seal

[McPatch]

What would be the best way to go about sealing the wood inside an enclosure.I'm going to be converting an old cupboard into an enclosure and this right now is the one thing i'm not sure of.Any ideas?
Thanks

[Tim_Cranwill]

No ideas other than caulking. But if there are any REAL ideas, I'd like to know myself.

[KaHane]

We only use 100% silicone (Aquarium silicone)on all our cages. they are completely waterproof, won't chip and is clear.
Hope that helps.

[PoiSoNouS]

we used clear sillicone :D

[reverendsterlin]

I'm gonna assume you mean walls, floor, and cieling. The easiest way is to get plexi cut to size, cut-outs or better drill holes in vent areas and a cutaway for the light. Use silicone to both stick the piece to the wall (a few dallops maybe corners & center) and a bead run around the seams. If the sides are placed first the pressure from the floor and ceiling help hold the walls.

[McPatch]

Thanks Rev

The idea u gave is pretty easy i don't know why i didn't think of it.Good thing i posted the Qestion

[Tim_Cranwill]

I bought some special "aquairium" sillicone" that is %100 safe for animals, but it's $17/tube. It worked well though.

Has anyone used the "hardware store" stuff with success?

[Jeff_Favelle]

Canadian Tire sells aquarium silicone for $3.99 a tube. That must be some special silicone man.

[AzR@k]

yea it must be 17 a tube lol i wouldnt pay that much

[Shane Tesser]

lol, Jeff, yeah, alot of people dont realize that canadian tire sells the stuff for that cheap. Its the exact same stuff as the silicone in the aquarium stores thats are really expensive. I used it to completely seal a one hundred and fifty gallon tank and had no problems with it...ive use the stuff for years. I usually wait until about a week before i add fish....so this kinda gives you an idea about how fast the stuff off gases. So for a snake enclosure this would be ideal...considering that there is more at risk when you mix new silicone with water as far as poisons etc.

[Jeff_Favelle]

The offgassing acetic acid is only harmful for 36 hours. So even though it still smells for a couple of days, its ok to put the snakes in the cage 2 days later.

But yeah, its soo cheap eh Shane? $4 bucks a tube? You can't go wrong. I bought 5 tubes 2 weeks ago.

[snakedude_03]

oOOoOoOO.. only $4 a tube.. gotta get some.. seal up some stuff.. :D

[Tim_Cranwill]

Hmmm... maybe I should have shopped around some more...

I got jipped.

[snakedude_03]

u learn from ur mistakes.. but i learn from ppls mistakes.. :D

[reverendsterlin]

Glad I was able to help McPatch, it to years for me to figure that plastic elbows with caps split in half made great tarantula burrows siliconed to the side of the tank lol.

[McPatch]

Ya ....I don't think I'll be getting any spiders I hate the little things(or big)they freak me out.But once again thanks

[Cornelsworld]

I am not sure if you are holding water in the cabinet, but for sealing the cages that I make all you need is a marine enamel (about $20.00 for the normal sized paint can), or use polyeurethane. Using just silicone will make it not look loo nice unless you can spread the cage totally uniform. Hope that helped. Let me know if you have any more questions.

Greg

[Cornelsworld]

Oh, I almost forgot. Once you have sealed the walls, you would use the silicone for the joints. I may have misunderstood if you were talking about the whole cage or just the corners.

Greg

[Jaylyn]

If you want it to be able to hold water - we use chloroplast ($~20 for a 4 X 8 sheet) cut to fit and silicone the edges. We use it for the bottom 1/3 of our chameleon cages with a drain hole and it works and cleans like dream.

Jaylyn

[obeligz]

I have tried two diffeent paints for this purpose.
You can use two-component epoxy based paint. This paint is somewhat expensive but I almost guarantee you that it will do the job right.
Epoxy paint is often used by fish ethusiasts in Norway when they make wooden aquariums.
Just don't mix more of the paint/hardener than you intend to use in one session.
I used clear epoxy paint for a small mourning gecko tank I built once.
When I put on the last (3rd) coat I first put old leafs on the sides of the tank. When I painted over the leafs the paint soaked through and the leafs were sealed in the paint.
Nice effect to a tank.
http://home.no.net/obeligz/obeligz/terarie/terarie_13.jpg

The second paint that I have used for this purpose is called "paintable bathroom membrane". This paint is used in bathrooms on all surfaces prior to putting on tiles. It is a rubber based paint and when applied as instructed it will give you a 2 millimeter thick rubber membrane that is said to be 100% waterproof.
I used this paint for my new 250 gal giantgecko enclosure prior to putting on the cork boards. I apllied double thickness to the bottom just in case.
Unfortunately this paint is also kinda expensive.

Another thing you might concider is a rubber pond membrane. This is a black 1-2millimeter thick ultra tough rubber membrane that is used in outdoor ponds. Just glue to the sides with silicone and seal the corners, also with silicone. I haven't tried out this but I believe that it will work good also.

I you descide to use silicone you can use thinner (concentrated vinegar if you use a vinegar based silicone) to thin out the silicone enough so that you can paint the silicone with a brush.
Regards
obeligz