moisture-proofing bottom of wooden stable partition walls

[Pippins wood]

Hi Im looking for any advice on what product would be safe and effective to use ( non-toxic to horses) to paint on the lower portion of my wooden partition walls ( about a foot high strip in the area behind where the miscanthus banks comes up the walls) inside stables to stop the wood rotting . Would bitumen be toxic to the horse? We use banks of miscanthus at the sides and back of the stables and rubber mats but despite this the lower section of wooden partition wall does get a bit damp and i want to keep the wood from deteriorating over time. Has anyone else used any damp proof products that are safe for horses? Thanks for any advice or ideas.

 

[Hallo2012]

swimming pool paint.

this is what i have painted my wooden wash bay with and 3 years later not a single soggy bit or flakey wood

 

[PurBee]

Great suggestion above - or any other ‘rubberised’ paint would work equally well.
You can get ‘milk parlour paint’ too fairly easily - thats a hard-wearing paint that can withstand pressure-washing. I like that paint - very tough. Leave it to cure for 2 weeks before using stable.

You’d have to not use the stable for a couple of weeks to allow paint to fully harden and fumes to ‘off-gas’ so its safe for horse.

Bitumen would work but would remain wet/tacky for ages, and would really stink for a while until its more ‘cured’ - probably not a good option unless you can not use stable for a fair few weeks.

Non-toxic paints, like modern acrylic fast-drying formulas really wont stand up to the job of truly sealing out moisture, and uric acid from pee would break it down easily.

As a painter and decorator, im afraid the toxic paints do the best job, and last longer.

’eco’ paints are completely non-toxic, but require loads more coats, cost loads more because theyre ‘fashionable’, rather than the ingredients being hard to source, afterall theyre mostly pigmented liquid chalk, and they are not hard-wearing.
Dont be fooled by the hype if you find an ‘eco’ paint that says its waterproof/outdoor suitable. Non of them would be suitable to handle urine acid and mould spores forming from bedding banks.

 

[PurBee]

P.s - you mention the board being damp- if the board is currently damp, allow it to fully dry out before painting. No decent paint can ‘grip and absorb well’ into damp wood. Preferably wants to be bone dry before painting.

 

[Hallo2012]

the pool paint takes about 48 hours to be hose proof dry, but will withstand the odd splash after 12 and is touch dry in about 8 hours. doesnt smell too horrific either.

its fairly arm aching going as its thick like PVA glue so doesnt spead easily but does a good job and dries to a nice even glossy finish without needing to be too csreful in application!!!!

agree the wood needs to be DRY before painting or it wont take.