How do you paint your boxes??

[KD4MOJ]

Ok... simple subject but I'm curious how other folks paint their boxes without wasting alot of time. It seems when I'm painting (several boxes, top covers, supers, bottoms etc) i could probably do it more efficiently than I am presently. I paint each box with a brush, then wait to put the second (or 3rd) coat on etc.

Usually I have other projects going on at the same time (such as putting boxes together etc) while I'm waiting for paint to dry but there has got to be a better way of doing this besides the brush and the paint can.

  So is anyone using rollers, or a power sprayer or some other method?  Inquiring minds wanna know!

...DOUG
KD4MOJ

[Kathyp]

i slap it on with a brush, but i do it quickly.  latex paint dries fast so a second coat can be done even if the 1st is to completely dry.  i have a sprayer, but i think it would be more of a pain to use it unless i were doing a huge number of boxes.

[hardwood]

I usually do several hundred pieces at a time (I build hive bodies, nucs etc for other beekeepers as well as my own) so I spray them using an airless sprayer. These are the big sprayers that house painters use. I can apply a coat to 100 deep langs in about 5 mins or so. If I'm doing my own stuff I go back over the edges that the sprayer doesn't coat with a 3" roller.

Scott

[KD4MOJ]

I I can apply a coat to 100 deep langs in about 5 mins or so.

 Now that's what I'm talking about!  :-D  I'm not doing that many boxes that it's a thought. I'll probably take the route that KathyP said, you don't have to wait the hour or so to dry as the paint cans say

  I might experiment with the roller just for grins... and see what kind of time that takes.

...DOUG
KD4MOJ

[Hethen57]

I stack them up and then roll it on with a little roller and use a cheap brush for nooks and drips.  I just work my way around a stack of boxes, twice and I'm done.  I would love to use an airless, but I don't think cleanup and overspray issues would work for the quantities that I do, usually 3-5 and some other parts.

[vermmy35]

I use a 6 inch paint brush since I only have the three hives to work with.

[caticind]

I stain instead of painting - I find it preserves just as well and takes the wear and tear better.  I use a brush, but also have just a couple of hives.

[VolunteerK9]

Great post. I hate painting with a passion. If I may add to the questions, what airless sprayer are you using?  Ive looked up the reviews on a few and got mixed opinions. And second, does wood stain really hold up as well as paint in the weather? If so, staining is a heckuva lot faster than paint.

[hardwood]

I use my Graco sprayer. I'm not real sure of the model because the years of paint build up have totally obscured the label :) I have been toying around with the dipping method a bit though too...it might take longer initially, and the is a considerable expense to starting up, but from what I understand it's a one shot deal. Not having to paint occupied hives every so often is a huge benefit!

Scott

[fermentedhiker]

I spray mine now with a wagner sprayer(not the best for sure) with a solid bodied oil based stain(the sprayer can't handle latex).  It seems to work fine.  I do about 10 at a time but it works better if I'm doing twenty.  Because by the time I'm done with the second stack of 10 the first stack is tacky and ready for the second coat.

[irerob]

 Grand kids and 5 bucks  :evil: . or a 4 inch paint brush and 12 pack either way gets the job done. as my apiary expands I'm looking into getting a sprayer though

[Ted n Ms]

Take two saw horses and lay a 2X6 or a landscape timber across them and thread the boxes through the timbers and just roll em over as you get each side done.

[AllenF]

I just stack them and brush them or roll them.  I tend to just do one coat a day.  I can get it done and clean up after the 3 year old goes to bed and before my bed time.  Note to others: don't paint while the kid is around.   You can not keep him far enough away.  He always likes to help.   Today I caught him looking into hives I had open when I had my back turned.   He did not get stung luckily.   He told me that he can run faster than those bees.  He also later told me that the bees were his friends.  I guess I am going to have to get him stung again.

[KD4MOJ]

Take two saw horses and lay a 2X6 or a landscape timber across them and thread the boxes through the timbers and just roll em over as you get each side done.

 Now that is a novel idea. Interesting to see what folks have come up with!


...DOUG
KD4MOJ

[caticind]

And second, does wood stain really hold up as well as paint in the weather? If so, staining is a heckuva lot faster than paint.

