Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have made some faux rocks for a leopard gecko. Now I need to seal them. I picked up some minwax fast-drying polyurethane for another project, can I use it to seal the rocks? If so how long will it take to off-gas? When I used poly in my iguanas enclosure I did not put her in it for about 1 to 1 1/2 mos to be sure there were no harmful fumes left. Was that overkill? So should I use the poly for the leos rocks or just go get some grout sealer? and if I should get the grout sealer, which is best? Or is there something else that will work?
Thanx all.
Roxanne

Grout sealer will be best. A guy I know builds high end steam showers etc. and he said grout sealers vary dramatically in quality. I don't remember the specific product he recommended but he was adamant that it would make a reptile cage easier to clean.

He did say something like "avoid the Home Depot @%#&". He buys other material from Home Depot so it's not like he has any bias against them.

I'll try to e-mail him but he's busy building/opening a restaurant with his wife. Doubt I'll hear back anytime soon.
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Current snakes:

0.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.3 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

3.3 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black & Tan)

Thanx Chris. I will go ahead and pick up some grout sealer. There was a ton of them... lol.. what is the difference between the pentrating sealer and the others? I do have a bottle of that around here somewhere... I am not a fan of home depot... well at least not the one in my town. Always crowded and dirty, so it is lowes for me. Even though they seem to be a bit more expensive than h.d. But you get what you pay for, sometimes.
Roxanne

>>what is the difference between the pentrating sealer and the others?

Well one penetrates Really, I'm not sure what the practical differences are. Penetrators may need more coats to get the top sealed, I don't know.

>>But you get what you pay for, sometimes.

Try a paint specialty store and see what they recommend.
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Current snakes:

0.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.3 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

3.3 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black & Tan)

Home Depot carries Custom Building Products sealants, lowes carries aquamix. Both equally suck for your purpose. They both work well, but for the stuff you will need it to stand up to, you will want to go to a professional flooring store. Penetrating sealer seeps into the grout and seals it all, regular sealer basically forms a wax type coating on top of your wax. Makes it hard as hell to clean, and I think it gets it dirtier.

Also you'll see some of this premixed grout.. don't waste your money on it. One of the newer version i've seen is called Dupont Stainmaster grout.. supposedly sealed when applied. BS!!! The grout you have to mix is a portland cement based product, the stuff in a can is mastic based. The cement will set through hydration (water bonding molecules. no, adding more water will not make it take longer to set.) Mastic goes through dehydration. Hydration will always produce a better adhesive bond.

Oh and by the way... i've discovered in different parts of the country different stores suck. I work at home depot here, mainly because I can't stand Lowe's in this town. I'll go over just to see what they carry and such, I can never find help, nobody knows what they're talking about, and nobody is willing to help. I have actually had someone call me from lowes and ask me how to install ceramic tile so they could tell a customer, lol.

However, I went up north a while back and needed to get some stuff so i went to home depot, they were basically just like the lowe's down here. Rude, didn't care less, didn't know anything... so I went up the street to lowe's and they knew all their stuff and told me exactly how to do it. It leads me to believe, it's not the store... it's the location and the people working in it.

But yeah, check out some specialty flooring store. They'll have what you want. Sorry to ramble.
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-Chris

The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -George Carlin

A fool doesn't learn. A smart man learns from his mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others. Which one are you?

My Website
N. American Rat/Corn snake care sheet I wrote
Information on substrates

Current snakes:
0.1 Licorice Stick Black Rat (Lola)
1.0 Black Rat (Frankie)
0.1 Texas Bairdi (Rosa)
0.1 Blue Beauty (Brunhilde)
1.0 Green Tree Python (Monty)

This is sort of off topic but I always noticed that Home Depot was aimed at the male consumer and Lowes towards the female. If ya think about it almost makes sense.

If you do discover a really good sealer could ya post the brand. Up and coming enclosure will need a lot and I am not one for crap products.

Thanks
Jeremy

>>Home Depot carries Custom Building Products sealants, lowes carries aquamix. Both equally suck for your purpose. They both work well, but for the stuff you will need it to stand up to, you will want to go to a professional flooring store.

Basically what my friend said, albeit he mentioned he gets his at a paint specialty store, not a flooring store.

>>Oh and by the way... i've discovered in different parts of the country different stores suck.

