New Chicken Tractor... paint question. **Update w/ pictures**

[ChickenTender63]

Since you built your coop from non-pressure treated wood, just use a flat mistint paint for your primer. I was a custom home builder for years and all of my painting contractors used this for primer for both interior and exterior uses.

A flat paint will soak into the wood that you built the coop out of and will provide a good base for the top coat that you apply. There really is no sense in wasting the money on an oil base primer or an exterior grade primer. They will not make a significant difference in the overall job or life of your topcoat.

I have done this for years on million dollar + homes, and have never had to redo anything. If it's good enough for them, it's surely good enough for a coop!

Have fun!

 

[patandchickens]

I may try the flat paint instead of primer next time I'm painting some noncritical outdoors thing, see what happens. However, I also have to wonder whether you'd get complaints about peeling a couple years down the road, or whether people would just swear in private and repaint it. Certainly gloss, semi-gloss and satin finish paint do NOT work nearly as well as primer for outdoor applications, in my actual experience. But, I'll try it... I can get remainders of paint for cheap or free.

Pat

 

[ChickenTender63]

Quote:
Pat, you want to make sure that you use a "flat" paint for your primer and you will have good luck with it. Most paint company "primer formulas" are almost identical to that of flat paint, only named different and with a higher cost to it.

As for the customers, I was very, very close to all the folks I built for and even kept close touch with them for up to 10 years after building and had no complaints, no peeling. Of all the years that I did custom homes, I only had one call back for a small problem after two years. I went over, took care of it quickly, and had a happy client.

Try it sometime. I think you will find it works very well for you and your pocketbook.

 

[TurtleChick]

we debated this when we built, too - and i finally decided to just use a sealant. can't remember what brand, but it was just an oil-based deck sealant. it's worked well - probably time to scrub the house completely and reseal (in the spring!). i just did a few coats and then let it off-gas for a few days before the peeps went to live in there! and i decided against the linoleum floor - figured i could always put it in later, but had read too many differing opinions on it. good luck!

 

[cmom]

I primed and painted the outside of my coop with paint I had left over. I did a little painting on the inside but for the most part I don't have much paint on the inside of my coop

 

[CityChook]

Just a side note - I agree with Pat and ChickenTenders that prime-ing is key, whether done with mistint flat or exterior oil base.... Whatever. Just do it. And if you have enough paint left over, do the floor while you're at it.

I used oil based primer inside and then 3 coats of exterior semi-gloss and it stays nice and bright and clean up is a snap. However, I ran out of the primer so primed my (pine) front door with latex primer (because I had it in the basement), covered that with 2 coats of exterior white and guess what - the knots then bled through the white paint. Rats. I'll have to re-do it in the spring because it drives my mildly OCD brain CRAZY.

Good luck! PS - that photo of the dogs in the coop is fab

 

[bantamman13]

Im envious great looking coop.

 

[NurseELB]

Quote:
We used the peel and stick tiles in the nest box. I thought at first it was going to be overkill, then one of my girls started laying shell-less and soft shelled eggs. All I had to do was use a handful of shavings and it wiped right off!!

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Really nice coop. Love it. Can't wait to see more pix.

I used flat paint under my red and used semi gloss. I did not use exterior plywood or 2x4's.

 

[skya328]

Hi all,

Here’s the progress we made on the tractor this weekend. We did buy a mistint paint at Home Depot as suggested even though we had already bought primer and paint. We figured we’d use the mistint as another layer on top of the primer. There was one thing after painting (two) coats of the mistint paint….we liked it better than the “Farmhouse Red” that we had purchased!

We decided to use the Farmhouse Red, anyway.


Me priming (in the garage) on Saturday morning.

We don’t have a Camaro on blocks on our property, but we’ve got this on some!
All primed and ready to paint.

Someone suggested using linoleum tiles on the bottom. We got the least expensive that HD has to offer. Still have to stick them down, but wanted to give myself a visual.

Here’s the mistint color. Kind of a merlot color. Mmmm…

After 2 coats of mistint and 2 coats of Farmhouse Red, we’re all done painting!

This is as much as we got done. All the primer & paint and two small sections of hardware cloth.

We’re going to get more hardware cloth up this week. Hopefully we’ll be able to get the coop done after Thanksgiving. We just need to put the flooring down, get nest boxes, roosts, more ventilation, an egg collection door, a ramp…Sheesh, maybe we’ll get the chickens by Christmas!

If anyone has a suggestion as to placement of things I'd love to hear. I'm here to learn! Thanks for any help.