Best way to clean and protect wood of second hand coop

[Spetznaaz]

Hello,

We purchased a second hand coop the other day, the guy didn't have any chickens left and just said something about he got rid of them which is a bit worrying. I've scrubbed it down with soapy water and a brush and then planning on spraying it with poultry safe disinfectant then powdering with diatomaceous earth. Does that sound like it would be sufficient in terms of cleaning?

I want the wood to last as long as possible, it was oiled on the outside with what possibly looked like motor oil which seemed to come off when i cleaned it. I was thinking, sand it all down and oil it with something like danish oil. Does anyone know if this is okay or if there is more / other things i should do to protect the wood? Perhaps using a wood preserver (not sure if poultry safe) and paint? I do much prefer the way oil makes wood look but longevity (and chicken safety) is key.

I did try and have a search, maybe i'm not using the correct terms but i didn't find much.

Cheers

 

[Egghead_Jr]

The Danish Oil won't hold up. Well it does but requires many coats and will soak in over time. Tongue, linseed, teak oil all do the same. It's an expensive way to go about it. Just use the modified stain solid body color or semi transparent if you want the wood look. Water clean up Cabot stain is a good one. You'll apply another coat every two years like the expensive rubbing oils you speak of but is easier to use and cheaper.

To disinfect the coop you just need to wash it down with bleach water. Think garden pump sprayer to apply then garden hose rinse off after a little detention time to disinfect. Let it dry out and then seal the floor with something. The stain you use on outside is fine for that. I've never sealed a floor in a coop that only holds 4 inches of bedding. I would if a walk in coop with deep liter though.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

We recently found a coop on the side of the road. My husband pressure-washed it (hint: don't use the highest pressure setting, it will strip off a layer of wood lol) and used polyurethane to protect it. Hope that helps.

 

[3KillerBs]

I'm a great fan of barn paint.

 

[Tretinker]

This is so spooky I've just posted something similar but I didn't see your post earlier.

A few people have recommended motor oil to me for our coop, well a combination of that and diesel.

I also prefer the look of oil. I'm thinking linseed oil, it'll need a number of coats but I really don't want to use paint or vanish.