Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know this question has been asked and have read most of the responses however outside of lamination, special equipment or expensive products what is the easiest way to do so? I mean there has to be a simple, snake friendly way to water proof wood right?

Assuming lamination is the only way, what is the costs involved and what company would do this? And do they sell a product already pre-laminate?
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Jason A.
"Long time Herper, first year Breeder `07."

What species is this for and are you looking for a life-time finish or do you mind resealing every few years?

And do you really need a waterproof finish?

Also, what look do you prefer in the cage?

When it comes to sealing wood there are all sorts of trade offs and considerations.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

0.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Malaysian locale (green)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java local (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

1.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Celebes locale (Black & Tan)

What species is this for and are you looking for a life-time finish or do you mind resealing every few years?

"GTP, BRB and JCP."
"Life time finish."

And do you really need a waterproof finish?

"Yes"

Also, what look do you prefer in the cage?

"Assuming you mean colors it can be black or earth tones."

When it comes to sealing wood there are all sorts of trade offs and considerations.

"I agree this is why I am leaning towards www.boaphileplastics.com/"

Thanks for your response!
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Jason A.
"Long time Herper, first year Breeder `07."

I have waterproofed wood with solvent based epoxy paint and with 100% epoxy resin, although I'm not sure if the bar top epoxy I used is a true waterproof finish. Regardless, if I had to do it again I would without a doubt use a 100% epoxy resin system as I did not like working with the epoxy paint.

Or I would try some of the new generation "waterborne" epoxy paints. One that sounds very intriguing is Hydro-Seal 75. This company claims you can use this stuff to seal a plywood box and make it into an aquarium.

I would also consider some of the new garage floor paints that are waterborne, or at least very low VOC.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

0.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Malaysian locale (green)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java local (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

1.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Celebes locale (Black & Tan)

What would be the cost of 100% epoxy resin per gallon? Some of my search results had $70? If I have a 36x24x24 – or 36x18x18 cage that would probably use close to half a gallon I would imagine? 10 years ago building your own cage was cost effective not sure if that is the case anymore especially one with my high humidity needs.
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Jason A.
"Long time Herper, first year Breeder `07."

Some of the bar top epoxies are well under $50. The cheapest that I can recall is Kleer Koat. Google it to find out more.

Also consider using a waterproof floor and maybe the first few inches of the cage walls. The rest of the cage does not need a waterproof coating and that can save you money.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

0.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Malaysian locale (green)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java local (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

1.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Celebes locale (Black & Tan)

A good, moisture-resistant wood cage is not cheap to build. Wood has gotten pricey and the good wood finishes as you have seen are expensive too. But, wood insulates wonderfully.

I think that laminating even the 1/8" thick expanded PVC plastic to the cage floor is the best way to get some of the benefits of a plastic cage and the benefits of wood in one. PVCx is available from plastics outlets like us-plastics.com or else can be ordered from sign shops. It cuts nicely using a knife and straight edge (requires a number of passes). You could then silicon around the edges.

If you love working with wood, then that is a reason to build. But if you are time limited or power-tool limited, then buying a ready-to-go plastic cage is tempting considering the low prices for some very good cages out there.

Example, I got 3ft x 1ft colubrid cages from www.herpcages.com for about $100 each all done, with recesses for Flexwatt. Hard to beat that for waterproof, light, functional and attractive cages.
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Mark

Thanks for the replies, while I can work with wood I don’t have the tools required all I own is a power drill, router and a hand saw. I was trying to save money but with the price of materials and my time I will end up breaking even. The cages I have built in the past I still use today but are a pain in the but to heat and don’t hold humidity to well.. I am going to try some of the cage builders and see which I like.
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Jason A.
"Long time Herper, first year Breeder `07."

In case you are still considering DIY wood cages, please read my post above re. Drylok. I totally forgot to mention it in my previous replies. I've been through a very tough couple of weeks.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

0.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Malaysian locale (green)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java local (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

1.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Celebes locale (Black & Tan)