Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am building snake cage with thin laminate melamine. Is there a waterproof contact paper out there? I checked the contact paper at home depot and it isn't really waterproof.
Also, what paint or clear coat would help make it more water resistant? Home Depot has a high gloss interior/exterior paint(water based) that they say is very water resistant. Any thoughts on that?

Russ P

Contact paper is not really designed to be waterproof but it sort of is. Somewhere on the web somebody has a picture of a MDF box lined with contact paper that is full of water and evidently has held water for a long time.

I have used contact paper in a few applications and have generally been very impressed with its durability. Unfortunately it is now thinner and made with a weaker adhesive and I hear from some snake keepers that it's not very good. I have not used these newer contact papers.

For a sealer to put over melamine, there are not a lot of choices. Even if you sand melamine aggressively very few paints will stick to it. I have only found two products that will stick to melamine. One was something a paint store sold me as "flash primer" that I was using to prime glass that needed to be painted. I had some left over and tried it on melamine and it worked.

But they also make a product called melamine paint that is often used to paint melamine cabinets. I have used this product in reptile cages but I can't say that I really tested it long term in a variety of conditions. My impression was that it was a durable paint but I gave the cage away to a friend who was moving out of state and never followed up on how it held up.

I suspect that some of the plastic spray-can paints will stick to melamine but I don't know how much protection they will offer. The solvent-based epoxy paints will probably stick but with as expensive as they are I'm not sure I'd even try putting them on melamine.

To answer the questions from your other post...

Vinyl film is used in the graphics industry and is very durable stuff and actually cheaper when bought in bulk. If you buy just enough for a few cages at a sign shop it will almost certainly be more expensive than contact paper. I also don't like how glossy it is. It comes in several grades. For a reptile cage you really just need a basic calendared vinyl film rated for 3-5 years of use. The more expensive and longer rated films offer no additional durability in a reptile cage application.

Lastly, many people do use linoleum or some sort of vinyl flooring in reptile cages with good success. Works very well and can often be had for free.

I think that scrap vinyl flooring on the floor and first few inches of the cage walls and then melamine paint on the rest of the walls will offer sufficient protection for most reptile enclosures.
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Currently keeping a small collection of various Gonyosoma. Both G. janseni and G. oxycephala.

You mentioned Home Depot and paint so I assume you're also getting your melamine from them. If durability is a concern I would try to get your melamine from a cabinet shop or lumber yard or wood dealer who supplies the cabinet industry in your area.

The melamine from Home Depot is almost always just a thin melamine foil over a lower grade particle board. If you look at it under bright light you can actually see the fibers of the particle board through the melamine surface.

At wood dealers you should find 100 weight thermofused melamine. The particle board interior will be of higher quality but more importantly the melamine surface will be MUCH better for a reptile cage.
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Currently keeping a small collection of various Gonyosoma. Both G. janseni and G. oxycephala.

Thank you for all the info. I was hoping to hear from you as I have read many of your posts and you seem very well informed on these subjects.
I am using shelving with minor defects from a local furniture company named Bush (Office Furniture). I assume these are thin coated but the inside material is very dense. I am building a shelved cage with five or six shelves for seperate cages. 2 feet by 6 feet by 10 inches high each. These are for my Texas Indigos. These will have sliding plexiglass fronts(with Outwater plastic track, thanks again)and plywood back. I have a 5'X19"X9" five cage unit that I have used for my pine snakes for ten years built the same way. The corners where they usually defecate have swelled and broken up a little but they have held up pretty well otherwise. I lock the dual sliders with a wood dowel laying in the tracks; this has never failed - no escapes.
I at one time had 3inch flexwatt at one end of cage alum. taped under the floor of each shelf. The I taped 1/2" cellotex under that to push the heat upwards. This worked great for years till one day I smelled burning and found the newspaper above it(3/4" melamine in between) all brown(burnt) and ready to burst into flames. I use a different heating method now that I will post photos of soon.

Thanks again,
Russ Pascatore

Russ,

The shelving is likely higher quality melamine, both the interior particle board and the melamine coating.

For Texas Indigos I highly recommend a durable and easy to clean floor. For this genus I would also have the first few to several inches of the cage walls a durable material. I would not rely on the melamine paint for these areas.
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Currently keeping a small collection of various Gonyosoma. Both G. janseni and G. oxycephala.

Chris,
What would you suggest? Calendared vinyl film? What does "calendered" mean and where can I find the stuff?

Russ

Chris,
I looked up a definition of "calendared vinyl film" so don't bother, thanks.
RP

Chris,
I found a local source of vinyl film. 30" X 50' for $55.

Russ

I would get it. You'll pay much more than that after shipping.

I like the vinyl film but have mixed emotions about using it in an Indigo cage. On one hand I would prefer something super durable and easy to clean given how messy they are. On the other hand I like the idea of having an easy to replace liner. Vinyl film can be applied wet so it's easy to fit it into an already assembled cage and squeegee all the bubbles out.
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Currently keeping a small collection of various Gonyosoma. Both G. janseni and G. oxycephala.

I guess I thought that it had an adhesive backing like contact paper. Can you overlap it? I like the idea of not having paint fumes gassing off.

It does have a self-adhesive backing but its solvent based so you can spray on a light coat of water with the smallest amount of dish soap and not affect the adhesive. This allows you to position it just right and also get the bubbles out.

But it also gives enough time for you to cut the vinyl slightly over-sized and trim it while it's not full adhered to the substrate.

I can be overlapped but I would be very careful about this and am not sure I'd rely on the overlapping to form a water tight seal on the floor and sides. Personally I think I'd just put in sections that are flush and the silicone the edges. I did one quick experiment with silicone on vinyl film and it seems to stick fine, but I have not tested it extensively.

BTW, the adhesive on vinyl film also needs to off-gass so I would not see it as being a huge advantage as compared to paint.
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Currently keeping a small collection of various Gonyosoma. Both G. janseni and G. oxycephala.

Chris,
Thanks again for all the info
RP

No problem.

If I were you I'd go buy a small piece of the exact product for sale and put it on a scrap piece of melamine. I'd then test it thoroughly. Do things like leave a sponge soaked in the disinfectant solution of your choice for an hour a day. Scrub it with the same tools you use in your current cages.

I think the vinyl film has a lot of potential but Indigos certainly require a lot of cleaning compared to other species.
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Currently keeping a small collection of various Gonyosoma. Both G. janseni and G. oxycephala.