So far so good.  Granted I live in NC and we don't really get harsh winter weather.  The bees have washboarded a little bit of it off on the landing, but it still looks better than the painted hives I've seen.  I used common exterior stain; the can suggests it is good for 3 years.  My guess is that the hive, being mostly vertical surfaces and not having water pool on it, will be proofed for at least that long.

[slacker361]

i use linseed oil because I like the natural wood look

[lisascenic]

I used a four inch foamy "hotdog" style roller, with an inch-wide filbert artist's brush for tight spots. I wanted a really smooth surface, but didn't want to bother with spraying.  I always consider the relative "suck factor" of cleaning the sprayer versus the time saved by using a sprayer. 

To anyone considering buying an airless sprayer:  please get proper training in both the use and cleaning of these tools. They are finicky and *dangerous!* Our sprayer sales-guy BLEW HIS FINGER OFF with an airless. They are wonderful tools, but you do need some orientation if you've never used one.

[buzzbee]

I have used my son with a sprayer,pretty easy!!


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Or a more conventional method if the mood strikes:


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[KD4MOJ]

I have used my son with a sprayer,pretty easy!!

Hey Buzz... your son looks really talented with that sprayer... send him over to my house! Stack 'em up and spray 'em...

...DOUG
KD4MOJ

[buzzbee]

I have used my son with a sprayer,pretty easy!!

Hey Buzz... your son looks really talented with that sprayer... send him over to my house! Stack 'em up and spray 'em...

...DOUG
KD4MOJ

 Hey, it Could be a great winter snowbird project,LOL

[Dave360]

 i like Ted n Ms's idea about using saw horses and a board i have been using a picnic table with tarp so can only paint half at a time so with board i could paint whole box

   Thank Dave

[fish_stix]

I have a Graco airless sprayer. We stack them on a sheet of Visqueen on the ground and fire away. With latex, by the time you get to the last stack, the paint has dried enough to second coat them. For cleaning the sprayer we just put a water hose in a 5 gal bucket and let it run. Lock the trigger on the gun, lay it on the ground, and let it spray until clean water comes out. Clean the pump filter and DONE! If I am only painting 10-20 boxes I just stack and roll them, brush the dadoed handle recesses.

[hardwood]

Here's a little walk through the nuc jungle

http://s871.photobucket.com/albums/ab277/hardwood01/?action=view&current=nucs003.jpg

That's my friend Jesse (S&S Apiaries) putting the finishing touch on 100 or so nucs today.

http://s871.photobucket.com/albums/ab277/hardwood01/?action=view&current=nucs001.jpg

Scott

[schawee]

i stack 8 high and use a paint roller.   ...schawee

[Michael Bush]

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesdipping.htm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beeslazy.htm#stoppainting
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesnotinvented.htm#notpainting

But back when I did paint... I'd stack them up and roll them...

[eastsidebuzz]

i stack 8 high and use a paint roller.   ...schawee

Ditto Foam Roller. It gets into the cracks and cavities much better.

[buzzbee]

Also,if the boxes are stacked upside down,it;s easier to paint the hand holds.

[KD4MOJ]

Thanks for all the great ideas folks!

...DOUG
KD4MOJ

[VolunteerK9]

I decided last night to paint my boards first, then cut to size, dado, rabbet etc, then put them all together. A little touch up painting and thats it. No more boxes stuck together by painting them. I think it will be much easier and less time consuming.

[buzzbee]

I stack my boxes and do not paint the edges that meet the next box. These e dges are covered by another box most of the time.

[Soapstone]

I stack my boxes and do not paint the edges that meet the next box. These e dges are covered by another box most of the time.

The problem we have with this is that the crack between boxes draws in moisture through capillary action and is plenty big for enough air to get in to promote rot (at least up to the point where the bees have propolized the crack). We have some two year old boxes with unpainted edges that are showing initial signs of decay after only two years of really wet weather, while older boxes with painted edges are still in good shape. Painting the edges is a pain because you can't stack the boxes for painting without a separate operation on the edges. Also, hive tools will eventually scrape the paint off of the edges in spots when separating boxes.

So, how many of you guys paint the edges? Any time-saving tips here for more than a few boxes?

[Kathyp]

i paint the edges.  when the sides are dry, i tip the boxes up and go around the edges on both ends.  my only tip is to buy cheap paint and don't try to be neat  :evil:

[Dave360]

i have been painting the edges but it makes the boxes stick together even if i let dry a couple  days last ones just used primer on edges still sticking have resorted to putting wax paper between this works well stacking them for use but when i put on hives still stick ? maybee  if they dry for months ?   

