Should I paint this coop?

[skylavaulter]

This is our coop so far! I'm very proud of myself haha. I got a ton of salvage privacy fence panels for free from a local fencing company and used the panels for the wood siding (talk about tedious...removing old nails, measuring and cutting each board!) Originally I had planned to paint the whole thing to match our house (white with navy blue door and trim) but I'm kinda torn now because the rustic reclaimed look of these boards is so pretty as is! So now I'm thinking leave them unpainted, and use barn red colored door and trim, maybe some window boxes with colorful flowers to give it some contrast. Which would you do? (The roof will be black shingles). Thanks in advance!

 

[skylavaulter]

A little more info on the coop, just because...it's 8×4 with 3 nest boxes. We have 12 pullets that are 3 weeks old now (barred rock, buff orp, RIR, americauna, and a few unknown ladies). Their run will be 12x15. The coop is going to have a window on each long side (plexiglass), an access door on the end for clean out, and we raised up the chicken access door hole 6 inches from the bottom so litter doesn't spill out. Its been 6 months in the making and I'm so freaking glad it's almost done!

 

[katie01143]

I wouldn't paint it. It looks pretty cool with the woods original color

 

[Bradfordj]

I would leave! I am a huge fan of wood!

 

[skylavaulter]

Thanks me too!

 

[PapaChaz]

you'll still need to weather proof it somehow. A clear sealer will leave it natural looking and still protect it from the weather. Thompsons water seal or something similar would do the trick

 

[Bradfordj]

Wood doesn't have to be sealed, and weathers nicely on its own. Yes sealing does protect it from weather and extends it's life span. Bare still last year's and years though. My coup is a remodeled 35 year old wooden grain bin. Couple pieces of rott here and there. For 35 years nothing major at all!! Personal preference though.

 

[PapaChaz]

unsealed wood will rot when exposed to moisture. it's not a matter of IF but WHEN....... so do you know how that grain bin would have been prepped 35 years ago? Painted? Stained? linseed oil or something similar? I'd guess some type of natural oil, could be just whatever it naturally absorbed from whatever grain was stored in it for the inside, I'd bet that something was done to the outside of it. Even treated with paint or similar, nothing's perfect which would explain the occasional "couple pieces rot here and there". I've had pressure treated wood used to build a deck rot in less than 5 years when I did nothing but depend on the 'treated' it got in processing.

Not trying to be argumentative, just like to give the best advice I can give, and that's to seal the wood to do all they can do to make that beautiful wood last as long as possible.