Reptile & Amphibian Forums

so im in the process of building a new enclosure for a bearded dragon, its huge, 4ftX6Ft, ive got most of the work done but unsure of how to complete the project, Ive got a fake rock background made out of great stuff, some grout and then spray painted with some textured paint. my question about this is do i need to seal this with something? It does seem to be giving off a small amount of odor, will any polyurethane work for this, would a laquer work as well? Ive got both in a spray on form, im thinking the polyurethane would work best. Next question is, ive used herculiner truck bed liner to waterproof the floor of the enclosure. Its black and im worried about my lighting heating the black floor up too much, is this a valid concern? i was thinking of using a slightly darker color of the spray on textured paint on it. Last question is if i can leave the black floor on it, do i need to seal this as well. maybe my best bet is to just seal the whole thing with a polyurethane. Heres some pics for reference if needed. This is one of my first builds so any advice i can get is much appreciated. thanks

Looks real nice.

I would suggest sealing it with several coats of flat urethane to seal the grout to make it easier to keep clean.

For the floor I would recommend using mason's sand. This can be had from any brick or block yard in your area. It's usually washed and sifted as masons use it in their mortar and chunks and pebbles really aren't good for that. Typically it is rounded sand granules as opposed to silica sand which is sharp particles. The rounded is better for lizard bedding as it will not cause impactions. Silica sand the sharp particles can interlock and cause impaction.

Sand would absorb heat and maintain some nightime temps, your beardies would love digging in it, it's cheap and easy to clean and replace.
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BigT
There is a difference between ignorance and stupidity. The ignorant can be taught, stupidity is beyond our control.
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