Painting interior of particle board coop

[Wrooster]

Well, will a thick plywood work? I can't get solid wood due to how much I have to spend.

If you mean say 3/4" thick: 1) Why use it? and 2) it won't work as well as thinner plywood or, as was pointed out, siding which is really plywood but not that thick.

I hope you are not thinking of this as a box with one piece of plywood nailed to another. No matter how small it is, focus on the frame. Then whatever siding you use is atached to the frame but not to other pieces of siding.

You haven't said how big the coop will be, but with reasonable framing, usually 2x4's, 1/2" should be thick enough for the siding and 3/8" might be OK. (You'll see ridiculous numbers like 11/32 and 19/32 thick. It's sort of like "pounds" of coffee which now come in 12-ounce bags. Usually you can add 1 to the first number so 11/32 becomes 12/32 and then it's just immediately obvious (right!!) that it's 6/16 or 3/8 thick. Well, almost. 1/32 inch less than 3/8. 19/32 is (almost) 5/8 inch.)

See https://www.google.com/search?q=t1-11

I wouldn't worry about painting the inside but if you do, anything you'd use in your bedroom should be good enough for the chickens. Formaldehyde won't be a problem. You're going to have to have ventilation (unbelievable stink if you don't) and that will take care of it.

PS: Just noticed where you live. I lived there many years and loved it.

 

[GimmeCake]

the coop itself is about 4x4ft. Also, why will thinner plywood be better?

 

[Black wallnut]

In your environment particle board will last less than one year outside. Suggest you use CDX plywood painted.

 

[JackE]

I used a product from HomeDepot called Smartside for the siding on my coop. When I bought it, it was less than $18 a sheet. Of course it has gone up a bit, but it still costs less than T-111. It has a 50yr guarantee. It has been on my coop for almost 4yrs through all kinds of weather, and it looks as good as the day I hung it. It accepts paint well on both sides. Good stuff.



http://www.homedepot.com/p/SmartSide-96-in-Composite-Panel-27874/100055901#.UkMWudI3vxA

 

[Wrooster]

the coop itself is about 4x4ft. Also, why will thinner plywood be better?

Thinner than 3/4" will be cheaper, easier to handle and will not be so much stiffer than the rest of the structure that it creates problems you wouldn't have otherwise. It MIGHT be OK for the floor, especially if you are going to walk on it, but as siding it's overkill. Among other things, in a small structure it will have less resistance to warping and more chance of pulling the structure out of line. You COULD use it just like you could use say 4x6's instead of 2x4's (or less) but why? You only need enough rigidity to help keep the sides in line and even 1/4" would do that. You do NOT need enough thickness so you can attach one piece to another.

 

[GimmeCake]

Thinner than 3/4" will be cheaper, easier to handle and will not be so much stiffer than the rest of the structure that it creates problems you wouldn't have otherwise. It MIGHT be OK for the floor, especially if you are going to walk on it, but as siding it's overkill. Among other things, in a small structure it will have less resistance to warping and more chance of pulling the structure out of line. You COULD use it just like you could use say 4x6's instead of 2x4's (or less) but why? You only need enough rigidity to help keep the sides in line and even 1/4" would do that. You do NOT need enough thickness so you can attach one piece to another.

I wasn't going to attach them directly. I was going to use a frame.