[manfre]

Either a spray gun on the air compressor or a brush, depending on how many boxes. Either way, I stack them vertical and do 2 coats. I only use oops rack paint.

[Robo]

Rope between two trees and a spray gun.  Get all sides and edges at once.

[bee-nuts]

I sneak mine into my neighbors pile when he is painting.  He never notices.  Very efficient and cost effective.

Just kidding. 
All I can offer for advise is try to think of anything else you need to build and paint if you can and paint it all at once.  I really dont like painting a few things and having to come back and back again to get your three coats.

Ohh I do have one good tip. 

If using a roller, wrap it in a plastic bag (they one you got when you bought it) with some paint on it (Meaning dont run it dry, then stick it in the bag) getting as mush air out as possible, and air tight as possible.  This allows you to use the same roller over and over and over without ever cleaning it.  I have came back a month later and paint was still wet.  I think I used three rollers all summer and painted probably over twenty, maybe thirty times.  I also use an empty paint pail with water in it and just throw my brushes in it so I can be lazy and not clean them when done.  When I need them I rinse off the paint and shake as much water off as possible and I find they work just fine.  I actually think by not letting the paint dry on the brush that they last longer.

If someone alreay mentioned the bag trick, my bad cause I did not read all the posts.

[KD4MOJ]

That's pretty cool Robo!

...DOUG
KD4MOJ

[danno]

Nice color Rob!!  What is that salmon?   I paint 8 to 10 at a time stacked up with a foam roller and floor paint.  This paint hold up well.   A couple of years ago I made a 2 story botttomless garden hive to cover my well head and stained it with deck stain.   It has not faded abit and was so easy to apply 

[KD4MOJ]

Robo's boxes looks like red barn paint... that's the kind of paint I use.

...DOUG
KD4MOJ

[Michael Bush]

How I paint mine:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesdipping.htm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beeslazy.htm#stoppainting

    "The hives need no painting, although there is no harm in doing it if their owner wants to please his own eye. The bees find their way to their own hives more easily if the hives do not all look alike. I rarely paint mine, and as a result no two are quite alike. Most have the appearance of many years of use and many seasons of exposure to the elements." --Richard Taylor, The Joys of Beekeeping

    "I suppose they would last longer if painted, but hardly enough longer to pay for the paint." --C.C. Miller, Fifty Years Among the Bees

    "Following the teachings of G. M. Doolittle, in whose ideas I have great confidence, I think there is better chance for the moisture to dry out of unpainted hives than out of painted ones. I have seen a painted hive in my cellar damp and moldy when all the unpainted ones were in much better condition."--C.C. Miller

[Robo]

Or for wooden hives I have had good luck spraying with motor oil

http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,22093.msg169528.html#msg169528

[danno]

very nice Rob
How did I miss that one last year?    I have 100 boxes that will need painting this winter and as usual I was going to wait until spring/summer heat but oil should work at anytime.

[Tommyt]

I looked at this Thread they are Nice looking,How are the Hives Holding up?
I have a elcheapo Sprayer and access to a lot of oil its a bit Heavier (bike oil)
but I can thin it :roll:

Tommyt

Or for wooden hives I have had good luck spraying with motor oil

http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,22093.msg169528.html#msg169528

Used motor oil works well and is about as cheap as your gonna get.

Richard Taylor used creosote.   I don't think you can buy it anymore though.

10W30 and a Wagner power sprayer

[Dave360]

motor oil is not harm full to bees ?

dave

[KD4MOJ]

motor oil is not harm full to bees ?

dave

 I think I'm going to stick with my red barn paint  :-D

...DOUG
KD4MOJ

[okbees]

I have my many kids take a brush and paint them.....while I am sitting inside, drinking coffee, and going through my bee catalogues.  It is tough, but worth the effort....lol.

[AllenF]

I have my many kids take a brush and paint them.....while I am sitting inside, drinking coffee, and going through my bee catalogues.  It is tough, but worth the effort....lol.

You da man.   :-D

[Slungan]

Hi!
Im a new member from sweden and have to post  :-D
I stack them up and use a sprayer.

[wd]

stack on 2x4's sitting on cardboard, paint 2 to 3 coats with a brush, I don't paint the lip they rest on. tops and bottoms usually get the same amount on one side.