Can you stain bird feeders
Understand the process of staining wooden bird feeders is a delicate task; while the process is an exciting one, you must do so that avoids poisoning feeding wild birds.
You can stain a wooden bird feeder but only with use of non-toxic stains, often referred to as water-based. Avoid staining the interior that comes into contact with feed, but only use feeder after weeks of testing as a precautionary measure. Do a thorough job of staining by dismantling the feeder as best you can.
Treat a wooden bird feeder with a non-toxic, water-based stain only but do so with caution, as even quality wood stains can cause issues.
Know that when applying stain onto a bird feeder made out of wood, this also applies to treating a bird house or feeding platforms also.
But if you decide to instead safely paint the bird feeder, same rules outlined still apply.
Its all about maintaining standards as to keep the wild birds safe from dangerous toxins, so picking out a non-toxic stain is the only viable option.
But you can do more by not staining the interior of the feeder that comes into the contact with the feeder - if you must, do some testing to know there will be no bleeding.
However, to stain an otherwise bland feeder that needs a spruce of color, should be an exciting opportunity.
If its a bright color you are thinking about then consider painting the bird feeder in a color that fits in with the decor of your yard.
But I can't stress enough, a subtle color will do it by using a natural wood shade pallet; such as dark oak, antique pine, mahogany or walnut for example.
No going overboard in price to as a 250ml can or bottle will do. I recommend you buy this Ready Seal Cedar Exterior Wood [to buy on Amazon] in Dark Walnut if available.
And that can include a wood sealer combination you can use to prevent stain leaching onto the wild bird feed contained within the bird feeder.
Be sure to disassemble the bird feeder to stain as best you can, but know that a single stain coat may not be enough. But to give it an extra coat will see it become darker while the wood grain becomes less visible.
Staining wooden feeders possible
You can stain a wooden bird feeder of any kind, providing you take extra care with the type of wood stain you intend to use.
For example there is too many toxic, bad for wild bird stains on the market so you must do your very best to avoid toxic formulas - basically there's products that don't promote themselves as non-toxic or water-based - so check the label.
Once the can or bottle of stain is selected, its up to you to stain the feeder of all visible bare wood - as unfinished stained areas will become highly visible.
Staining wooden bird feeders can be an enjoyable experience, so if the stain in hand is the non-toxic option - and it must be - then why not bring the kids in for an arts and craft session.
However, lots of things can wrong in the process of staining bird feeders, so allow me to explain them all in more detail.
Avoid staining feeder interior
Once you've found the best wood stain for use on a bird feeder, designed for delicate backyard birds to feed off, its now a matter of keeping the feed safe.
What I mean is while the wild bird seeds or peanuts hang inside the wooden bird feeder - or on the open platform feeder - in time the stain could bleed onto the feed.
Not so much a problem if the stain in use is non-toxic, but it is still an issue regardless.
So what you can do if you don't want to wait a few weeks, is to do some testing by not staining the interior of the bird feeder.
Where there's no stain there's no way it can latch onto the feed in due course.
I understand you will probably want to stain the interior regardless, because a stained exterior with a bare wood interior can be unattractive - so do be cautious when you do.
Use wood sealer to protect feed
Staining the entire wooden bird feeder or deciding to stain the exterior areas only, as seen by the naked eye - can cause a few issues.
Using a cheap, unknown brand may see the inferior stain formula not only bleed onto the bird feed contained within, but it can indeed fade over the course of months.
What you can do to stop the potentially harmful stain leaching onto the seeds or nuts, is using a corresponding, non toxic sealer.
Its likely the stain manufacturer would recommend such as course of action, as stain can still rub off with wear and tear.
Rather than seeking out other brands, do consider buying a sealer off the same producer of the stain, to make it a little easier on you.
Non-toxic, or water-based only
Its imperative you only make use of non toxic stains for use on wooden bird feeders, on a bird house or if you stain or paint a wooden platform feeder.
I will say it does not only relate to staining, make sure its a non-toxic paint or preserve to as it all counts towards keeping backyard birds safe.
Non toxic stains for wooden bird feeders cut out the nasty, environmentally unfriendly toxins that go into making indoor or outdoor stains.
While stains for exterior wood surfaces are not always promoted as non-toxic - as its usually reserved for stains with use on children's toys - but it can also be promoted as water-based.
So know when you apply a water-based stain to a feeder intended for use by wildlife, you are taking care of their health by cutting out nasty ingredients.
Allow drying time to pass
Once you have stained the entire wooden bird feeder or parts of it, depending on your project - be sure to allow enough time to pass.
Not twelve hours or even twenty-four hours, but if you allow the freshly stained bird feeder to dry out in the open for a few days, it can do two things to make sure its ready to hold wild bird feed in safety.
Firstly, making sure the stain is allowed to dry for several days can only mean it is absolutely dry - thus avoiding the issue of stain bleeding onto feed.
Secondly, to allow a stained bird feeder to naturally dry outdoors can only see the smell or close up fumes evaporate.
That can only mean the freshly stained bird feeder is 100% dried up, while it has little to no odours coming off it.
Test stain quality after cure
Now its all dried up and ready to go, you won't want to use it just yet still as to allow a bit of testing to be done on the stained feeder.
What I am getting at is, a few days or so won't really offer enough accurate data to know if the brand of stain in use - is going to be a poor or good stain to use over time.
So what you will want to do is hang up the wooden bird feeder as you do, then allow it to be hit with direct sunshine or wet conditions over a period of time - perhaps a couple of weeks if you can be patient enough.
You can then unhook the bird feeder from its bracket to inspect mostly the interior or surface exposed to the elements to make sure it hasn't bled or faded in only a short time.
No harm in giving it more time to test but you can replenish the feeder with a little bit of seeds or nuts at a time - thus forcing you to check on the stain that is in contact with the feed at regular intervals for a few weeks - providing the birds don't gobble too much up.
Can you stain bird feeders summary
I do not recommend you go out and buy any type of exterior wood stain, as a bird feeder is a precise feeding platform that requires care and attention.
To begin with you cannot use any type of stain but only those that promote themselves as non-toxic or water-based stains - thus cutting out the harmful toxins.
Where else you need to be cautious is the stain does come into contact with the feed.
I therefore recommend never staining the area that comes into contact with the wild bird feed, but only if you can get away with it as it can appear ugly with unstained patches.
So if you must you need to not only make sure its a quality stain, but one that will never bleed onto the feed.
To know this you can test the stain quality by staining the feeder by not replenishing with feed for a few weeks.
This should offer you time to inspect the feeder to make sure the stain in use is of good quality - so never fades or bleeds if in direct heat or exposed to damp conditions.
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