inside materials

[Nicki]

Hi again, it's me with another question! :rolleyes:

If I build the uro cage, rather than buying one, I'm thinking of using plywood and then filling the edges with silicone to round them off, and painting the whole inside. I'm wondering if I use melamine paint, will this be ok? It gives the same type finish as melamine boards, and should be easy to clean.

Anyone see any potential problems with this idea?

Thanks!
Nicole

[Invictus]

Well, it doesn't give you the "same" finish as melamine boards, but it gets pretty close. The store-bought melamine boards have a veneer attached to particle board, which is more like a plastic.

Anyway, for a Uro, you shouldn't even need melamine paint, because they like it extremely dry. You'd probably be much happier just staining the wood. It's so much more attractive than paint. :)

[Nicki]

Well, yes, I think I meant to say stain the outside, but I thought it would be nice to have a clean, white inside.

And I know my little desert lizards won't be rotting the wood with their setup, but I still need to wipe it down whenever I put in new sand for them.

Do you think regular stain and varnish, or melamine, would harm the reptiles if it were left to dry long enough before setting them up in there?

Just trying to make something functional and attractive at the same time. :)

Thanks for your reply!

[Invictus]

I've never known of varnish, stain, or enamel-based paints to cause any harm to reptiles. Melamine paint should be given a week to fully cure, varnish is usually good to go in slightly less time, but a week is a safe wait time either way. After the week is up, put the heat source on it withh the glass doors still out, and let it air out. Then put the glass doors in (still with the heat source) and see if the fumes build up with them closed. If they do, give it another day before putting anything in it.

[Nicki]

That makes good sense! Thanks!

[MistyDaze]

Obtaining a good stain job is not that easy if you want an even, unblotchy finish you have to do lots of sanding. Don't go near the more expensive wood unless you know (buy off cuts and practice) you can stain it first. Water based stains penetrate the surface much quicker and are not as forgiving as oil based stains. They also cost more and because the water soaks in further you have to use more but since its only water that needs to dissipate they dry much quicker. Varnish won't stand up to hard ware on the base though. I use a readily available plastic called HIPS for the base, its 2 and 3mm thick and works really well.

If you are going to stack them you can cheat because the only parts that need to be solid wood are the sides and front. An easy way to do this is to make your enclosure out of melamine and finish it by adding toungue and groove boards to the sides, frame the front and add some trim around the top and base to cover the screws. This works out cheaper with much less labor and no fuss about finishing the inside. Here are some renders to show you what I mean.

Use 12mm melamine for the sides along with 12mm grooved boards (these are really cheap and light).
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/3088Plan-_Gif_.gif