Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 4' x 2' x 18" wooden cage that I built for my adult pair of bps. I want to paint it but i dont know what type of paint to use. I have a seperate enclosure for them to stay in for a couple of weeks because i know that the cage will need to air out. I want to protect the wood from moisture as well so i was thinking some sort of exterior paint?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated
Thanks
Kirby

DO NOT use exterior paint. I know it seems counter-intuitive, but exterior paints are actually less moisture resistant than most interior paints since they (the exterior paints) are designed to be painted onto wood substrates that can expand and contract with the seasons.

The general rule of thumb for a moisture resistant and scrubbable paint is to use the hardest and least flexible paint that can be put on the substrate you will be using.

By "bps" I assume you mean Ball Pythons? In that case you don't need that much moisture resistance.

I would recommend sealing the floor with some sort of solid plastic, whether it be PVC sign board (aka Sintra), FRP, shower board, or some scrap vinyl flooring. Then the walls could be painted with pretty much any high quality acrylic latex paint.

A higher gloss finish will be more durable and easier to clean (and often slightly cheaper) but will show imperfections of the cage insides. A flatter finish will hide imperfections but not be as scrubbable or moisture resistant.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Jave local (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

1.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Celebes locale (Black & Tan)

Your right they dont need a lot of humidity, but i plan to keep that cage for a long time and want to resist the slow rotting of the wood.

Thanks For Your Reply
K

I can totally understand wanting more of a lifetime finish. That totally opens things up.

Another poster here bought some single component garage floor paint from Sherwin Williams. It was an industrial product. You might find that thread and email him, seeing if he has any updates.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Jave local (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

1.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Celebes locale (Black & Tan)