Last year's competition winner was Kelly who won the top prize in the "Budget" category of the Cuprinol Shed of the Year competition, becoming the first overall winner in the category's 16-year history. She built her shed using unwanted items like old doors, pallet wood, and recycled materials she found on Facebook Marketplace and around her house.

As Garden Shades often goes on directly to the wood, without a primer, sometimes it will soak deep into the wood and this can create the need for a third coat. This may be noticeable with rougher woods, open end grains or indeed deep colours. If wood has been exposed and dried out for a long period of time, this may also draw the more of the product away from the surface and into the wood structure. MINIMUM OF 2 COATS REQUIRED. SUBSEQUENT COATS MUST BE APPLIED ON THE SAME DAY NO LONGER THAN 8 HOURS APART. IF NOT POSSIBLE, LIGHTLY SAND DOWN SURFACES BEFORE RECOAT TO ENSURE ADHESION.

Founder and Head Judge of the competition, Andrew Wilcox, said: “I’m so pleased Archie has been crowned 2023’s winner – The Frankenshed is unlike anything I have seen before in the nearly-20-years of running this competition. His artistic flair takes centre stage, but the way he transformed his sorry shed into something so elegant has to be seen to be believed.”

His shed was voted top of the new ‘Colourful’ category by the general public and chosen by judges as this year’s overall winner. Untreated wood: should be pre-treated prior to adhesion test with an appropriate wood preserver to prevent rot and decay. Test a small area first for colour and adhesion: Colour the final colour will depend upon the type of surface, previous treatment and number of coats applied. If using more than one can it is advisable to mix them together in a container or finish in a corner before starting a new can. Adhesion: if adhesion is inadequate on previously coated surfaces, lightly sand before application.Before full application of Cuprinol Garden Shades, we always recommend testing a small area first, before beginning any project to ensure that you are happy with the colour and overall look of the finish. The competition is organised by Cuprinol, a brand of wood stain and paint, and the winners receive a cash prize and Cuprinol products to enhance their sheds. Be mindful that it is waxed-enriched and that once these waxes are dried, they act to repel liquids, which would include an additional coats. Don't try to coat the whole project with one coat before getting onto the next coat. Instead it is better to paint sections in in time chunks of 2-4 hours.