Step by step
Ok, so lets get a little technical, and show you a few products that you might like to use.
Lets jump straight in and tell you right now, that you can wait for a while before you have to worry about the wood. Even if it’s raining when you have been putting your cabin up, as long as it has dried completely, you can treat the wood when you’re ready. So a few weeks won’t hurt it.
Preservative
This is the most important part, and like anything in life, there’s a huge ammount to chose from. You can buy preservative that also has colour / UV protection in it, so all you need to do is add a clear finish over the top, but generally speaking, just get a good preservative, and then use woodstain/UV protection afterwards.
A cheap preservative will still do the job, but you’re better off buying something that is high quality. Also, if you are going to use water based paint or stain on top of your preservative, don’t use water repellant preservative, or it won’t adhere properly.
One of the following would be great:
Sikkens CETOL® WV 885 BPD+
or Sikkens Cetol Novatech
If you’re a little obsessive, you could always try their primer before adding your woodstain.
Barrettine universal preservative
Osmo WR Base coat Aqua