Paint or Stain

Any coating has two functions - protection from moisture and UV radiation. Paint has more UV inhibitors, e.g. solids. If it does not bead water it does not protect from moisture. I have not yet seen a water based stain resist water.

 

third function = makes it pretty.

ps... special attention should be placed on the end grain no matter what type of coating you use. in recent time I have gone to dipping a good bit of my wood wares simply due to the cost and time required to do this and most of the dipping kinds of stuff never requires reapplication. dipping does require a good deal of air out time to get beyond the heavy fumes/smell.

 

I usually use too much glue when I'm gluing up my woodenware. When I put the pieces together and the excess oozes out as I nail them together I'll take my finger and wipe this up and down the end grain. I also will make sure whether using primer or paint that the end grains gets *well* covered. The few pieces that I have done and that have been exposed to the weather seem to be doing well....if I remember to I'll post how they're doing in 4-5 years.

Ed

 

I get my paint for woodenware at both Lowes and Home Depot on the wrong color mistake rack,paints that would normally cost $20.00 to $25.00 per gallon are only $5.00. :thumbsup:

 

:goodpost: What Cracker said.

 

Third option is to dip in a melted wax and rosin mixture. I have heard that hives treated this way can last a really long time. BUT you need the materials and setup. I want to do this eventually, just can't cough up the expense right now. Thinking maybe of eventually doing the setup then seeing if the local club wants to do a Winter "dip your hives day" where everyone can chip in for the wax and rosin used.

JC

 

The last line shows some innovative thinking. Win, win for everyone! :thumbsup:

 

I found an interesting video while trying to decide the same question. http://youtu.be/oWHiHv3C4Vk I emailed the company this guy got his wax from and they watched the video and suggested wax based on the temps he talks about. 300 lbs. of wax (considered by them a small quantity) would cost around $900.00 U.S. It may be an option later for me but I've got a lot of other things I have to build first. I've been using up my leftover paint for now and I'll start on the reject rack at the various home improvement places when that's gone.

 

First 100 deeps I painted with 1 coat of oil primer and 2 coats of latex exterior.
When I realized I am running out of time I switched to stain. 'Arborcoat'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMBaoIUv_F8

 

I second the 'mistake' gallons of paint at the department stores. Love the $5 price tag and you never know what color you're gonna get. But this time of year where I live, no one is painting with exterior paint...thus no mistake paint for $5. Guess it'll have to wait until it warms up a bit for us in colder climates.

 

a greenb3tree snip..
Third option is to dip in a melted wax and rosin mixture.

tecumseh:
the wax they are speaking of is parrafin and the rosin simply adds hardness to the wax.

I dip stuff myself but not in the above fashion <for me too much heat and too much stuff difficult to obtain without paying huge shipping bills.

I use a 55 gallon drum with 1/3 of the top cut off. one part parrifin, one part exterior house varnish/stain and 8 parts paint thinner. heat (just a bit) until the parrifin is liquified. dip leaving part in the mix for 4 to 5 minutes, remove and wipe off any excess.

there is also a copper type product advertised in some bee catalogues which is used (after thinning) to dip wood wares. due to a circumstance long ago (experience can be an ugly thing... don't ya' know?) I would never use this around any of my own wood wares.

 

DO NOT paint inside. Some paint the edges, some don't. NO ONE paints the inside.

 

:goodpost:

What Iddee said.

The parrafin hot dip process soaks right into the pores of the wood, it is not a surface coating. If you paint the inside of your boxes, the bees can remove alot of the paint and possibly ingest it. This would not be a good thing. I paint the outside only, not the edges or the inside. Like everyone else has said, the oops rack at your home store is a good source.

 

Alternative to Painting

In the UK, new hives are supplied un-painted and un-treated. Most beekeepers do not paint their hives. To the exterior of a new hive, I apply a coat of brown fence and shed PRESERVER. In the Winter, when conditions are suitable, I can apply a top-up coat to an occupied hive. After one or two top-ups further treatments are usually not needed. The hives are less conspicuous than painted ones. Some of my hives are more than 20 years old.

Old beekeepers are like old hives ----- bits keep falling off.

 

I can think of two more functions of painting:
1. Tempereature control. Hives painted in dark colors tend to be warmer than those of a light color. This can be used by a beek to "warm" his hives if they are located in a cool area or in partial shade, or to "cool" them if they are located in a sunny area with intensse light.
2. In an apiary with a lot of hives, identifying marks or colors on the hives can help reduce unintended wandering of bees between hives. This can be particularly important in a queen-mating apiary. If all the hives are lined up and look identical, a mated queen can enter the wrong hive. Painted marks on the hives or different colors interspersed among the hives makes this less likely.

 

I don't paint. Maybe some day I'll say "I should have painted that box - it would have lasted longer"; if I live that long. At least for me, cost of producing a new box is less than the time to paint.

Advantage: more time to do more important stuff.

Natural coloration of the wood and knots will identify the hive to the bee.

I did paint my first deeps and supers (one colony) as I had paint left from another project.

But you know what they say about opinions :mrgreen: