Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Do you have to "sandwitch" it with ply wood or anything? It seems to flimsy to use it by itself. Although I know bob uses it, maybe there are different types the kind I have seen were very flimsy with a fake tile pattern on it (like linoleum tile).

you do not have to do anything unless you want to.

Yes it wil help make it more sturdy, but you can also help by framing the cage then applying the tileboard to the frame. The closer the cross members are on the frame the more sturdy it will be.

If using it for something with alot of digging power or strength then by all means reinforce it with plywood.

The tileboard or frp or whatever you choose to use is meant for a vapor barrier for the inside of the cage. It will stand up to high humidty and water much longer then wood.

Hi Jimmy,

I choose to use the tileboard for several reasons. The most important reason is that it is water-resistant, and holds up to high humidity levels very well. While FRP does the same thing, I prefer to use the tileboard, as the tileboard is significantly more rigid than FRP. WIth FRP you would definately have to use a plywood or other rigid backing to support it. Whereas with the tileboard, it is rigid enough to constitute the enclosure walls, given you build a framework first(I use 2x2's and space them every 24" or so-that's usually enough to prevent any bowing or bending in the tileboard).

I basically build my enclosures in the same fashion as you would build the walls of a house, I start off with the floor platform, and I build the walls of each side separately, then mount the walls once assembled directly to the floor. When building an enclosure, try to make the entire inside sealed with the tileboard- with no support studs showing. The wood framework will absorb moisture, and will eventually rot. This is why the framework of my enclosures is on the outside, and the inside of the enclosure is basically a sealed box, with each corner siliconed tight.

I know people who use FRP, and their enclosures work out fine as long as they use plywood or particle board or something similar to back it. This usually makes the enclosure much heavier and bulkier.

One other thing that I like about my method, is that it is probably 3x cheaper than the FRP/plywood approach, as here by me, FRP costs about $29 a sheet, whereas tileboard costs only $9 a sheet. Throw in more money for the plywood, and you're already spent significantly more money on the FRP/Plywood combo..

Like I said, both methods will work out just fine, I like mine because it's less labor intensive, lightweight, and cheaper.... Good luck!

Cheers,

Bob
treemonitors.com

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TheOdatriad

Just curious: Does your tileboard hold up under soil? I've just never used it that way, is why I'm asking.

Roger

honestly, I don't know. I do not use any soil or substrate with any of my tree monitors. I suppose if it is sealed properly, you shouldn't have a problem with having it submerged in soil... But that's only a guess based on what I've seen with exposure to high moisture levels.

Cheers,

Bob
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TheOdatriad

Tileboard is meant to be glued to a sturdy underlayment, such ad sheetrock when someone wants to creat a cheap (and crappy) tub surround. I assume you could make your cage by building it out of plywood and then lining it with tileboard. That would be using it as it is designed for.

BTW tileboard is made of compressed particles, and would not be a good choice for use underground.

Roger