Sheet PVC at big box store

[LarryS]

Some one mentioned recently that Home Depot was carrying 4x8 x 1/2 sheets of PVC, and sure enough our local store has it in stock.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v393/inkahootz/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-02/C86F3BCC-91D1-457A-AC84-A671BB1A5FA8.jpg

It is white and has a woodgrain finish on one side but the price is right!

[Sublimeballs]

No way.... This just made my day.

[reptiledude987]

What are you planning to use this for?

[millertime89]

Will they still cut it for you? I might have to get some...

[reptiledude987]

Cutting it isnt too hard you want to use a fine toothed saw. Large saw teeth will cause chipping and cracking. Still trying to figure out what this will be used for???

[wrecker45]

I would think a PVC cage would cost just as much to build as it would to buy won made.

[reptiledude987]

But if your going to use a sheet and cut it to make the enclosure what would you use to attach the pieces? Because normal pvc glue is toxic and I wouldnt trust it for my snakes. If using some sort of metal corner bead youre not goin to have the nice sealed edges that you would get with a pre fabricated pvt enclosure. So I'm just trying to understand the benefit of this.

[millertime89]

You use screws to hold the whole thing together and seal it with aquarium sealant.

[reptiledude987]

what would you use for ventalation?

[reptiledude987]

Im consider checking to see if my home depot has this as well and comparing if its cheaper to make one or just buy pre fab. As soon as I get a pvc terrarium hello BRB's!

[millertime89]

Just cut/drill holes in the side.

[David VB]

Is pvc glue still poisonous when it dried out? Don't think so bth.

[millertime89]

Is pvc glue still poisonous when it dried out? Don't think so bth.

Good question, and I would tend to think you're right, but I'm not sure what would happen in a warm, humid environment. Especially if a water bowl got spilled. I would use aquarium sealant on the inside and PVC glue on the outside edges.

[reptiledude987]

I've used pvc glue quite a bit in the past and have never seen any that are non toxic oso I just wouldnt chance it.

[wrecker45]

For a 4 x 2 x 1 you need two sheets plus plexi glass doors and hinges and locks.

[metalcopper]

Menards has them too, 1/4 thick is $56. A friend of mine is building 48x19x18 enclosures out of one sheet, and they're sturdy. Total cost with Plexiglas and hardware is about $70 per enclosure.

[pet_snake_78]

My Home Depot has this too, Azek board, I assume it's Expanded PVC but I have not called the vendor for details. If you just want one cheap 4x2, I doubt it's worth it because boamaster and AP both have them for around the 150$ range plus shipping or gas to go get them. As someone already mentioned, you need two for the 4x2 (although the scrap will already get you started on a second one). I think you could also save quite a bit on doing a large rack with these compared to buying one. It's hard to find racks for 40+" tubs and I imagine shipping would be quite high. I would also consider it if I were going to build 4 or more cages. I wonder if any of the cage makers would sell off 4 or 5 sheets though and beat HD's prices?

[jjhill001]

My Home Depot has this too, Azek board, I assume it's Expanded PVC but I have not called the vendor for details. If you just want one cheap 4x2, I doubt it's worth it because boamaster and AP both have them for around the 150$ range plus shipping or gas to go get them. As someone already mentioned, you need two for the 4x2 (although the scrap will already get you started on a second one). I think you could also save quite a bit on doing a large rack with these compared to buying one. It's hard to find racks for 40+" tubs and I imagine shipping would be quite high. I would also consider it if I were going to build 4 or more cages. I wonder if any of the cage makers would sell off 4 or 5 sheets though and beat HD's prices?

The cage makers more than likely buy vendor direct, in bulk to avoid a Home Depot markup. Even if they would sell you the sheets by themselves it would probably be about the same as HD after they add their own markup and charge you shipping.

[wrecker45]

Herp Houses cuts all his cages with a c and c machine. I think that's what it's called

[IW17]

Just curious, but the tag said 1/2x48x8. So would that be 4foot by eight inches? Or am I just seeing things wrong?

[LarryS]

As mentioned the plastic can be used to make a nice easy enclosure, like this 3x2x2 I built years ago.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v393/inkahootz/imagejpg1-4.jpg

You can actually get a cage approx 4 x 2 x 2 out of one sheet, and with sliding doors it will only be at or less than 150. There is no commercial cage in that price range in this size.

We use vents like this;
Round Plastic Louvers | Maurice Franklin Louver Company (http://www.mflouver.com/content/round-plastic-louvers)
These vents are also available at Home Depot.

Edit: these are 4 ft x 8 ft sheets that are 1/2" thick, not sure why they worded the tag like that.

[jjhill001]

Just curious, but the tag said 1/2x48x8. So would that be 4foot by eight inches? Or am I just seeing things wrong?

48inches x 8 feet

[LarryS]

AP's 4'x2'x2' cage is 339 plus shipping, you could build two for the price of one.

[IW17]

Edit: these are 4 ft x 8 ft sheets that are 1/2" thick, not sure why they worded the tag like that.

OK that's what was goofing me up. Not sure why they used both feet and inches. Thanks for clearing that up. I'll have to look for this at my home depot.

[jjhill001]

AP's 4'x2'x2' cage is 339 plus shipping, you could build two for the price of one.

Also consider what your talents are as well. If you aren't handy make sure someone who is helps otherwise you'll waste half the money trying to build one that you could have put towards something that actually looks nice. Like myself If I tried to build something out of pvc it wouldn't come out looking nearly as nice as one I could just buy or build with the help of my handy friend.

[marvelfreak]

This would work perfect for building a nice size incubator cheap. Plus if you got a few sheet you could build a multiply leave cage.

[pet_snake_78]

Forgot to add, I went back and took a second look at the Azek board. It seemed incredibly flimsy to me compared to the stuff Animal Plastics builds their enclosures out of.

[Jim Smith]

Wrecker, I'm not sure your math adds up on that one. You would need a single 4x8 sheet to build a 4x2x1 cage and then add the plexi glass door(s), hinges and latches. That's assuming you loose about 1/8 inch per cut from the saw kerf for a total of 4 cuts or 1/2inch. That said, if you go to Northwest constrictors, you can buy a very well made cage made from HDPE (which is better than PVC because it does not stain from urates) for $250 shipped to your door. I guess it's a matter of how much work you're willing to do (assuming that you have the tools and the skills) and what your time is worth.

[jossh27]

there's a place near my town that sells 4x8 sheets for $60 - its not pvc... its poly-something. anyways its a "kitchen grade" plastic and you cant beat that price. they have pre cut pieces 32"x42" for around $25 as well.

building a cage rather than buying from a company doesn't necessarily come down to price... some people feel good about them selves after accomplishing something new. I'm starting to build a cage and i'm sure it wont be too much cheaper, but i like doing things myself and the possibilities are endless when building your own.

[pet_snake_78]

Josh, that's mainly why I want to build all my own stuff, too. I like messing with things and wood working was never something I really took up and cages are just enough of a challenge for me to enjoy but not something you need to be a master craftsman to pull off. There's actually a woodworking school near me where you can use all their tools plus get instruction for 20$ an hour so I feel like it's something anyone can do if they look around even if they don't have good tools or an extra hand to help.

I decided against PVC due to the cost and how flimsy the sheets at HD are, I wouldn't trust that stuff from a 4'L cages stacked. I don't mind my cages weighing more as I don't often move things around. I try to set everything up so that I can get to all four sides of everything without moving things if I ever have an escapee. The cost of materials is a bit high though, plywood under 40$ a sheet was all warped to the point I wouldn't be able to pull it off and polyurethane is 10$ a pint so not exactly cheap either.