Hi all

I've just bought a cheap garden hut - naturally it's made from
flimsy-ish wood and pinned together with staples, but it will do me for
the job I have in mind (wood storage),

I intend to improve it by strengthening the joints and putting heavier
timber into it where appropriate.

I also want to coat it very well in some kind of presevative. I'm after
a cosy dark brown look, and I want whatever I use to soak into the wood
and weather nicely.

Some of the preservatives I've used in recent years have been
disappointing, not really soaking into the wood, and instead forming a
friable skin which eventually starts to peel off.

Any suggestions from The Panel? Creosote substitute comes to mind [is
it *actually* a substitute - it seems like the real thing to me!] ...
but I don't know if I (and the neighbours) would survive the fumes from
a whole hut coated in it.

Cheers
John