Paint or stain for wooden koi pond bridge

[tim welch]

I just built a wooden bridge for my koi pond.Is there any paint or stain that will not harm my fish when it rains?

 

[GBBUDD]

Once the paint has dried any should be fine for your bridge. In time however pealing paint will want to be avoided

 

[sissy]

I stained my bridge and the other one was stained also .I did this one and stained it as I am building it .I put a tarp under it to protect some of the pond .But to me it is better to stain it before you install it .I will 1 day finish this one .But to many things to get done ,but closer to done than it was .Stain on the bridge only lasts about 3 to 4 years if it is in sun .But stain is much better than peeling paint falling in the pond for fish to eat .

 

[Nevermore44]

Definitely want to go the stain route vs paint. My bridge is only 8inchs off the surface, so when I restain it, i get some of the styrofoam cooler lids (any floating stuff will do) and float them below the area of the bridge I am staining to catch any drips. As noted above though, once it dries it's not an issue.

 

[KimA.]

Can you guts recommend a stain brand? Thanks!

 

[GBBUDD]

Olympic Cabot, Thomsons they are all pretty good stains fade they don't peal some loose the water repellancy sooner then others. After dealing with paint reps over the years and finding out there's like two or three makers of paints and stains. the only difference between brands is the amount of chemicals added and there quality. But all made by the same plant.

 

[Nevermore44]

I ran through a bunch of reviews back when I built our pergola/deck area. The Defy wood stains are good and the Behr line is up there too. Look up stain reviews on consumer reports or the like to get the specifics.

You have any pictures of your bridge yet?