Bat House Forum

[applestar]

I'm pretty adamant about avoiding chemicals in and around my home. Has anyone used natural stains? I've looked up some info:
http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/la_techni ... 33,00.html
http://www.woodworking.org/WC/Garchive0 ... rants.html
I'm thinking coffee stain (inside?) and/or clay slurry stain (outside?) The house isn't caulked, so I'm thinking the clay might fill the gaps and provide additional insulation, too.... I recently dug up several buckets of green marl clay when digging a rain garden. My house is "colonial blue" aluminum siding, so Medium color should be sufficient, especially with the SSW exposure.
There are several brands of natural stains that I can purchase, but that would take another couple of weeks. Any thoughts?

[Joe Spencer]

If the outside of the house is cedar or cedar lined then a natural stain is fine. If it is not maybe a good latex paint is probably the way to go. As far as the inside of the house, most bat housers elect not to do anything with the exception of the bottom opening area only. All personal preference I suppose. Good luck!

[Terry Lobdell]

I've tried coffee stain inside and it was not dark enough........homemade walnut husk stain will give you a medium brown color. I have also had good luck with black food coloring. I get a 2oz bottle from walmart and mix it with 2 quarts and it will darken the interior just enough. Sometimes I put it in a spray bottle and just spray the lower entrance to darken the interior.

[IowaNate]

I personally have never stained the inside of any of my houses and have had great success. But, I can't dispute the notion that darker interiors might be more favorable to bats. I tested a food coloring stain on some plywood and left it outside in the rain, snow, sleet, and other elements and it still stayed dark after a year. One thing is for certain, a natural non toxic stain on the interior can't hurt anything!