My new hive has arrived and assembly is now complete.
I have started painting with exterior acrylic paint and have found that covering the black areas from the lazer cutting is difficult. So far I have 4 coats applied and this is only just covering the black. Maybe coat 5 coming up??
Have others experienced similar issues?
Yes absolutely. I have painted with 4 coats and up to 5 on the laser cuts 
Thanks @3jk . Good to know it is not me or the paint causing the problem.
The end grain was incredibly thirsty too.
I will be patient and add another coat.
I wasn’t sure what to do here either (the laser burnt bits). Surely, if it resists 4 or 5 coats of paint, it will resist the weather?
Update on the progress of painting.
The roof and stand are complete. 5 coats each only just covered the black. These were painted yellow.
The brood box and flow super are painted white. Only 2 coats were needed to cover these. (I will probably add a 3rd coat just for durability.)
Clearly there is a difference in the paint formulations. The yellow has a translucent quality, hence the difficulty covering. The white is completely opaque and covers easily.
I presume the body of the base tint for the yellow is the difference. The vehicle is probably the same in both.
So for anyone in a hurry, and who is happy to go traditional white, this is a far easier option.
Have others used colours other than white and yellow? If so what was your experience?
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You could also just do the first coat with a latex concealing primer and then do whatever color you’d like on top of that.
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Thanks @chau06, I am thinking the same.
I will try that approach next time.
It is interesting to note that the instructions on the can says for bare timber 3 coats required and that the paint is self priming.
Maybe self priming with regard to adhesion, but a concealing primer appears to be necessary for proper coverage.
In 50 plus years of painting stuff I have not run into this problem before. Always something to learn.
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When I was cleaning up some of the overpaint on edges of the boxes I discovered that the black charred surface is easily removed with 120 grit sandpaper.
When commencing my next hive I will dry fit the components to identify any charred surfaces that will be visible when painting and sand off most of the char. I think this will make covering much easier.
Overall I am happy with the outcome of painting.
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I’m thinking about using thermochromic paint on my next hive. From black to white at 90°F…maybe…
Hi, I thought I would share our hive with everyone, my wife’s uncle is extremely talented with everything timber.
We purchased our hive for 2021 Christmas present as a family and read up about how to protect it with paint. We then asked wife’s uncle if he would be able to do his magic and he sure did!! Every comb and bee is all a 3D effect, he routered everything about 1.5mm deep.
Hope you all enjoy
Cheers
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