Building enclosures needing humidity

[Skits]

I'm going to be re-building a few of my enclosures as they don't hold humidity well and the build is a pain in the *** (three 6x2 tanks, 7 feet tall and I can't separate them or get them out of the room).

I want to know what's the best way to build them so they can keep humidity and not mold or rot? I'll be making it out of wood.

What wood do I use, what coating, etc..

[formica]

yacht varnish and silicone sealant - not full proof tho, how long it last depends on how carefully its applied.

what in particular are you keeping in them? what kind of heating do they require? cant beat plastics for humidity control really, but the type you use depends on the heating required

[wareagleA5]

I used epoxy on my plywood build, and researched the way it's used in wooden boat building to completely encapsulate the wood and protect all the joints with epoxy fillet. The guys building plywood fish tanks are also using epoxy and paint on pond liner, some of them have tanks that are over 5 years old with no problems.
Epoxy is expensive especially if you buy it retail instead of directly through a distributor. I bought 1.5 gallons from raka epoxy for $92 shipped and I only used about 1 quart on a 5'x3'x2' enclosure so I have more than enough to do several more enclosures.

[jarich]

For a snake enclosure all you really need to do is use a water based polyurethane. Its much simpler and also a bit cheaper. Give it a couple coats and your golden. If you were going to be using a soil substrate or something like that where moisture will be touching the wood directly all the time then Id say go with the epoxy resin, yes. Not the varnish though fomica. Found out that stuff leaches some pretty gross chemicals when in contact with water/soil.

[formica]

For a snake enclosure all you really need to do is use a water based polyurethane. Its much simpler and also a bit cheaper. Give it a couple coats and your golden. If you were going to be using a soil substrate or something like that where moisture will be touching the wood directly all the time then Id say go with the epoxy resin, yes. Not the varnish though fomica. Found out that stuff leaches some pretty gross chemicals when in contact with water/soil.

yes important point - choose a Zero VOC product - this applies to all sealants including epoxies, varnishes and plastic sealants (water based polyurethane sealant doesn't grantee zero VOC, unless the brand specifically states it on the tin)

to be honest no sealant is ever going to be perfectly safe, even zero or low VOC, and its one of the reasons i prefer to use plastic these days, including polycarbonate in bigger enclosures (eg my sav setup)

[wareagleA5]

yes important point - choose a Zero VOC product - this applies to all sealants including epoxies, varnishes and plastic sealants (water based polyurethane sealant doesn't grantee zero VOC, unless the brand specifically states it on the tin)

to be honest no sealant is ever going to be perfectly safe, even zero or low VOC, and its one of the reasons i prefer to use plastic these days, including polycarbonate in bigger enclosures (eg my sav setup)
Good point, VOC compliant and zero VOC are different and it has to be stressed to use zero VOC. 100% solids epoxy is what I recommend, and it should be cured at the manufacturers recommended temperature to fully cure so there is no outgassing after after it hardens. Epoxy is actually a thermosetting plastic(polymer) and much more resistant to heat and chemicals than thermoplastic. Make sure not to use polyester resin and vinyl ester resin. If you pick up "fiberglass" resin from the hardware store or autobody shop it will most likely be polyester resin. I also agree with jarich that epoxy is probably overkill unless you're going to have a heavy moist substrate.

[Skits]

Alright thanks for the replies everyone :) It's for my tegu and my boa. The tanks they are in now don't hold humidity and don't have the proper wood so it looks like it's slowly falling apart. I don't want mold in it or for it to rot so I want to start building something before that happens.

So for an enclosure that will have almost a foot of soil constantly in there, and 80% humidity, I'd use an epoxy resin, right? Can anyone recommend a good brand?

[wareagleA5]

Epoxy :*Epoxy Resins and Hardeners (http://www.uscomposites.com/epoxy.html)
Raka, Inc. 772-489-4070 (http://www.raka.com/epoxy_kits.html)
These places both sell good epoxy, I used raka because they have great customer service and they also have smaller,1.5 quart kits, starting at $40.00. If you don't want to order online you can find west epoxy at lots of places, but it's only sold at retail prices. You'll want to make sure you get laminating epoxy, it's thinner and penetrates wood better. You can also pick up filler material to mix with your epoxy online for the corners and seems.