Hardware cloth and painting it

[Kayla's Lunch]

We are in the process of building our coop and run. I was wondering what paint to use to paint hardware cloth. It seems the consensus is that it will look better if black. The hardware cloth that came black was 3x more expensive so we went with the plain galvanized. We have 3 kids, so we have "free" labor to do the painting. Just need to know what kind of paint. Also, does the paint last long on it? Thanks for any help.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Mine isn't painted and isn't an issue... I live in the pacific Northwest. We only got 43 inches of rain this past season... it was VERY dry for us.

IF I was going to paint it I would use whatever color looked appealing with my coop and make sure that it is out door paint and probably roll on type.

My hardware cloth last VERY long without ANY paint.

ETA: I initially read it "work" better... now I see you said LOOK. Black looks pretty good most the time on screens...

 

[townchicks]

It doesn't need to be painted. I have found that it seems easier to see through the black wire. I used rustoleum flat black on mine, you can get in cans and use a brush or small roller, it's more economical that spray cans.

 

[Imthe1whoquacks]

I’ve never even heard of painting hardware cloth.

Just make sure it isn’t something the chickens will pick at out of curiosity. I’d hate to have a chicken eat paint chips and poison itself.

 

[aart]

Make sure you use a paint that will stick to galvanized metal, IIRC not all of them will.
Spray paint would be best to avoid glops that may be more likely to peel or be pecked off.

 

[ChickenRelatedUserName]

I can attest to dark colors being easier to see though. I have green coated cloth, bare galvanized, and some black plastic netting. I painted the black netting white to match the color scheme of the coop, and it was very difficult to see through.

On a side note, galvanized metal is steel mixed with zinc. Zinc is water soluble and is used to protect the steel from rust. Zinc lasts approximately 20 years before enough of it washes away to allow the steel to start rusting.

 

[Chicken Strut]

We rolled some leftover dark brown exterior paint on ours 3 years ago and - voila! - we could easily see what the chickens were doing from the windows of the house. It's weathered some so I'm thinking of doing a refresh coat. We only painted the side facing the house so it was a quick little project. Used a paint roller instead of spray or a brush.

 

[dunnmom]

I would not paint it, just my opinion. I get wanting to involve the kiddos, though. But if I did paint it, I'd use an outdoor paint like Kilz or a hard enamel. Not the spray, because a lot would be wasted through the mesh. Also to note, the hardware cloth may have dust on it from manufacturing or storage on it that may interfere with it adhering properly. You may have to wash that off before painting.

 

[Doc7]

When I painted my coop, I just rolled right onto the hardware cloth on the windows too. Easy Pease. I use latex paint (StormCoat from Lowe’s).

 

[nminusyplusm]

View attachment 1441445 When I painted my coop, I just rolled right onto the hardware cloth on the windows too. Easy Pease. I use latex paint (StormCoat from Lowe’s).

I like the blue you chose!