Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

To save precious space in the house, I'm planning on storing my (plastic) terrain in a shed outside. I live in Finland so sub-zero temperatures are expected. I know superglue bonds weaken when frozen but I'm not using superglue when assembling terrain. Anything else I should consider? Does humidity/freezing temperatures affect acrylic paint? Does varnish make a difference? The shed is completely enclosed so snow is not an issue.

Possible MDF terrain and superglued resin would probably stay inside the house.

I store my terrain in a shed in the yard.
It locks up and has weather seals (to protect against rain) but it isn't fully sealed.

All the terrain is in plastic tubs with lids (that lock down) that stack. The paint survives this storage fine. Some of the glue bonds occasionally fail (superglue also dislikes heat) but nothing that can't be repaired (I've inherited plastic terrain that was superglued).

We don't get snow where I live, though. It's too temperate.

When I lived in Britain, the club I went to stored their terrain in an exterior shed.

It worked out fine, but the weather is also obviously not comparable to a Finnish winter.

Okay thanks guys. Guess I'll just have to try it with a few pieces first and see if there's any damage. Probably not.

While you are using plastic glue (presumably), so brittle glue isn't an issue, moving terrain in from the subzero temperatures may get things to break from uneven heating expansion, and you may get condensation forming on stuff as warmer inside air contacts the cold terrain. Subzero temps will also make the plastic itself a bit more brittle, so there's a risk in moving it to bring it in and set it up.

Does the shed have power? I have an electric heater for the unfinished basement with a 'freeze' setting. It doesn't keep the basement warm, but it keeps it above freezing. It uses a relatively minimal amount of power (as it just has to keep the space above freezing) but it would probably see more use in Finland than in our more moderate winters.