Reptile & Amphibian Forums

does anyone know what i should use to as a sealant on a wooden cage..should i use a water resistent sealant or a varnish..i am debating on going with either melamine or plywood, depending on price and availability..thanks for all the info..
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0.1 normal redtail boa
1.0 true redtail boa
1.1 100% het for albino redtails
1 miami red phase cornsnake
1 baby sulcata tortoise
1 snow corn

For many reasons I no longer recommend any oil-based finish, although something like oil-based polyurethane does offer a nice amount of protection for the cost. If that really appeals to you then I can make some specific recommendations about how to apply it so it will be safer for your snake. But understand even then it can take over a year to offgass completely. Also, be prepared for the amber color it gives to wood over time. Most people do not like this look on lighter woods like pine or birch, for example.

Waterborne polyurethanes are much safer but most are not as moisture or abrasion resistant. Not a big deal unless you simply cannot tolerate having to break the cage down every year or so and reapply the finish.

If you use a plastic laminate on the floor and use a waterborne poly on the walls it would probably last a very long time for a ball python.

There are also catalyzed waterborne polyurethanes and these are absolutely amazing and safe products, but they are expensive and not something you can buy in small quantity since they are primarily a floor finish.

A similar option is the two-part bar top epoxies. These are solvent free and are even used to create faux substrates in marine aquaria housing delicate marine invertebrates. They are also readily available and can be purchased in small quantity. They do end up costing a lot because they have to be applied thicker than polyurethane or paint.

And on that note, I'll warn you not to compare various options on a cost per volume basis. Some products need to be applied very thick and end up costing a lot because of this. You can't just compare a quart of product A to a quart of product B and say the cheaper one will cost less overall.

Melamine still has it's place and usually ends up being the cheapest option simply because very little finishing work is required. No paint brushes, stains, or clear coats to buy.

However, it is very heavy and when it fails it tends to fail to the point that the cage is unusable.

But most importantly, the melamine you buy at Home Depot or other Home Improvement Centers is not very good. It is just a melamine foil that is adhered to a low quality particle board.

If you go to a cabinet speciality store you can buy much higher quality melamine and sometimes not pay that much more. It also comes in a variety of colors. I probably would not use it for rainforest type vivarium, but for a BP cage it will be fine. I can go into the various grades of melamine if you like.

And for one last option, there is a brand of plywood that comes prefinished with a UV cured epoxy finish. It is expensive but is of very high quality and actually ends up costing less compared to buying the same quality plywood and finishing it yourself.

I have not yet tried it in a reptile enclosure, but the stuff is well respected. You can clean the surface with acetone without any ill effect.

Chris,
Do you have any experience with Polyshades brand? It's a stain and a polyurethane in one step. I've never used it. I'm planning on makings a couple racks from cabinet quality birch plywood and finishing it that that stuff. Supposedly, just one coat works pretty good.
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1.1 Jungle Carpet Python
1.1 Ball Python
1.1 Corn Snake
0.1 Gray band Kingsnake
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
0.1 Pueblan Milksnake
1.0 Bullsnake
1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback
0.1 Spouse
0.0.8 hatchling ball pythons

Yes I do, and it's completely unacceptable for a reptile enclosure. And it works very poorly on birch laminated plywood. I can explain this a bit more if you like.

I would instead use a water based stain or gel stain and then seal that with at least three coats of Polycrylic, made by the same company as Polyshades.

I'll certainly take your word for it, but I am curious. Why is it unacceptable for retile enclosures and why doesn't it work well on birch plywood?
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1.1 Jungle Carpet Python
1.1 Ball Python
1.1 Corn Snake
0.1 Gray band Kingsnake
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
0.1 Pueblan Milksnake
1.0 Bullsnake
1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback
0.1 Spouse
0.0.8 hatchling ball pythons

Polyshades is an oil-based product that tends to go on fairly thick which means it really does not cure properyly. It can offgass for a very long time. I do think it could be done with patience, but I strongly recommend against it. I have heard of it being applied and still being soft over a year later. That means it is still offgassing.

Birch plywood is extremely difficult to stain, even when using the appropriate product. It just absorbs color very unevenly. This is especially bad with polyshades so people tend to slop it on thick, making the curing problem even worse.

Again, I would use a dye or gel stain if you really want to change the color of the birch. And use a water-based polyurenthane for the topcoat.

I would also consider just a clear coat, which looks good on decent birch.

But back to oil-based products, even the most staunch traditionalists say that oil-based polys offgas solvents for extended periods. Go to any wood working forum and you'll see that they never use it for the inside of cabinets, closet or drawers that will hold food, dishes, clothes, sheets, etc.

That really opened my eyes about potential problems with oil-based products. It is compounded by the fact that companies have been forced to reduce the amount of solvents in their products to meet VOC regulations. Ironically, this has made the products less safe for use in reptile enclosures since it means the products are more difficult to work with and often don't cure properly.

Thanks for the info, you should write a book or create a website.
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1.1 Jungle Carpet Python
1.1 Ball Python
1.1 Corn Snake
0.1 Gray band Kingsnake
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
0.1 Pueblan Milksnake
1.0 Bullsnake
1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback
0.1 Spouse
0.0.8 hatchling ball pythons