pieces of the roof were badly rotted. I did not have anything similar to replace them. I did have some tongue and groove left over from the recent repair and refurbishment of the garden shed.
The various parts of the bird table were carefully dismantled and any nails and pins were carefully removed.
All the parts were sanded, washed and inspected for any damage.
In this picture the apex of the roof, the table and some of the decorative moulding are shown having been prepared for varnishing.
All of the parts of the bird table were treated with three coats of water based quick drying varnish, being lightly sanded between each coat.
In this picture the apex of the roof, the table and some of the decorative moulding are shown having been varnished.
The end walls of the bird table housing had some slight damage and were showing signs of splitting.
Pieces of plywood were glued across these cracks to add strength.
In this picture the end walls have been re-installed using screws inserted on the underside of the table.
A new roof was constructed using surplus tongue and groove wood left over from the recent refurbishment of the garden shed.
In this picture the two new pieces of roof which replace the three smaller pieces have been installed.
The original roof was secured with steel pins, the new roof was secured with rust proof screws.
Once the new roof panels were installed the first coat of varnish was applied and in particular the edges were treated to prevent water ingress which is what caused the previous roof to rot.
Only the outer edges of the under side of the roof were treated with varnish. The inner most parts were left untreated with varnish which hopefully will provide a brighter table surface by reflecting light.
When the roof was completed and the varnish had dried the decorative end pieces were secured in place.
All of the fixings, nails and screws were then spot treated with varnish to prevent corrosion and water ingress around the edges of the fixings.
With a few hours work the bird table has been restored to a high level of finish, should give many more years of service and the birds have a nice new place to eat. Hopefully while they wait their turn to dine at the 'main' table they will snack on the green fly and white fly so that i do not have to use insecticides! One good turn deservs another!