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oil base paint and linseed oil??

10K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  Brent Bean 
#1 ·
I had an old timer tell me that mixing linseed oil and oil based paint was the best way to paint my bee boxes? Is this true what else is linseed oil used for? I heard that on new wood linseed oil tree resin and mineral spirits are a good wood preserver too is this also true? Latex is cheap in mismatched paint but is oil better is it worth the extra money?
eaglesbee
 
#2 ·
I always thought that the linseed oil was a good preservative but had problems with mildew. Here's a quick wikipedia on it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linseed_oil

Mixing it with oil based paint may change that but I'm not sure. We used to use linseed oil on lots of things and I remember glazing old windows by mixing the putty with linseed oil and soaking the window frame with the oil before using the putty. Not sure what it's used for in any quantity today. It might be the oil base in that paint you're talking about.
 
#4 ·
Linseed oil works well on its own - never mixed it with paint though. I imagine it is a way to stretch oil paint and have it absorb more into the wood. Mildew is really only a problem is truly damp climates. Also, I don't think "boiled" linseed oil supports mildew like "raw" does. Boiled linseed oil has drying agents in it (typically volatile solvents and heavy metals). I don't think eaglesbee would have any problems in Utah with raw or boiled linseed oil.
 
#7 ·
I've had real good results with latex over latex and latex over oil. My whole house is latex over oil base. The old cedar clapboards bleed right through latex primer so I use a single coat of oil base and it takes care of it just fine. 2 topcoats of latex finish it off. Prep is key to every paint job so clean surfaces, quality primer and quality topcoats will give you the best results, oil base or not. My Dad swears by oil base paint and won't touch any primer except oil base. Considering that his paint jobs always last longer than mine, he might have a point.
 
#8 ·
If water swells the wood, the latex paint will peel off like a skin. Latex does not penetrate the wood like oil, instead it forms a protective film. Thinning an oil base with paint thinner or linseed is great if you want to put a thinner first coat on the wood for deeper penetration, and of course deep penetration is always preferred.
Linseed and boiled linseed will block water but not water vapor. If it is humid the wood will absorb water vapor through the oil layer and cause swelling which can lead to joint failure.
A good exterior oil based paint with alkyd resins works well. Glidden UltraHide gloss has worked really well for me. It is expensive, but if I hate painting the first time, I surely don't want to scrape, sand, and paint a second time.
There are some good books and videos on wood finishing that explore the ingredients (resins, binders, solvents, pigments, hardeners) of paint. A little bit of knowledge will allow you to make an informed decision and possibly mix cheaper ingredients. The UltraHide paint, I use, dries a bit too slowly for my liking and is a bit too viscous. I thin the UltraHide with an oil based primer because the primer is less viscous and has more hardeners which reduces the drying time. I am not an expert so this is yet just another opinion.
 
#10 ·
If water swells the wood, the latex paint will peel off like a skin. Latex does not penetrate the wood like oil, instead it forms a protective film.
That is why they make primer. This is the best primer that I have used on my hive bodies so far. http://www.kilz.com/pages/default.aspx?NavID=28


Thinning an oil base with paint thinner or linseed is great if you want to put a thinner first coat on the wood for deeper penetration, and of course deep penetration is always preferred.
Again, this is why they make primer. They make primers for various applications. http://www.kilz.com/pages/default.aspx?NavID=61 Newbee 101 should reply this post seeing how he is a painting contractor and most likely has more knowledge about painting than I do.
 
#11 ·
Everyone has their own preferences, and for their own reasons. I can say I have never seen the latex paint I use on my supers peel off like skin. And many have endured years of all kinds of weather. Form baking hot to below zero. Dry to rainforest conditions. Both kind of paints have pluses and minuses but to me latex wins out because of cost and ease of use.
 
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