DIY Vivs

This is what Im trying to do

You could varnish the for coloration, but you'll still want to use a few coats of polyurethane sealant to make sure it's nice and sealed safely and water/moisture proof. There will be water bowls and humidity in the enclosure.

Here's a link to my DIY viv that I made with glass, wood, staining, venting, tracking, and electrical set up it ended up costing around $600-$700. I used a water based polyeruothane and did three coats and I haven't had any problems leaking. I personally used Aspen hardwood boards because I wanted mine to be a show tank more than anything. Plywood would work but I'd get the planed and pressed kind so you have the outer sheet be a solid sheet and not particle shreds. If any water gets through your coating though plywood would start to break down immediately. The main concern is to make sure whatever wood you use doesn't have any softwoods in it as it causes allergic reactions in snakes, and then make sure it's coated thoroughly to avoid any water damage. Other than that it's the matter of cost and how nice you want it to look in the end. Even with using cheaper woods that viv is a beast and it may cost you upwards of $800-$1000. Good luck with it, it looks amazing. http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=130380

Originally Posted by yojoe05

The main concern is to make sure whatever wood you use doesn't have any softwoods in it as it causes allergic reactions in snakes,

I'm pretty sure that once the wood is sealed with the poly sealant, the phenols in pine and similar woods are sealed in, and are no longer a concern. I've heard of plenty of people using sealed pine to build racks or vivs and haven't heard of a problem yet.

I checked out your thread, Yojoe, and that does look very nice!

I just didn't want to take the chance which is why I went with Aspen but yeah I've heard of people using pine and it's fine with the sealant treatment.

Several coats of water based Poly will do. It off gases less than the traditional oil based - and it dries very quickly. Do sand with fine paper between coats to keep the surfaces smooth ( the first coat especially, will be quite fuzzy ).