Wooden Gutter

[wobs]

I have a new wooden gutter (fitted last year), and the guy primed the outside of it before fitting it with a grey primer (don't know what type).

The dilemma I have is, do I sand it down to bare wood and linseed oil/paint it, or leave it as is, or paint with a modern paint?

I have read that it is a bad idea for coating the inside of these gutters with linseed oil, but what is the best option for the oustide?

Sanding it down would be a pain, but do-able. Would have to buy more factor 30 as its south facing.

 

[Penners]

The critical piece of information is: what sort of wood is it?

 

[wobs]

Ah yes, I believe its douglas fur.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Hmm. I've no doubt linseed oil paint is wonderful for the wood underneath, so if you can be bothered it would probably be a kind thing to do for your guttering.
But, our original ( Regency) guttering was made of oak and painted with all manner of things. It survived until the 1980s, when it was declared dead ( though it's now key components of a chicken run and also reused as cornice here and there)
In the same decade the guttering was replaced at great expense with chestnut and lined with lead and painted with something dark brown and waterproofing. ( and, no doubt, unporous)

It's still going strong, though there is a slight problem with where the guttering abuts the roof.

The argument as to whether it's worth doing exterior wood with linseed oil paint often crops up here and gets both a positive and a negative response. I certainly won't be rubbing down the chestnut guttering: far too difficult.

 

[robgil]

Has the timber been treated apart from the primer?

 

[Penners]

I'm no expert on Douglas Fir, although I've used it once or twice, but the characteristics that I understand it to exhibit present you with something of a dilemma.

Douglas Fir is a fairly durable timber, with good weather resistance in its raw state. However, it does have a tendency to split along the grain as it weathers, which could be a nuisance in guttering. This also carries the risk that, if the timber cracks, it will also crack any paint finish. Water will then be able to get in through the crack. So be sure to keep an eye on the guttering and deal with any cracks that might appear.

Given that the wood has already been primed, I don't think you have much alternative but to apply a paint finish of some sort. And since the manufacturer primed it, the choice of paint is probably best recommended by him, as he knows what sort of primer he's used.