# Thompsans water sealer



## beekeeper1756 (Mar 20, 2010)

I've done both. I let the Thompson's air out for at least one full week before using it. Came back and painted over it anyway.

Used the boiled linseed oil as well. Looks great at first and I was so pleased. However, it did not age well and the sun really beat down on the wood. Wound up painting it as well.

Give it a try and let us know what you think.


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## okaive (Jan 27, 2011)

With the water sealer, don't you have to reapply every year? Does that harm the bees when you do reapply it on the deeps?


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## Grant (Jun 12, 2004)

Two years ago I put on two coats of Thompson's Water Seal. Couldn't tell it was there. After one season under the sun, couldn't tell I even put it on. Not particularly happy.

I tried Dadant's Perma-8 last year with much better results. Used the Lowe's water-soluble Cop-Nap with excellent results.

At the ReStore liquidators, I picked up some quart cans of Thompson's Water Seal "Gel Stain," Cedartone color. FANTASTIC results. This is a creamed paint. Two coats. No drips. Sticks like crazy. Really pretty.

I'm trying a 2:1 ratio of Boiled Linseed Oil:Turpentine this year.

Then I also continue to use the mistint housepaint.

Grant
Jackson, MO


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## dannyidp (Jun 10, 2010)

I put water sealer on everyone of my hives and then paint it with 2 coats of semi gloss paint.I use olimpia brand sealer and it says on the can that you can paint over it.I feel that it is a little bit of insurance because it really soaks into the wood.I have a shop that I built 12 years ago and put osb on it and sprayed it with sealer and the osb is still in great shape and I know for a fact if it did not have sealer it wood be rotten today. hopes this helps....


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## Specialkayme (Sep 4, 2005)

I went to Home Depot and talked to the paint department about what was the best thing to use on wood thats sitting outside. They said Thompson's. I told them it was straight up going to be beaten up, and just sitting outside. They repeated Thompson's. I gave it a try, and one coat wasn't enough. I had to use like three or four coats. Even then, it wore off after about a year. I wouldn't do it again.

Since then I've been going with Sherwin William's Duration paint. Once a year they do a "half-off" sale, so it's about as cheap as any other paint at that price. Plus it's got a primer built in. It doesn't work well for already painted wood (doesn't bond well) and takes a few weeks to fully cure (other wise the boxes stick together and rip paint off when you pull them apart). But other than that I'm pleased. It appears to take a beating fairly well. Time will tell if it's worth it though. If it's good enough for your house (and guaranteed for something like 10 years) why wouldn't it work well for a wooden box?


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## raosmun (Sep 10, 2009)

Be careful; read the lable! I belive there is an insecticide in Thompsans and maybe in other similar products. :no:


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

To make wood last you might want to consider a moisture barrier and a UV blocker. The sealers with stain pigment have some advantage, but read the label. There are not many sealers that have UV protection that are less than twice as much as a cheap paint. Think about a synthetic rope. It is waterproof but the sun will destroy it in a short time.


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## Kingfisher Apiaries (Jan 16, 2010)

Dr Larry Connor uses cedar fence paint. It is almost a stain of sorts. Jason I am sure you saw the pix of it saturday. 

m


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## NDnewbeek (Jul 4, 2008)

Has anyone tried 'Carbolineum'. I just got a product flyer in the mail from them. I hadn't heard of them, but apparently they make a hive protectant/preservative.


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## soupcan (Jan 2, 2005)

If I recall correctly there was a study done a few years back by Consumer Reports or whoever on this product. A bunch of the guys at work were resealing there decks and the Thompsons product did not fair very good in the tests & as far as what the guys did use I can not remember.
Darn tough to beat copper naphtate. My son repainted some boxes last year that had been in service for 10 to 12 years. Paint was faded & weathered but the wood was sound & had no signs of rot!


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## the doc (Mar 3, 2010)

i have painted many an outdoor wooden fence post and hands down Behr stain is the best product I have used. 

It is water soluble with almost 0 VOCs and does an excellent job sealing wood. It can be mixed in a variety of stain tints and contains standard outdoor protectants against UV and mildew. it is expensive however

I've used it on my hive boxes with excellent results. I try and get reject paints from home despot or lowes. Also tried behr outdoor latex left over from another job and it has worked well (only 1 season though)


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## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

*Re: Thompson's water sealer*

As A painting contractor let me give some feed back Thompson's. It is basically Thinner and wax mix together from my REP Who I trust. Linseed by it self is no good for exteriors. If you want the a great product look into the Silken line but you are going to pay for it my cost is around $70. per gallon and it is a three coat job. Did a house in it Five years + on it and it looks just as good as the day I put it on. Here is a link to some of my photos of this job The posts are in Silkens 
http://davidspaintingandwallpapering.com/
David 
David's Painting and wallcover


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## beemooney (Jan 29, 2011)

I am a painting contractor also and prefer Sikkens for clear/stained exterior finishing, but believe a high quality latex primer then paint will hold up better in the long run. I primed/painted my first bee box last spring, hope my bees outlast my paint.


