# primer on hive boxes ?



## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

My experience says primer is more important than the topcoat.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

I agree


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

Follow up your spraying with a quick "back rolling" of the corners. It really does a good job of pushing paint into the end grain. We usually use a Zinsser primer and top it off with a top coat (or maybe two) of a really good quality (and unfortunately expensive) semi gloss. I love the Behr but at around $180 per 5 gallons it's not cheap.


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## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

Primer (good quality) is very important especially on exterior applications. With beehives and the moisture associated with bees even more important.
Primer is designed to seal, top coats are designed to cover.


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## WWW (Feb 6, 2011)

Primer is very important, I use a Behr primer designed for oil paints then top coat with a light grey oil floor paint designed for exterior use. These paints are not cheep but I have not had any flaking or peeling, they hold up well.


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## clyderoad (Jun 10, 2012)

Ben- a good primer is a must if you are painting them.


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## BEE STALKER (Feb 12, 2012)

I build my boxes and agree with Jim Lyon. Nothing beats the Zinsser products. Although costly, the shellac based Zinsser primer is bulletproof. It penetrates better then the water based products and will keep knots from bleeding through (If that matters to you). Be sure to open up the grain first with a light sanding. Since I'm a hobbyist, I have the time to lightly sand with 200 grit paper after the primer has raised the grain and prime again. I used to spray with the airless but use my low velocity sprayer now. I "Back roll" after spraying also. I finish with two full coats of "Oops" exterior semi-gloss paint from the Home Despot. Just pay close attention to the end grain on the box joints and the boxes will last for years.

I'm a building contractor and this method is specified in my subcontracts for my painting subs.


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## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

As a painting contractor. Yes use a good primer. Zinnsser makes good stuff I use a lot of ICI/ gliddens/ Ppg they keep get boughten out. Gripper. Definitely work over the end grain with a roller. Wooster makes a great little 4" roller. Use a zip lock Baggie to store the roller cover when not in use. I have keep them like that four a couple of months. 
David


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## Ben Little (Apr 9, 2012)

So Primer it is  Thanks everyone. I have used BIN a lot for knots around the house for maximum penetration before painting with a top coat , I just googled the Zinsser product and saw that it was the same thing LOL 
That is good to know , because I can actually get that stuff locally.
Do you use the B-I-N #2 Soya Based or the original primer ? There is a bit of a difference in price.


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## propet12 (Jun 17, 2009)

I use Kilz water-based primer for interior/exterior use. Works well, inexpensive - never had the primer fail. You must use primer on bare wood or you're wasting your time.


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## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

Bin is for spot priming only. Not meant for full priming. Go with there 123 primer. The only thing I don't like about it in spraying I get a lot of runs with this product. I haven't seen the new one yet. But love the old Bin for it ability to clean up with ammonia water. 
David


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## Ben Little (Apr 9, 2012)

I just got off the phone with my paint supplier and they stopped carrying the BIN and now they have a product called " Seal Lock" anyone use it ??? 
http://www.insl-x.com/product-detail/inslx-products/seal-lock-plus

But as some of you mentioned it is a "spot" primer right .
So I guess I will look at some of the other suggestions.


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## FeeFly7354 (Jan 23, 2014)

I have used white exterior paint from ACE Hardware that had the primer in it. the cost was $16.99/gal and seems to have held up so far. I gave it about 3-5 coats. I also paint all sides but the inside. The gallon will last me a while.


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## clyderoad (Jun 10, 2012)

BIN and Seal Lock are exterior spot primers only. 

The best exterior primer is an oil base exterior primer. 
123 water base exterior primer (as mentioned) works as well as any other water base primer.

Paint on my bee boxes fails because I only treat the outside of the box and the moisture effects the inside of the untreated box differently leading to failure. So I repaint them every few years.


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## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

With are friends the EPA :-( most oil paints in a lot of places is not available. I move away from oil primer for exterior wood about 20 years ago. With the thought that wood moves and oil doesn't. The oil to latex challenge has been going on scene day one.


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## clyderoad (Jun 10, 2012)

my-smoke== I hear ya. 
6 of 1, half a dozen of the other.


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## dynemd (Aug 27, 2013)

How about Behr Marquee paint, which they claim as paint and primer in one? Anybody have any experience with that?


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## virginiawolf (Feb 18, 2011)

I painted houses for several years and agree that primer is key.

I haven't tried this but I was looking up primers out of curiosity after reading this. There were plenty of good and bad reviews for the brands that I am familiar with and then I saw this boat primer. It's expensive but it sure sounds durable. I remember one house we worked on by the water and the guy painted his garage with boat paint. Marine Grade...??? If this will work on a dock I would imagine it would be awesome for bee boxes. It takes a while to cure apparently like a week though.

http://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-20...-Quart/dp/B000C025GA/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Here's the top coat

http://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-20...JT2/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?showViewpoints=1


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## wmsuber (Apr 4, 2011)

For years many paint suppliers recommended oil base primers under latex top coat paints. I have always tried to stay with this combination, and in our business where we build and paint exterior shutters, I have had real good success. In many cases my paints jobs will outlast the paint on the house siding and trim, three to one. Even on some of my interior work where we use oil paints, I am seeing the oils being constantly changed and reformulated. I guess they are trying to meet EPA regulations and so on. True to what others are saying, I am also seeing some oil primers disappear from the market, especially in box stores. But it does seem water based primers are getting better, so far I am happy with the ones I have used on my bee boxes, but I have only been keeping bees 4 years. But you definitely got to have primer.


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## virginiawolf (Feb 18, 2011)

www can back up what you are saying about oil based primer being good. I have seen his hives that he mentioned above and they look mint. Perhaps he will show us a photo????? I really like the way he did his boxes and the look like they were just painted after a season.


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## Allen Martens (Jan 13, 2007)

We spray paint all of our boxes with a couple of coats of Zinsser 123 and add not topcoat whatsoever. We started doing this about 10 years ago and the paint has stood up very well.

We do the same thing inside our buildings on any walls that are wooden.


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## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

My thinking on the Behr all in one. Simple you can be great at one thing but it is a lot harder to be great at two or three things. Besides I can pick up the a primer and top coat cheaper than two gallons of Behr. Not even looking at finding mis tints


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## WWW (Feb 6, 2011)

Thanks VW, I found a close up picture of one hive which gives a nice view of the paint.


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## psfred (Jul 16, 2011)

I always used alkyd primer, but have not had real good luck, lots of chipping and cracking. Last year i started putting on two coats of boiled linseed oil first, I suspect this will help quite a bit.

The boxes I started with where I used plain shellac as a primer have held up well, but they are shallows and don't stay on the hives all year.

I would not leave primer exposed, it is generally not well protected against UV degradation and requires a top coat to keep it from getting de-polymerized by the UV in sunlight.

Peter


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## MattDavey (Dec 16, 2011)

I'm now using a coupe of coats of Decking Oil as a primer. Inside and out. Goes on quick. It really soaks into the wood, especially the end grains where you want protection from moisture. 

I'm then top coating with a high gloss clear varnish. For even more water protection. So will see how long they last now.


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