The UK's bestLog Stores2022 Review

If you’re conscious about burning responsibly-sourced logs, you’ll likely be looking for a wood store that is similarly environmentally conscientious. This Rutland County Garden Furniture Cottesmore Log Store is made from FSC-approved wood which comes from sustainable sources.

The pressure-treated timber is not only responsibly sourced, but treated to protect it from rot and insect infestations. The overall construction is sturdy as well, with thick posts supporting the feather board edges and slanted roof.

When it comes to protecting the logs inside, there is good ventilation provided by the raised, slatted base and gap out the top. The roof has a reasonable overhang on all sides to prevent rain from getting too near the logs as well.

The dimensions are 150 x 127 cm and it will hold 0.9 m³, which is approximately 280 standard logs. If you’re burning a fire for a couple of evenings a week, this will likely be a good size.

In terms of assembly, although putting the log store together isn’t too difficult, you’ll probably want to use a power screwdriver if you have one; there are 40 screws to get in altogether and the wood is quite hard, so it’s a tiring task to do manually.

If you frequently burn through a large number of logs, you might struggle to keep enough close to hand for when you need them.

This Normanton Hand Made Wooden Log Store fits around 450 standard logs, yet is still fairly compact and can be placed in easy-reach of the house.

At 230 cm wide by 125 cm tall, you’ll likely find space near to the back door for this unit –hopefully reducing the number of trips you have to make to further-afield wood reserves when the cold rain is pouring down in winter.

It’s constructed from FSC-approved wood that has been pressure treated, so it’s equipped to stand up to our versatile UK climate. The supportive posts are solid and large, at 7.6 x 7.6 cm, and the feather-board edge fits together well; it’s a sturdy, well-ventilated structure that helps keep logs dry.

In order to protect the logs, the base is raised off the floor. If you’ve struggled to dry out logs in the past because they’ve been resting on the ground, this raised unit keep them ventilated and stops them from sitting in residual rain water.

The wood is tough, which is a good sign, but during assembly you’ll likely require a power screwdriver even though the holes are pre-drilled. Putting the log store together can take around two hours.

Overall, this is a strong log store which will make it a lot easier to have logs to hand for wood-burning fires or stoves in the winter. As long as it is positioned correctly outside, it’s well equipped to keep logs dry.

Keeping logs dry is no mean feat, especially in certain parts of the UK where the wind and rain can be somewhat relentless. Fortunately, this Large Log Store from The Garden Supplies Centre doesn’t let a squall or a flurry permeate its walls – it keeps logs ready for use no matter where you’re located.

The front is open, so positioning it out of prevailing winds will benefit your logs, but generally the pressure-treated wood construction, along with the feather-board sides, and overhanging roof are well designed to keep precipitation out.

Given that it’s a relatively compact unit, at 150 cm wide and 129 cm tall, it can fit into smaller spaces; you might even be able to tuck it into a side-alley if you have one around your house. The capacity is just under 1 m³ which means it can fit somewhere around 300 logs.

Assembly doesn’t take too long – around an hour with the help of too people, though you might want to wear gloves as splinters can come off the wood whilst putting it together.

The raised base is just another feature that can help protect logs from our damp climate – keeping them off the ground so that they have a chance to dry out and season correctly.

One thing to note: despite being relatively compact, this log store is surprisingly heavy at 60 kg – two people will likely be required to move it around, and you’ll do yourself a favour by assembling it close to its destined location.

For smaller spaces, or households that don’t burn as much wood, a compact unit like the Easipet Wooden Log Store will keep logs dry without taking up too much space.

At 116 cm wide and 123 cm high, it can still fit 0.75 m³ of wood (which equates to about 225 standard logs) whilst taking up a lot less room than a lot of the other log stores featured here. If you’re only burning a living-room fire for a few nights a week, this should be an adequate store to keep enough wood nearby.

Also, unlike most other stores, the roof has a protective felt covering which adds an extra waterproof layer. The wood construction itself is fir and plywood, and seeing as the holes are already drilled, it’s pretty easy to put everything together in under an hour using just a screwdriver.

