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I recently converted a chest-of-drawers into a gecko cage (I'll post some pics in a couple of days). After staining and coating with polyurethane over a week ago, yesterday I added the lighting, live plants, and geckos. This morning when I opened the cage to mist it, I was hit with the smell of the stain.

Here are my questions: 1) I air dried the stain and polyurethane for over a week. How long should you wait before adding animals or the smell dissapates?

2) The smell was strong, but not overpowering, should I remove the animals?
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2.1.0 water dragons, 2.2 crested geckos, 0.0.3 turtles, 1.0.0 5-line skink, 2.0.0 anoles, 0.0.1 giant millipede, 1.0.0 uromastyx, 1.0.0 armadillo lizard, 1.0.0 veiled chameleon, 1.1.0 bearded dragons, 1.0.0 pictus gecko, 1.1.0 CA banded gecko, 1.0.0 Hondo, 1.1.0 corns, 1.0.0 dog, 1.1.0 cats, 0.1.0 wife, 2 SW tanks - 20H, 55

>>Here are my questions: 1) I air dried the stain and polyurethane for over a week. How long should you wait before adding animals or the smell dissapates?

Were these products oil/solvent based or waterborne? What products did you use exactly?

And how did you apply them? How many coats of each? How much time between coats?

If the poly was oil based you may have to wait months. But since you said it smells like the stain, maybe you just put a waterborne poly over a solvent based stain. In that case it might not be as long. Although care should be taken to allow solvent based stains to dry completely, especially when applying waterborne polys over the top.

>>2) The smell was strong, but not overpowering, should I remove the animals?

I would.

I posted this at work and I'm not sure if they were oil or water-based. I know they were both made by minwax. I waited 2 days to let the stain dry (had a fan on it too), then applied 2 coats of poly. over a week ago.

I'm going to take the cresteds out as soon as I get home; I've got an empty 20 I can transfer them to for a couple of weeks or so. Hopefully, by then, the smell will be gone.
Thanks for the response.
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2.1.0 water dragons, 2.2 crested geckos, 0.0.3 turtles, 1.0.0 5-line skink, 2.0.0 anoles, 0.0.1 giant millipede, 1.0.0 uromastyx, 1.0.0 armadillo lizard, 1.0.0 veiled chameleon, 1.1.0 bearded dragons, 1.0.0 pictus gecko, 1.1.0 CA banded gecko, 1.0.0 Hondo, 1.1.0 corns, 1.0.0 dog, 1.1.0 cats, 0.1.0 wife, 2 SW tanks - 20H, 55

Minwax makes both oil and water based stains/poly.

Did the poly go on milky white and then dry clear, or did it have a tea color and dry clear/amber?

Wow, Chris, I didn't even pay that much attention. Best I can remember, it was clear throughout the process. I'll be home in a couple of hours, so I'll post when I get get my hands on the stuff. I'll put up some pics, as well.
Mike
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2.1.0 water dragons, 2.2 crested geckos, 0.0.3 turtles, 1.0.0 5-line skink, 2.0.0 anoles, 0.0.1 giant millipede, 1.0.0 uromastyx, 1.0.0 armadillo lizard, 1.0.0 veiled chameleon, 1.1.0 bearded dragons, 1.0.0 pictus gecko, 1.1.0 CA banded gecko, 1.0.0 Hondo, 1.1.0 corns, 1.0.0 dog, 1.1.0 cats, 0.1.0 wife, 2 SW tanks - 20H, 55

Mike,

I think you'd remember if it were water based as it goes on milky white and dries crystal clear.

I'm guessing you used an oil-based poly. If you applied it with a brush you probably made the common mistake of applying it too thick and/or not waiting enough between coats.

Both scenarios can mean months of waiting, I'm afraid to say.

With oil based poly you're actually better off diluting it with mineral spirts and wiping it onto the wood with a cloth. Several thin coats with plenty of drying time inbetween makes for more work, but actually means a cage which you can use sooner.

I do like the protection oil-based poly provides for the price but it comes with some nuances and quirks.

The polyurethane says "fast-drying" on the label and also lists that it's made with mineral spirits. Other than that, it doesn't directly say whether it's oil or water based.
The directions (which I didn't read) do say to apply with a brush and wait 3-4 hours before applying a second coat. Like I mentioned earlier, I waited days before my second coat, and a week before adding the animals.
The other thing, like I mentioned, is that it doesn't smell like polyurethane, it smells like the stain. I don't have a clue, but I am taking the animals out for a while.
Thanks for the help. Check out the pics of the cage under username Grish. I'm posting them now.
Peace
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2.1.0 water dragons, 2.2 crested geckos, 0.0.3 turtles, 1.0.0 5-line skink, 2.0.0 anoles, 0.0.1 giant millipede, 1.0.0 uromastyx, 1.0.0 armadillo lizard, 1.0.0 veiled chameleon, 1.1.0 bearded dragons, 1.0.0 pictus gecko, 1.1.0 CA banded gecko, 1.0.0 Hondo, 1.1.0 corns, 1.0.0 dog, 1.1.0 cats, 0.1.0 wife, 2 SW tanks - 20H, 55

That's an oil based polyurethane and I suspect the cause of your odor. But the fact that it smells like stain makes me hopeful I'm wrong. Did you stain any outside parts of the dresser that were not sealed with Poly?

The directions on the can are technically correct but not ideal if complete and quick offgassing is a concern. What's appropriate for a hardwood floor is not necessarily appropriate for a gecko. Beyond that, very few woodworkers apply it that way. They all thin it down and either spray or wipe it on.

Just be patient. Unless you truely slopped on the first or second coat too thick it will offgass eventually.

All the areas I stained have poly over them. For whatever reason, I did notice that the smell had already decreased considerably by the time I got home yesterday.
Thanks for all the info. and advice for future projects.
Mike
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2.1.0 water dragons, 2.2 crested geckos, 0.0.3 turtles, 1.0.0 5-line skink, 2.0.0 anoles, 0.0.1 giant millipede, 1.0.0 uromastyx, 1.0.0 armadillo lizard, 1.0.0 veiled chameleon, 1.1.0 bearded dragons, 1.0.0 pictus gecko, 1.1.0 CA banded gecko, 1.0.0 Hondo, 1.1.0 corns, 1.0.0 dog, 1.1.0 cats, 0.1.0 wife, 2 SW tanks - 20H, 55

I got the pics up this morning. I only showed 4 stages of the project, but it was much more detailed than that. Took me about a total of three weeks to complete, then another week before I added animals (prematurely).

They're probably up on the first gallery in cages, or you can search my username, Grish.

I'm certainly no carpenter, but I'm pretty happy with the outcome.
later
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2.1.0 water dragons, 2.2 crested geckos, 0.0.3 turtles, 1.0.0 5-line skink, 2.0.0 anoles, 0.0.1 giant millipede, 1.0.0 uromastyx, 1.0.0 armadillo lizard, 1.0.0 veiled chameleon, 1.1.0 bearded dragons, 1.0.0 pictus gecko, 1.1.0 CA banded gecko, 1.0.0 Hondo, 1.1.0 corns, 1.0.0 dog, 1.1.0 cats, 0.1.0 wife, 2 SW tanks - 20H, 55