PVC Board 100% Water-proof?

[Tiny Boidae]

Hi, I'm going to be getting a plumed basilisk here real soon (once we move and have the room for one). I've been debating the enclosure itself more than anything, as I'm wishing to provide a large 40-gallon water area for swimming, bathing, and probably defecating and this, in a plywood enclosure, presents some problems. It would cost me a little over $100 for the epoxy paint alone to seal it up properly, and that price tag baffles me to be frank. Will PVC Board need more sealant than what's needed to fill in the seams between the boards? And if not, will it need near as much sealant as plywood? Thanks in advanced :)

[reptiledude987]

the board itself will be waterproof to seal the joints Id use aquirum sealent. that will keep it water tight and be non toxic.

[Tiny Boidae]

Reptiledude987-

Ah, thanks. I used plywood for my water dragons and the sealants ran me a pretty penny (I used pond armor). I thought that PVC would be water-proof, but I wasn't sure if it would hold water.

I heard that type 1 silicone that's not mildew resistant is the same thing as aquarium sealant, only cheaper. Also, will silicone adhere well to the PVC? I know silicone can be testy with some materials, and I'm going to silicone some fake rocks on the walls so I don't want to run the risk of the sealant not being enough and potentially injuring my little guuly.

[reptiledude987]

I did a similar setup when I had my nile. I made the enclosure of a nice plywood that I stained the outside. I also had a pond on 1/3 of the bottom. For mine I used the thich rubber pond liner that i stapeled in place. I seales the edge and staples with the aquarium sealent. I also made a waterfall in it which was an elevated platform that I wrapped with the linet. I used the silicone to glue rocks in place on the top and all the way down the front which came to the water level. The rocks on the verticle surface were around 1.5" rounded river stones and they didnt fall off even when he climbed it.

[Tiny Boidae]

Ah, that makes me feel a little bit better about using a rock wall. I also plan on making a foam rock ledge that hangs over the pool of water, so I'm trying to avoid anything too heavy in case something goes wrong and the adhesive comes off.

I plan on drilling sheets of PVC Board to plywood so I could give it a nice, woody look, and since I'm going to be sealing up the board nice and tight, do you think I can go with pine or no? I have some leftover from a shed we built, although if you think it's a bad idea I don't mind buying some hardwood.

[reptiledude987]

I would avoid pine. hard woods are much more ideal.

[Tiny Boidae]

I don't have a problem with it, wood is dirt cheap in my area (I can get an 8x4 of hardwood plywood for $15 :shocked: ) and I'll definitely find something else to do with that spare pine wood.

Would it be safe to stain the outside though? Or would that be a general "no-no"?

[reptiledude987]

I stained and varnished the outside of mine with no issue. Just make sure there is no stain or varnish where the occupant can come in contact with it and possibly scratch at or ingest any.

[Tiny Boidae]

Alright, that isn't an issue at all. Thanks so much for all of your help! I'll build the actual cage out of PVC, make a stand out of hardwood plywood, and then line the outside with some more wood.

[reptiledude987]

Cool. Be sure to share some pics when youre done!

[Tiny Boidae]

Definitely! It won't be for a while longer, not until I move around Christmas, but I'm gathering supplies now and getting a game plan together. You'll definitely hear about it when I start the actual construction, however.

[reptiledude987]

Where did you find your PVC boards and what was the cost? I found some from a canadian supplier ( as the home depot here dosent carry them and american stores wont ship them here). The supplier here wants $50/ 4'x8'x1/4" sheet with an additional surcharge for an order thats not a full pallet. not sure how many pieces is on a skid but I know Its more than Id need

[Tiny Boidae]

I was talking about plywood, but at the local shop here that size board is $40 (I can get an employee discount though since my mom works there), so yeah the price he's asking is pretty typical. You can probably order them online and ask for an in-store pick-up (shipping is free then). It takes a little longer to get them in, but that's what I do. Lowes carries them, and I think they have those in Canada (although near you I have no clue). They sell them in all sorts of sizes and if you catch them when they're slow, they'll often cut them for free. I don't use home depot since they don't carry the same variety (and I don't get that discount).

[reptiledude987]

We have Lowes, Home depot, Rona, and canadian tire for our major hardware chains. None of them carry 4'x8' sheets of pvc. Or any other size for that matter.

[Tiny Boidae]

Lowe's Home Improvement (http://m.lowes.com/pl/Composite-pvc-boards-Wood-composite-pvc-boards-Lumber-Building-supplies)

https://www.lowes.ca/composite-decking/royal-mouldings-limited-1-x-4-x-8-pre-finished-pvc-board_g2219688.html?ProductSlot=13

[pet_snake_78]

A lot of the PVC I've seen is quite flimsy. I would definitely suggest being able to examine it locally or you may find it won't exactly work well with the weight of water or significant reinforcement.

[reptiledude987]

It depends how thick it is the 1/4" or thicker is pretty rigid. But I agree if its holding water and not sitting flat on the floor support would be needed.

[Tiny Boidae]

Anything that holds water needs support underneath it, even if it's plywood or acrylic. I'm not much of a fish person, but growing up I helped my dad build fish tanks all the time (it was a side hobby of his that turned a profit pretty easily), and if you didn't have support under any amount of water... Well you were asking for trouble than. At best, you'd have some bowing, and at worst you'll be mopping water and glass shards from the floor. Even if it's a reptile cage, I don't really like to build a stand without the proper support that you'd need for it if it were filled with water... Just something that's deeply rooted and makes me uneasy to look at.