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## Jaseemtp (Nov 29, 2010)

Thanks y'all for all the info and responses, I appreciate it. Now to sort it all out.


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## yamahawg (May 19, 2010)

Used Minwax on mine last year and still looking good...got 10 supers I built and going to stain them with Minwax as well....my preference, just don't like the typical white look.


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## Specialkayme (Sep 4, 2005)

Who said you have to paint white?

Dr. Tarpy at the North Carolina State University Apiculture Program told me that he paints his equipment with the corresponding queen color of that year. It sounded like an interesting idea. Last year was blue, so everything I built last year got painted blue. This year is white (sorry) and the same goes for this year. I have some from when the color was red too. So now I have a random assortment of three colors (and in a few years it will be five). The random assortment of box colors creates a "hive ID" color for the bees, which reduces drifting. It also helps to tell you how old the box is (well, within a five year window).


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## Jaseemtp (Nov 29, 2010)

I agree, I did not want a normal white for my hives. I wanted a more natural wood color to help them "blend" in with landscape. After much thought and every ones input. I decided to go with Behrs Semi-transparent wood stain. It is the cedar natural tone. The label says it last 6 years on decks and 8 years on fence. It has a enhanced UV protection listed, but does not say how much or how long. 
Thanks again for every ones help


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## okaive (Jan 27, 2011)

My question is: Do you do Flat, Semi or full gloss or does it really matter?


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## NeilV (Nov 18, 2006)

Use primer, then exterior paint. Glossy vs. flat makes no difference. Some people I know go to paint stores and ask if they have any returned stuff that already has the color in it and get a discount. 

As to color, in Oklahoma anyway, I would avoid anything too dark, since that will get hot in July/August. Other than that, anything goes to the extent your taste is not offended. 

If you are in a neighborhood, it also might be a good idea to keep it drab, so as not to call attention to the hive. When I first started, I was in a more densely populated neighborhood. I put my hives against my house and painted them the same color as the house.


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## JRH (Dec 30, 2010)

Linseed oil is an excellent treatment for hive bodies ... when combined with turpentine. After all, the primary ingredients in oil paint are linseed oil and turpentine. Try 2:1 linseed oil:turpentine.


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## trance (Mar 29, 2013)

Jaseemtp said:


> After much thought and every ones input. I decided to go with Behrs Semi-transparent wood stain. It is the cedar natural tone. The label says it last 6 years on decks and 8 years on fence.


So, it's been 2 years now. How has this worked out for you? I picked up a can last night in preparation of my 2 hives. I purchased Cypress hives, I was told people like the look of cypress as it weathered but I prefer to keep it around in usable condition for a long time, not just a few years untreated. Oh, did you also apply on the inside of the hive or just outside?


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## Stephen (Mar 2, 2011)

I used thompsons 2 years ago on a hive and it's been crap. It looked great the 1st year, crappy the 2nd year, and this year it'll have to be repainted at the end of the year. I'll stick to 2 coats of primer and 2-3 coats of paint from now on.


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## trance (Mar 29, 2013)

BTW: If anyone cares. At my Local Home Depot the Behrs is on sale right now. (Not sure if that is country wide or local)

Stephen: Did the Thompson have a years label on the can (How long it should last?)


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## Stephen (Mar 2, 2011)

trance said:


> Stephen: Did the Thompson have a years label on the can (How long it should last?)


No idea. I tossed it out last year. It was the colored treatment/stain.


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## trance (Mar 29, 2013)

From Thompson website...

Length of protection will vary depending on environment. Perform the splash test once a year to see whether re-application is necessary. For maximum protection from color change and other damage caused by the sun, re-application is recommended every year. Vertical and horizontal surfaces will experience color changes at different rates.

(I'll have to read Behr but Behr does give years it should be good for... There is no way I would use Thompson or any other brand if I had to do it once a year or even 2 or 3 years.)


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## julysun (Apr 25, 2012)

I like color so mine look like a carnival . Use off tint exterior Lowe's best primer/paint when available. I want to build a hive from that Hardie cement siding! 
I have two SBB that was claimed to be dipped in hot wax, the wood grain is bare in a year, enough of that. I paint everything with water base paint with those throw away brushes. No clean up! Takes about 10 min. per hive.
Off topic question, does it hurt to tilt the hive a 1/4 bubble back to front? Drain out blowing rain.
Back to paint, do you paint the hive front at night? Otherwise a few bees will get painted and stuck.
Oh! Thompsans... Like I say, I like color.

I looked it up on the testing mag CR, Baers gets an 80 and still looks VG after 9 years. Thompsans about 23 and fair between 3 and 6 years. Of course the Bear is about twice the cost and is coating not a stain like Thompsans. Difference of a coating and a stain.


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## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

I've tried Thompsens Water Sealer on a few things and I was never happy with it. Maybe I expected too much but I'm not likely to try it on my hives. I did make up a bunch of nucs a few years ago that I sealed with Spar Poly (three coats). So far, so good. Last year one sat out all winter and it looks pretty good. Nice, natural wood color.


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