Best Paint to weatherproof a Flow Hive 2+?

Last year, on an observation hive, I used wood stain, and fiberglass resin to seal it. I found fiberglass resin too difficult to work with, and I’m not entirely certain it did the job. See my old hive (which ultimately failed for other reasons) below.

This is my first year with a flow hive 2+. I want it to last a LONG time. I’ve done minimal research, and have chosen: Water-Based Acrylic Paint, intended for outdoor garage doors. Please see link below:

I have not purchased it yet. I like that it looks a bit like wood, but is actually paint.

Will this do the job? Or should I purchase something else? How many coats should I apply?

Also, do I need to initially apply an undercoat or a primer?

Thank you for any assistance this community can provide.

  • Mike

What type of wood is your flow hive?

I have a Flow Hive 2+. It should be premium western red cedar.

The color and grain of the cedar is nice too nice to paint over.

A lot of people use tung oil, I hot wax dipped/fried mine. Some have used premium clear deck sealant.

Would this stuff work?

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It should be fine. As it is acrylic, water-based and low off-gassing it should be fine. However, I am still using Tung Oil on my WRC hives… :wink:

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Thank you for your help everyone!

Hi Salem,

There are a couple of issues with both Tung Oil and Deck Varnish, the former can result in the timber becoming a bit grey and washed out looking over time, while the latter can create condensation, as it doesn’t have a great deal of breathability.

Tung oil remains one of the most popular choices among our customers with Western Red Cedar Hives, it’s just good to be aware of the pros and cons :slight_smile:

The roof should be painted with a couple of coats of decent outdoor paint regardless of what you use for the rest of your hive, as it will receive the most exposure to the weather.

Look forward to your update on this :slight_smile:

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