I lived in 5 states in less than a year at one point. I agree.
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Current snakes:

0.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.3 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

3.3 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black & Tan)

>>I have made some faux rocks for a leopard gecko. Now I need to seal them. I picked up some minwax fast-drying polyurethane for another project, can I use it to seal the rocks? If so how long will it take to off-gas? When I used poly in my iguanas enclosure I did not put her in it for about 1 to 1 1/2 mos to be sure there were no harmful fumes left. Was that overkill? So should I use the poly for the leos rocks or just go get some grout sealer? and if I should get the grout sealer, which is best? Or is there something else that will work?
>>Thanx all.
>>Roxanne

I would look in your local yellow pages under brick/pavers, stone, or masonry. What you want is a supplier of these products. What many of these suppliers carry besides bricks are sealers. These are sealers made for the demands
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0.1 Colombian Boa-(Boa Constrictor Imperator) "Honey"
1.0 Hogg Isle Boa-(Boa Constrictor Imperator) "un-named"
1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa-(Epicrates Cenchria) "Houdini"
0.1 Argentine Boa-(Boa Constrictor Occidentalis) "Lacie"
0.0.2 Green Tree Python-(Morelia Viridis)Biak type-"Smog" & Sorong type- "un-named"

>>I have made some faux rocks for a leopard gecko. Now I need to seal them. I picked up some minwax fast-drying polyurethane for another project, can I use it to seal the rocks? If so how long will it take to off-gas? When I used poly in my iguanas enclosure I did not put her in it for about 1 to 1 1/2 mos to be sure there were no harmful fumes left. Was that overkill? So should I use the poly for the leos rocks or just go get some grout sealer? and if I should get the grout sealer, which is best? Or is there something else that will work?
>>Thanx all.
>>Roxanne

Grab your local yellow pages and look up bricks/pavers, stone, or masonry. What you want is a supplier of the products listed above. What many of these suppliers carry, besides the building components, is sealers. These sealers are designed with the demands of my trade in mind, we use them on brick walkways and driveways as well, i also use them to seal my interior stone work. "Sure Kleen" has a line of products, cleaners, sealers, enhancers, a common brand. "Stone Glamour" is another brand name although harder to find. These products will range in price from $15.00-$25.00 per gallon. I've seen stone glamour in pints. Also, some of these products will dry with a sheen and some will dry flat, i suppose each has its place. Clint
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0.1 Colombian Boa-(Boa Constrictor Imperator) "Honey"
1.0 Hogg Isle Boa-(Boa Constrictor Imperator) "un-named"
1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa-(Epicrates Cenchria) "Houdini"
0.1 Argentine Boa-(Boa Constrictor Occidentalis) "Lacie"
0.0.2 Green Tree Python-(Morelia Viridis)Biak type-"Smog" & Sorong type- "un-named"

What you're referring to I think is more of a saltillo/paver salant. I wasn't even thinking of these. If you want a glossy surface, HD sells a RoVal saltillo sealer that works very well. This IS a penetrating sealer, and that's really probably your best bet. I've never used it, but I sell a heck of a lot of it... i've been told it does a great job...
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-Chris

The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -George Carlin

A fool doesn't learn. A smart man learns from his mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others. Which one are you?

My Website
N. American Rat/Corn snake care sheet I wrote
Information on substrates

Current snakes:
0.1 Licorice Stick Black Rat (Lola)
1.0 Black Rat (Frankie)
0.1 Texas Bairdi (Rosa)
0.1 Blue Beauty (Brunhilde)
1.0 Green Tree Python (Monty)

Upon talking with many representatives of companies such as the Larson Company, Jolly Miller, Cost of Wisconsin, etc.., many of the big-time zoo exhibit builders use a product that home depot does carry called xypex. Xypex is mixed in with the aggregate as you mix it. Once the grout/cement cures, the xypex closes up the cells within the particles, as cement and grout are naturally porous, thus creating a water impenetrable barrier.. This product is frequently used in the cement used to construct the walls of basements, as basement exterior walls will always be under attack by moisture within the ground. The best thing about xypex is that it is non toxic, and has been used in sensitive aquatic organism exhibits in zoos and aquariums. I would be careful as to some of the commercial grout sealers, as who knows what the long term side effects of those chemicals may be. Xypex has been used many times, and has become one of the exhibit builder industry's standard when it comes to sealing cement/aggretate formations.

Good Luck, just another option you might want to consider... Cheers,

Bob
treemonitors.com

I wouldn't use that. Xypex is basically a steroid type substance and it does nothing more than waterproof your grout. It will still be susceptible to stains and won't clean easily. I'd use a saltillo/paver sealant.
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-Chris

The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -George Carlin

A fool doesn't learn. A smart man learns from his mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others. Which one are you?

My Website
N. American Rat/Corn snake care sheet I wrote
Information on substrates

Current snakes:
0.1 Licorice Stick Black Rat (Lola)
1.0 Black Rat (Frankie)
0.1 Texas Bairdi (Rosa)
0.1 Blue Beauty (Brunhilde)
1.0 Green Tree Python (Monty)

Thanx for all the replies.. oi so many choices! Guess I will have to research them all and see which will work best for me.
Roxanne