Paint or stain!

[Crazyhorse]

I’ve got some new supers and brood boxes but which is suitable paint or stain?
Is there anything I should avoid apart from high VOC …

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

what material are they made from?

 

[Crazyhorse]

Cedar WBC hives maybe a couple pine nationals also

 

[Ian123]

I’d go stain paint is just creating future work and as far as I’m concerned actually traps moisture in single skin hives causing rot….wbc outer lifts not so much.
I’ve simply dipped my new boxes from the sale.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I’d go stain paint is just creating future work and as far as I’m concerned actually traps moisture in single skin hives causing rot….wbc outer lifts not so much.
I’ve simply dipped my new boxes from the sale.

However, Cedar needs nothing

 

[Ian123]

However, Cedar needs nothing

I’ll happily disagree on that 1 with a particular reference to seconds boxes!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I’ll happily disagree on that 1 with a particular reference to seconds boxes!

I've got stacks of second quality boxes, had them for absolutely years - apart from colour, they are no different now than from when I first bought them

 

[fian]

Paint with linseed oil.

 

[fian]

Paint with linseed oil

 

[Ian123]

I've got stacks of second quality boxes, had them for absolutely years - apart from colour, they are no different now than from when I first bought them

My stacks bigger than yours
Hivemaker recommended coating seconds, I’ll take his experience!

 

[Phill16359]

Use cedar oil available from Wood Finishes a natural product especially for cedar

 

[mychale]

Over a number of years the only decay failure I’ve had is in the bottom rail of one deep brood box, made from Western red cedar. This was presumably home grown (UK) cedar not Canadian and it was probably sapwood with little or no durability above pine sapwood. The natural preservative in Western red cedar is soluble and will leach out over a long period of time so some sealing at the joint ends (e.g. glue of your choice) and a surface coating (paint, stain or oil) is a good idea, whichever you think is the least long term maintenance option. Colour is a personal choice…..

 

[blackcloud]

Steele and Brodie cedar.

 

[Ian123]

None can suggest that any wood including cedar does not benefit from a coat of something. What that is or how much you want to spend doing it is down to the individual. With regard to the above pic I think S&B got Brought out by thornes about 40 years ago and that box looks like it’s sat on the floor since then!…Even painted or stained I’d not expect anything to survive unscathed
As an example a lady I help set up a few years ago. The boxes she brought then have started to deteriorate, joints have pulled timber has split and some areas particularly on joints have gone soft/rotted. These are seconds from a main supplier, in comparison boxes purchased the same time on the hive next door look good and simply require another coat on top of the single coat they had at the time. There was some difference in the construction of those boxes I’ve had a little more experience than her!! but it proves the point that a little more effort at the time pays off.

Steele and Brodie cedar.

View attachment 35213

 

[blackcloud]

We can easily get into echo chambers and end up creating new myths
One being that cedar has some sort of divine immortality.
The the box had only been sat on the floor for twenty years!
Actually I levelled off the rot and turned it into a very successful bait hive so in some way it has lived on...

 

[JamezF]

Steele and Brodie cedar.

Oh, that'll buff out no problem...

James

 

[blackcloud]

You should have seen the floor before the woodlice ate it.

 

[Ian123]

You should have seen the floor before the woodlice ate it.

Mmmm……I have some 2pack you could use!

 

[blackcloud]

Would it fix the WBC?

 

[Newbeeneil]

Would it fix the WBC?
View attachment 35218

I’ve got about 4 like that!