Pine plywood

[james.w]

Is using pine plywood to build an enclosure ok as long as it is sealed? I plan on sealing with drylok and than caulking all seams. Possibly painting it after as well.

 

[Guest]

I worked in a lumber mill years ago after I gave up logging .. Did two years at the plywood plant ... Pine should work fine .. Plywood is made from what ever species is available in big logs known a peelers .. There is indoor plywood and exterior .Its all the same as the glue that is used is the difference and they don`t change or even have two different kinds of glue any more ..The only difference is the Ink stamp on sheet according to what the customer ordered and price paid .. I would suggest using 3/4 inch ... Each sheet will have a good side and a rough side keep that in mind ..

 

[Toby_H]

Montana... just so ya know... I love reading your posts...

James... The 'dangerous' aspect of pine is the sap and plywood should be sap free. Also Drylock seals 100% water tight (and thus sap tight), so even if the ply had something undesirable in it the Drylock will act as a safe barrier between it and your Tegu.

 

[james.w]

Thanks for the responses. One more thing. When sealing and such. Is it drylok, then caulk, then paint?? Thanks

 

[Guest]

I haven`t worked with Drylok but I have done a lot of building and finishing.. I would put on a very thin coat of Drylok rough it up with very fine sand paper [quick and sloppy ] Then I would caulk .Then two more coats Dryloc .. I think I read that you put twice the pigment In the Dryloc for the same color .. Dryloc is paint .. Toby works with that stuff ...

 

[Toby_H]

I've done a lot of Drylock'ing. Both in animal related projects as well as industrial applications. The stuff is amazing...

When applying Drylok to wood... put the first coat as thin as possible, the next coat a little thicker, the next coat a little thicker, etc...

You won't need to rough up the Drylok, it's very rough naturally. But doing so wouldn't hurt if you look at your application and feel it is necessary.

You can paint over the Drylok if you wish, just be cautious which paint you use. Some paints have higher VOCs than others. Drylok itself has very low VOCs and is rated (per the label) to be safe to use for sealing fish ponds, thus it is safe to use on reptile enclosures as well.

You can add paint pigments to Drylok to color it. By 'pigments' I mean the very thick stuff they have at the paint store / hardware store they squirt into white paint to make colored paint. In my personal experience, big box stores like Home Depot or Lowes will not put pigments in Drylok because it voids the manufacturers warrantee. Smaller hardware stores like Ace or Aco have added pigments for me.

You will need to add double the amount of pigment in Drylok that you would add to paint. If you talk with the paint guy at the store they can pull information out of their computer telling you what pigments to add to make literally any color in the world. Since Drylok isn't any more expensive than high grade paint, I see no reason to paint over Drylok, I just tint mine.

I don't caulk at all. If the corners are build very stiff, meaning they will not bend/flex in the life of the cage, then the Drylok can coat and seal the corners just fine.

I have a 2~3 year old 4'x2'x2' enclosure that is sealed with Drylok. Despite having been moved around dozens of times it still holds water 100% tight. My larger 8' enclosure is sealed the same way and in my dining room and is also 100% water tight. With both enclosures I commonly (weekly) pour water by the gallon right onto the mulch which allows water to settle in the bottom of the enclosure. I've never had a drop leak out.

If you search this forum for Drylok you will read many posts where I boast about how great this stuff is as well as the experiences of many other members.

If you do choose to caulk/silicone... you would want to apply the caulk or silicone last, unless using a paintable caulk.

If you use caulk/silicone I suggest using either GE I Window & Door or DAP (non plus version) Window & Door silicone. Kitchen & Bath versions use an ammonia based antifungal agent that slowly releases over time (years). The 'Bioseal' in GEII and DAP plus versions is different than the Kit & Bath 'bioseal', but both contain chemicals that are best to avoid when possible.

The details on silicone I provided are things I've learned making aquariums and other fish tank related projects. So they may not be nearly as important in a reptile enclosure, but I thought I'd share...

 

[Toby_H]

^wow I talk alot^

lol

 

[james.w]

Might be alot of talking but very informative. Thanks. If I do caulk with paintable caulking, you say I should caulk first than drylok? I will take your advice and not paint over the drylok, I will either tint or just use the light gray drylok.

 

[Toby_H]

Sorry, I would Drylok first, then caulk. If using a paintable caulk I would Drylok first, then caulk, then put a final coat of Drylok over the caulk just to make it match/blend...

 

[james.w]

Thanks Toby. Any way you could post some pics of your enclosures?

 

[Toby_H]

 

[Guest]

I like your fish tank !!!! Are the fish Cichlids???If you are like me you spend serious money on fish food ...

 

[james.w]

Thanks for the pics Toby. Can you post pics of your lighting setup.

 

[Toby_H]

I don't have any pics of my lighting and I'm giong to try to get away without taking any tonight

I have a stardard 4' single bulb shop light fixture like this - <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.homedepot.com/Lighting-Fans-Indoor-Lighting-Industrial-Shop-Lighting/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xh9Zbvnq/R-100553387/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.homedepot.com/Lighting-Fans- ... ogId=10053</a><!-- m -->

One is mounted under the shelf which contains a 10.0 UVB bulb. This bulb is held about 10" above the mulch or 7" off my Tegus back...

The other 4' fluorescent bulb is mounted along the top of the front wall and uses a normal daylight bulb.

There are two incandescent fixtures like this but with smaller diameter domes - <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical-Electrical-Tools-Accessories-Work-Lights/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xh9Zbm8p/R-100664506/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical-Ele ... ogId=10053</a><!-- m -->

Both mounted to the ceiling pointing down at the wood insert to the right. These are alternated (times and wattage) to simulate seasonal changes

The lights were all placed to not be seen from a casual front viewing angle. They are also placed to ensure there is no glare on the front glass.


Oh, and just to confirm, the green back ground and brown shelf, etc are Drylok with pigment added...

 

[james.w]

A few more questions for you Toby. How did you do your ventilation? How do you keep your humidity up? And what grit sandpaper did you use for the outside from start to finish? Thanks in advance.

 

[Toby_H]

How did you do your ventilation?

In my smaller 4'x2'x2' enclosure I made 4"x18" holes in each end which is then covered by screen (1/4" square holes)...

In my larger 8'x3' enclosure I planned vents that could be added, but did not build them in initially. Thus far I see no need for vents in the larger enclosure. The conceptual design for vents was to place a single 4" diamter hole at the top of each end with a 4" computer fan mounted into one of them to create air movement.

How do you keep your humidity up?

I keep the mulch damp by pouring water directly on the mulch. But the air in my enclosure does not have overly high humidity.

He does have a humid hide as well as a water 'dish' that he can fully submerse himself in. I also feed both live fish and cod liver oil which provides my Tegu with oils in his skin to provide smooth sheds.

And what grit sandpaper did you use for the outside from start to finish?

I can't quote grit sizes off the top of my head, but I started with sanded plywood and then sanded A TON in attempts to create a furniture quality finish.

 

[james.w]

Thanks for all the help.

 

[louistoth]

Pine is most often used for furniture as well for boat. It is flexible, inexpensive, workable and re-usable softwood. Pine wood never be smooth you need to make it. For painting you can use spray painting or roll painting. It depends upon the application.