# stain,paint, or bare wood for a wooden milk stand?



## Breezy-Trail (Sep 16, 2011)

I have my own milk parlor with a door and everything now.
Starting milking in 2 weeks and want to be ready.
I am striving for much more sanitary conditions and want a way of keeping everything clean.

What is best for the milk stand, that would make it easier to clean and keep clean.
How often should it be cleaned?
I dont have running water so might be hard to do after every milking.

Any othet tips for my milking schedule as to sanitary conditions?


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

mine is painted metal. I would think stain or paint would both be fine as long as it seals the wood well. I would not do bare wood since pee and milk and dirt and all that would get into the grain and not be sanitary.


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

If you use a stain or paint get the waterproof sealent kind or if you like the look of your stand already you can just use a clear waterproof sealent. I used mine for a few years of plain wood but it really soaks up anthing that gets on it and starts to stink pluss I started getting spinters.


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## Breezy-Trail (Sep 16, 2011)

Yes I figured bare wood was bad.
I had to bleacg it weekly to keep it from smelling to bad.
I wasnt sure what paint or stain would be best. I am thinking a deck stain or paint that is water resistant. Family says painting it once a year wont be enough as it would just go back to bare wood, true?


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

I am sure if you used a waterproof sealant or paint that it would last a year at least if not more. You could get a boat deck grainy sealant that would last a long time for sure and also give some traction.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Yes, if you get a waterproof sealant...it should last at least a year. Do 2-3 coats. There should be a sealent out there made to protect decks through winter...that's what i'd look for. It's usually expensive...but for a milk stand should last you a long time.


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## .:Linz:. (Aug 25, 2011)

Our stand is bare wood, but we have a thick rubber mat on the platform part of it. It's a bit textured in the way that metal deck plating is (you know, with the x pattern) so it's not slippy. It's not attached because it's thick and heavy enough to stay in place, so I can take it off, take it outside, and hose it off with the pressure washer.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

A rubber, removeable mat would be handy. That's a good idea Linz! :thumb:


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## Breezy-Trail (Sep 16, 2011)

I like the idea of a rubber mat.

But I found some really good stain/sealer around the shop that was exterior and water resistant rating.
It is for decks and other outdoor wood work. I sanded the stand down and gave its first coat (after prep work of course).
Looking good so far. I will put another 3 coats on before I'm done with it.

Thanks for all the help/imput.
I will see how long this lasts. At least the wood would be protected and it would only need regular surface cleaning (instead of nasties soaking into the wood).


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

:thumb: You should post pics when it's all finished!


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## Breezy-Trail (Sep 16, 2011)

^^Will do!


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

:thumb:


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## jaycee (Aug 3, 2011)

I would think that if your primary concern is cleanliness, the rubber mat is actually a bad idea. Alot of stuff can live under a rubber mat in the barn. I constructed my stand using treated plywood for the base so it doesnt really need to be sealed to protect it. The rest of the stand should not be treated wood since the goats may chew it... I would think thats the same reason you may not want to use sealer on it either as it soaks into the wood and would probably be toxic on some level.


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## nubians2 (Feb 20, 2011)

The floor of my stanchion is cedar fence boards that I sealed with deck stain. It needs to be aired good before use. The first time we tried to put one of the girls on it she crawled up on her knees. It was pretty slippery. So... I bought a small area rug that I take in and wash once a week. A rubber mat would be great so you could wipe it clean. I don't have water in my milking parlor either but this is how I get around that. I keep 1 gallon of water in there for whatever. I use Clorox multi-purpose cleaner with bleach to clean spills and disinfect. Other than having to haul water from the house to mop the floor this has worked well. I also keep a 5 gallon bucket in there that I fill about half way with water (too heavy) and keep in there so I can refill the girls water buckets. This way if I go out and milk at 4:30 in the a.m. and they need water I don't have to be out walking around in the dark to get it, plus I am on a schedule because I need to get to work. When the girls are in milk the last thing you want is for them not to have water. They need it to make the milk.

The rest of my stanchion is painted with an good outdoor paint. I really like this because I can wipe it down with a cleaner to keep things clean and fresh. Good luck!


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

jaycee said:


> I would think that if your primary concern is cleanliness, the rubber mat is actually a bad idea. Alot of stuff can live under a rubber mat in the barn. I constructed my stand using treated plywood for the base so it doesnt really need to be sealed to protect it. The rest of the stand should not be treated wood since the goats may chew it... I would think thats the same reason you may not want to use sealer on it either as it soaks into the wood and would probably be toxic on some level.


If the stand is not left in the pen or where the goats will be able to get to it on their own...I see no problem at all treating it. It will last much longer than an untreated, wooden stand.

A rubber mat on the stand that can be removed for cleaning? To me, that is a great way to keep everything clean. You can take it off, hose it down with soapy water as needed and it's totally sanitized...you can't really do that on wood and if you do that to a metal stand...it will really wear it out and cause rust if done enough times.


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## Breezy-Trail (Sep 16, 2011)

As far as the stain/sealer being toxic it shouldn't be a problem.
Their pen has a door that they can't get through without me opening it.
Also I just finished the milk parlor door today.
It is a house door and has a knob lock on it. I keep the door shut to keep the chickens and ducks out (me and goats are only ones allowed in there) and lock it. I also have all my feed and such in there so it would be nearly impossible for a goat to get in there on their own.

Also they never get a chance to chew the stand because they can't while in the head gate and they are only on and then go right back to their pen. Also the deck is pine wood. I am most worried about protecting the deck and I think that is done. The stain should be good and I doubt they would try eating it as they never have before. Also they are never unsupervised in the parlor.

I got it done anyways. I am going to be setting up the parlor and will snap some pics.


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