I need help :]

IllestDang · 12-28-10, 12:59 AM

Okay so I'm planning to make a custom 3 in 1 cage. I was just wondering, could I use birch plywood for the cage?

Damion930 · 12-28-10, 04:00 AM

birch is a safe wood but the adhesive used May not be so u should still seal the plywood others will have more insite I'm sure

Dumeril daddy · 12-28-10, 08:16 AM

can you post a pic of your idea....... ? or better explain how you plan on using the wood with the enviroment?

Nafun · 12-28-10, 08:22 AM

You can use birch plywood, but you'll need to seal the wood with urethane (don't buy treated lumber). I also highly recommend sealing the corners with silicone caulk

However, if dealing with dimensions 4' or smaller, I recommend using melamine coated particle board. They sell it precut for shelving at stores like menards/lowes/homedepot/etc

Marica · 12-29-10, 03:32 PM

I did with my cages exactly as Nafun is suggesting. I recently made some cages out of 3/4" birch plywood, coated it with water-based Varathane, and sealed the inside seams with silicone. Melamine is also a good option though it doesn't stand up well to high humidity.

deighaingeal · 12-29-10, 06:21 PM

When I worked as a professional cabinet maker I learned a lot, but what was essential was learning how to seal the melamine cabinets for damp environments was essential as we had a 2 year warranty. Has anyone tried coating the cabinets with truck bed coatings? We used that in our most troublesome situations. I suppose I need to find out what it is made of.

Reptile_Reptile · 12-29-10, 06:26 PM

would melamine be ok for a royal's enclosure seeing as they need 80% humidity

deighaingeal · 12-29-10, 06:52 PM

The problem with melamine is that it needs to be treated properly. If one little area has the ability to pass water it will fall apart. Make sure to edge the ends with a proper PVC tape and seal all corners with silicon caulking. I even suggest coating a thin coat along the corners where the edging is located. What you need to avoid is burning the melamine. I don't know what it does to snakes, but their lung(s) are much smaller than ours and it is dangerous to us.

Reptile_Reptile · 12-29-10, 06:57 PM

how would you heat it?

deighaingeal · 12-29-10, 07:06 PM

Using a variable heat pad and ceramics with a hole cut out for them. The worst thing would be a heat pad with out some form of control or if the bulb/ceramic is placed over the melamine (I don't know why this would be done. Also for the edging around the bulb one could use a latex based paint rather than PVC edging which becomes soft in heat.

Reptile_Reptile · 12-29-10, 07:46 PM

hmm thanks for the great tips

Marica · 12-29-10, 07:57 PM

I had read that most sealers will eventually flake off of melamine. G, how would you prepare the melamine cabinets for the sealant?

I just figure if you're going to put the time and effort into building a moisture resistant enclosure by finishing the interior you might as well invest in plywood, and the only reason to go with melamine is if you don't have those humidity requirements to meet and can basically bypass that step. But I suppose it's all personal preference in the end really.

deighaingeal · 12-29-10, 10:53 PM

Sorry, I poorly worded that. The only way melamine will peel from moisture is if it gets into the ends. the only sealing needed is on the exposed ends, cuts or seams. If I were to build a melamine enclosure to withstand our needs I would cut all of the parts then seal the ends with PVC or latex paint. Usually 3-4 coats would do for a standard cheap latex. After building I would apply silicone caulking to the seams inside the enclosure, then immediately spray alcohol lightly then wipe with a finger to leave a perfect bead in the corners, then attach any thing else and caulk the screw holes before final attachment . Wait a week because I'm paranoid and setup and test for humidity and heat control.
I personally am starting to like acrylic; it is easy to weld, polishes nicely, can be found in a variety of shades and allows the passage of light.

Marica · 12-30-10, 10:15 AM

No, you did an excellent job explaining how you would seal the joints/seams and exposed ends. I assumed that you were also inferring that you coated the entire surface area of the melamine, my bad.

My understanding is that the melamine layer will bubble if continuously exposed to moisture (water droplets, pools of water) especially in a contained environment and therefore would not be suitable material for a cage where a high humidity level needs to be maintained. That's why if I was to build high humidity reptile cage I would use varathane coated plywood - or thick PVC, or acrylic as you mentioned, though I'm not familiar with working with either - over melamine which may last a few years, but if any moisture got past the melamine layer the particle board would crumble, as well it would be more prone to sagging.

deighaingeal · 12-30-10, 10:35 AM

Melamine is a nonporous plastic. Unless there is a crack or imperfection I cannot see it causing a problem. I built many soda cabinets in my day and they would regularly have the entire interior coated in water it was so humid. After I discovered some sealing tricks I never replaced another one. Even when they apply the melamine to the PB they over lap by about a foot at the seams, so I can't see problems there.
In otherwords: I'm not going to say that it cannot happen, because everything is possible, but I would think that most problems faced by herpers is either from a lack of knowledge specific to the product or there could have been damage to the melamine causing passage (like a burn).
If I were to build a new enclosure out of a wood product I would might choose ply coated in p-laminate. I agree that PB is not ideal, but melamine is not readily available on ply. All plywoods are more moisture resistant than PB, but I like that I don't have to finish or laminate the melamine.