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Sealing wood?

W

wowfood

New member
Hi guys, making a rete stack for my Ackie. It's taken me ages to figure out what one actually is since well, everyone says "make one" nobody gives instructions and I'm terrible at DIY.

ANYWAY, I've got the wood (6mm marine ply) I've got the sealant (aquarium sealant) all I need now is to figure out what to seal / varnish the wood with to prevent poop soaking in.

From my research I've found the recommendation is to use polyurethane, but being the non DIY person I am, after looking at amazon I got bewildered. Does anyone have any brands they'd recommend?

I understand that, with the current weather, I'd probably need to leave it to gas for at least a week, possibly 2-3. And from what I've seen online I'll probably need 2/3 coats. Just looking for a brand to go with and I'm set.

Additionally once it's complete I'll post a pic. I actually have a load more wood than I need, so I may make a second just in case the first dies.
 
I would go to a DIY or home improvement store and ask them what is safe for animals. There are some great wooden vivs that members have made, but I am an aquarium girl myself and figure they are probably easier for me to maintain.
 
I have instructions for a DYI display viv and rack system that I designed available for free on my page if you need ideas: http://www.blueappleherps.com/page13/page13.html

For sealing wood I like to use a water based polyurethane. Oil based is fine as well, but water is easier to work with. The trick with applying sealer is patience.

You want to take your time, let coats dry, and sand VERY well between coats. I've always done at least 3 coats. When you're done you want the surface to be slick just like glass. You want any urates/poop to easily wipe right off and not be able to absorb into the wood or get lodged into surface imperfections.

And as you said it's good to let it fully cure for while. I'll usually do at least a month just to be safe. I've found it takes less time with the water than oil based, but better safe than sorry.
 
Im no expert, but I recently built an aquarium for my sons corn snake and had a few pieces I wanted to seal. From my on line research I found several non-toxic paints on Amazon. I also read Krylon paint is non-toxic when dry. They make a paint called H20 Latex (low-voc). I didn’t find allot of information on line, but from what I found these are two good choices. You may also consider trying your local craft store.
Here’s a link about the Krylon:

http://www.greenyourdecor.com/1058/gag-free-spray-paint-krylon-h20-latex-low-voc/
 
I've used Krylon Fusion to paint overflow piping for tropical fish. If it's water proof and non toxic to fish it should work for a snake enclosure.
 
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