Hi All!

What has anyone lined, or sealed their barrels with other than a barrel specific liner that you feel extended the life of the interior & exterior of your barrel? Will trash bags work? Clear sealant?

I'd like to find something "tried and true".

Thank you!

I used urethane on wood planters that have been outside for 2 yrs now. I did the inside and outside. They're not barrels, but made out of wood scraps & plywood scraps. You would still want to have drain holes (unless not exposed to rain.) Lining drain hole with window screen would help prevent clogging. If you make the holes before you do the urethane, the sides/edges of the holes should get covered with the sealant too.

Covering with a tarp or moving barrel to a covered or enclosed spot for winter would help keep it from aging so quickly also, if possible.

Thanks Tiffany for your reply! I ended up using a rustoleum spray sealant. I wish I had used a brush on sealant, like urethane. Oh well. Next time. I actually did try to spray the holes, but I'm not sure how successful I was. I'm not sure if I could still apply urethane on top of that or not. Probably in a years time I could. Thanks!

What kind of barrel is it Ann?

I have a 1/2 wine barrel that has been planted for almost 10 years, and is still doing well.

A great sealer to use is Asphalt Driveway Repair. It's is water based so no harmful VOC's are used.

Hi Lynn, Sorry for the delayed response. I don't seem to be getting notified when a post is made on my thread. To answer your question: The new "barrel" planter is supposed to be cedar, but the tag just says made with real wood. It's not an authentic whiskey/wine barrel. I have those too and am replacing the rotted one's with these from HD because the cost of the authentic half barrels has gotten ridiculous in my area. Do you have a liner in your barrels?

Thanks ThunderBear, I haven't heard of your suggestion before. I googled it and found a product that is like a big roll of fabric tape that's self adhesive. Is that it? Do you use these in your barrels?

No liner in mine, but it is an old wine barrel. I look forward to seeing yours planted up and things growing.

I have a three-tier fountain made of one 1/2, and two 1/3 cuts of wine barrels. I've tried pool paint, roofing paint/patch, pond liner, and finally settled on fiberglassing the barrels. It lasted 15 years, now I need to start over as the wood had started to rot and fall apart. Pond liner was very difficult to form and the thick wrinkles looked bad IMHO. Prefab liners wouldn't fit right...

It started to leak recently so I tried roofing patch, still leaks. I'm going to buy new barrels and fiberglass the like before and hope to get another 15 years.

The hand pump is removed from the top.

Good luck.

Hi cob, and welcome to NGA. So glad you found your way here.
That is very unique what you did with the whiskey barrel. And I like how you solved the sealing problem. I look forward to seeing your new one.
Do you put plants or fish in it?

If you think about how long a genuine whiskey barrel (which may well have had a long earlier career as a sherry or rum barrel) in in service, consider that it may be better without a lining. If it stays dry, it may cause the staves to shrink over time and the barrel to get loose and unstable. Whiskey barrels can remain full of whiskey for as many as twenty years, which is as long as aging can have any benefit.

Gerald, that is very interesting and useful information. I never thought about that.

@cob did you see Gerald's above post?

AnnofPA said:Hi All!

What has anyone lined, or sealed their barrels with other than a barrel specific liner that you feel extended the life of the interior & exterior of your barrel? Will trash bags work? Clear sealant?

I'd like to find something "tried and true".

Thank you!

I had half a wine barrel for over 20 years. Sold the house last year, and the barrel was still going strong. No liner or sealant used.