Should I paint the floor

[AdrieeC]

I've got a 36sqft coup and run in the form of a chicken tractor. It's pretty swanky if you ask me. I made the coup with 2 sides and roof of tin per DH insistence...which he somehow made into big doors (COOL!), and the other two sides I DEMANDED be open and covered with chicken wire because It get's pretty freaking hot here by May and stays that way for about 8 months, and plus I thought it would be good for ventilation as well. I have been discussing with DH the different methods of cleaning that I have researched and found on the forum, and he suggests we paint the floor to keep the wood from rotting....
is your coup floor painted/unpainted? How is it holding up?

 

[berriesncream]

Wondering this same thing. Hopefully someone with experience will post soon!

 

[sgtmom52]

I put scrap vinyl flooring on mine. Really easy to clean, although it can be slippery when wet if not covered in wood chips.

 

[1eyejer]

I painted the floor and its holding up just fine

 

[BoerneChickens]

I'm wondering too - and IF you do paint it - are there certain types of paints to avoid? Can you use stuff like the Ugg Waterlock paint? I am covering the bottom with linoleum tiles, but think I should paint under them to seal the wood.

I'm a newbie too and this is my first coop so I don't know the "best" answer

 

[AdrieeC]

ooo I like the tile/vinyl idea! covered in straw or something that would work really well! I will have to run that by DH...

 

[Peep_Show]

Last time I built a coop I painted the floor with a couple of coats of marine varnish. Got to let it cure and de-fume, but it has been a dream as I can sweep and hose out the coop if needs be.

 

[BoerneChickens]

Quote:
I also read someone who said put the tiles/vinyl up the wall behind the roost so that you can clean that easily too - not sure I have enough tiles but I think that sounds like a good idea too if I can find a few more left over pieces (I got mine at the Habitat for Humaity Restore).

I am hoping it will make it easy to scrub down once a year to really clean it up and disinfect. I am using shredded paper as bedding - my parents live nearby and buy large bales of it to use for horse bedding and it is great. It probably will need to be changed a little more often then pine to keep odor down but I am going to try it. I have it in the brooder now and the chicks burrow down into it and fluff around and so far it seems to be working well.

 

[patandchickens]

Painted is much easier to get stubborn poo off of than bare plywood. (and no matter how deep your bedding, every now and then they WILL scratch a spot bare and then get wet splorty poo on it

).

Vinyl flooring is also easy to get stubborn poo off of, but having both I would not say that it is actually any BETTER than just paint, and it is usually more work and expense. And it has the disadvantage that dampness can get trapped under there, especially if you are one of those people who likes to hose out the coop.

Be careful of the individual stick-on tiles, numerous people report having them start coming loose after not very long, and of course they have even MORE potential for water to seep down and get trapped in between the vinyl and the plywood.

Because of the issue with dampness getting trapped under there -- and it really DOES rot things prematurely, I have seen this in action a number of times -- I would suggest that even if you DO want to use vinyl, it is still worth priming and painting first, if you care about how long the coop floor lasts.

But myself, in future, I don't expect I'll ever do anything besides just prime and paint the plywood.

JMHO, good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[enggass]

As far as paint goes... I assume you would use exterior paint for the Waterproofing Factor. Yes? What do you recommend as far as Flat Base, Sating Base, Latex Base, Semi Gloss Base etc...?
Steve