The darker colour may appeal to some gardeners too, over the pine tones of other units, depending on the colour of the rest of your garden furniture. Either way, as a smaller unit, it can be tucked away relatively easily, even if you only have a small amount of space available.

It also makes a handy ‘additional’ store for positioning close to the house, giving easy access to fresh supplies of wood in winter weather.

Log stores are all well and good, but what about keeping the kindling dry? It’s a pretty valuable part of getting the fire started, after all!

The designers at Charles Bentley didn’t let this fact pass them by when they created their Heavy Duty Wooden Log Store, adding in a separate shelf which can be used to store smaller wood and kindling.

Measuring 119 cm wide and 152 cm tall, it holds around 0.76 m³ of logs, depending on where you position the shelf (naturally, if the shelf is lower it holds less logs and more kindling). The shelf can actually be moved to any height, so it’s customisable depending on how you want to arrange your log store. It’s not supported at the back though, so heavier logs can’t be placed on the shelf.

In terms of construction, this log store is a bit more interesting than the others featured here – it’s made from the wood of a Nordic Spruce (more commonly seen in its original tree form at Christmas!), which is generally stronger than pine.

This wood has an attractive silvery finish, and doesn’t discolour as much as pine wood. It’s also been pressure treated, so doesn’t need any further treatment against rot for the first few years.

The slatted sides and raised base maintain good circulation, which helps the logs season and dry out properly. Also, unlike a lot of other log stores, the roof is angled backwards which encourages water to run off away from the logs. The only thing to watch out for is that the log store isn’t positioned too close to a wall, as this could cause the water to pool as it runs off the back.

Assembly is best done with two people; just to have someone else to help support the structure whilst you put it together. It’s pretty light once completed, at 29 kg, so not as difficult to move into position as some of the heavier wood stores.

Whether the majority of your heating comes from wood-burning appliances, or you just love to keep a big fire burning every day in winter, one way to make sure your wood store is always well stocked is to get hold of something like the Garden Supplies Extra Large Log Store which holds approximately 600 standard logs.

Its 2 m³ capacity is the largest on this list, making it one of the best log stores for households that burn through a lot of wood.

Of course, any log store that can hold 600 logs is bound to take up a fair amount of space, and this 262 cm wide, 131 cm tall unit needs quite a large area to stand in. It’s therefore best suited to medium/large outdoor spaces, unless you don’t mind having a log store as the primary focus in your garden.

The wooden construction, with thick 7.6 cm x 7.6 cm supportive pillars and feather-board sides, is fully pressure treated and should stand up well to the onslaught of the UK climate without suffering from rot or insect infestations.

Overall, the waterproofing is adequate, although adding some felt to the top would deter any of the leaks that do occasionally get in. That said, the overhang sticks out well past the contents, which helps any water running off of the roof skip over the logs.

In terms of assembly, two people and an electric screw driver can get this log store together relatively quickly, although the instructions are not the easiest to interpret.

For a wood store with a capacity of 1.15 m³ (that’s over 300 standard-size logs), the Charles Bentley Heavy Duty Log Store doesn’t take up as much space as you might expect. With a width of 177 cm, and a height of 152 cm, it’s one of the best log stores for small/medium spaces; its footprint is comparatively small for how much wood it can hold.

Whilst it’s certainly not the smallest wood store featured here, it does strike a good balance between capacity and size, which might make it a good choice for households without much space who burn quite a lot of wood.

Made from Nordic Spruce wood, it has slatted side panels instead of feather-board, which create more wind flow around the logs and help moisture to evaporate. Combined with the raised base, and backwards-angled roof, there are several design features which contribute to keeping the logs dry.

There is a kindling shelf that can be positioned wherever you want it – given that this is a double unit, you could even have half a side of kindling if you wanted, whilst still leaving a lot of room for logs.

Whilst there’s no front overhang on the roof, it is angled backwards to encourage water to flow away from the logs. And, there is an overhang on the sides which keeps too much rain from getting in through the slats.

If placed out of prevailing wind, this log store remains fairly protected from the elements.