Wooden doghouse: design, manufacture, decoration

The dog is a full member of the family. This is not a metaphorical exaggeration, but reality. None of the other domestic animals shows such loyalty and anxiety as a dog, which without hesitation at the cost of its own life is ready to protect the owner. Unfortunately, people do not always appreciate this devotion, forcing animals to sleep in the open air at any time of the year and under different weather conditions. Correcting the situation is very simple - make a pet kennel. A wooden doghouse is a great option.

Moreover, the amount of things necessary for the construction of the minimum: wooden bars and boards, saw, hammer and nails, sandpaper, brush, wood preservatives and materials for decoration, insulation. Wood.ua will tell you how to design, then make and decorate a dog house made of wood.

Designing a dog house

It is not recommended to plan too complex a kennel design. The projections, stairs, partitions, etc., are completely optional. Such supplements can create discomfort, they will only interfere with the dog.

The ideal option is a box made of rectangular wood with a side entrance and a gable roof, on which the dog can comfortably sit and bask in the sun, watching the territory.

The main requirement for a doghouse is convenience. The pet should freely climb into the entrance and easily turn around inside. To achieve this, the following parameters should be considered at the design stage:

• The height of the entrance should be 5 cm more from the height of the dog at the withers (withers - place on the ridge between the shoulder blades).
• The width of the entrance is 5-10 cm. It should be larger than the width of the dog’s chest.
• The length of the booth inside is equal to the length of the animal (from nose to tail).
• The width of the booth should not be less than the height of the dog.
• Height of the booth - the height of the dog.

Based on the foregoing, we measure a pet and design a booth.

Note that the above calculations are intended to determine the minimum acceptable sizes and it is recommended that they be increased if possible. True, the increase should not be carried away, because if the booth is too large, then the dog will not be able to heat it and the pet will be cold.

This also applies to the inlet through which cold air enters. For the final calculation of the dimensions of parts, we determine the material of the booth.

The best for the dog are natural environmentally friendly materials, such as wood. A great option is pine wood. It is relatively inexpensive, it is easy to work with. Due to the high percentage of resinousness, pine boards are characterized by their durability and resistance to the destructive effect of moisture.

Making a booth

Having bought the required number of wooden blocks with a section of 40 × 40 or 40 × 30 mm. and boards with a thickness of 15-20 mm., We undertake the manufacture. First, cut the bars of the desired length and out of them knock down the frame of the booth.

When the frame is ready, "put" a wooden floor. It must be insulated. Then we build the walls of the boards. They can be sheathed with lining.

The final stage is the roof. To prevent it from leaking, lay flexible tiles or other materials that do not allow water to pass onto the boards nailed to the frame.

One of the walls or the roof is recommended to be removable. Such a solution will make it possible to quickly, without difficulties, clean the booth inside and carry out disinfection.

Protection and decoration

Since the doghouse is always located on the street, it experiences the aggressive influence of atmospheric factors, which are able to quickly destroy it. To prevent this from happening, and the pet could live comfortably in his house for a long time, the booth should be protected. For this, we primarily use a colorless protective and decorative primer for wood.

Using sanding paper with a grain size of 120-200 mm. we carefully grind all sections of the booth and clean it of dust.

In the case of using pine wood, tar spots are possible. They are washed with purified gasoline and dried. We mix the primer and apply with a brush at a temperature of +5 to + 30 ° C, while carefully rubbing it into the wood. The product protects against fungi, mucus, insect pests and penetrates deep into the wood.

After approximately 24 hours, when the coating dries, we carry out interlayer grinding, preparing the wood of the booth for varnishing. The grit of the grinding skin for this operation is 300 mm.

We apply varnish with a brush or roller along the wood fibers, evenly distributing it on the surface. At the same time, the ambient temperature should not be lower than +5 and not more than + 30˚С.

When the varnish coat dries (at least 12 hours), with a sandpaper with a grain size of 320 mm. We carry out interlayer grinding, clean the surface of dust and apply another layer. Two layers are enough to achieve high-quality protection and a wonderful decorative effect.

Now the pet has a cozy home that will serve him for many years.