Sealing a boa cage

[JoshSloane]

Hey Everyone,

I know that this topic has been discussed a lot, but I wanted to revisit it for my boa cage build. I am building cages out of plywood, and need a plan to seal it. I know many people seal edges with silicone, then paint or stain, and then use water based polyurethane over that to seal. I dislike using polyurethanes, and would rather find an option that dries faster, requires less coats/sanding, and doesn't have all the fume issues. I looked into drylok but not sure how it would turn out.

[frostysBP]

Have you looked into hdpe plastic sheets? They carry it at menards fro 54.99 for a 4x8 way better then plywood those are recent builds you can make a four foot cage out of one sheet

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[jclaiborne]

you can also seal a wood cage with FRP which is rigid or the make a PVC flexible sheet as well. Was a bit cheaper than FRP and since it bends it was easier to work with, then you just have to seal the seams up, liquid nail works well.

[Snake Judy]

I used Drylok to seal my plywood enclosure, followed by silicone on the seams. It's very low-odour and goes on like any paint, though with a slightly gritty texture. My enclosure has only been up and running for a few weeks, so I can't give you first-hand evidence of its effectiveness, but I chose it after hearing about some people using it to seal their plywood aquariums with decent results.

[JoshSloane]

Yeah I've heard great things about drylok. What color does it dry? How thick? Could you paint over it? I'm definitely going to use it for my tegu build, not sure about the gritty texture and boas. Sometimes mine rub noses. Have you had any issues?

[Snake Judy]

Well, they sell it in white and grey, but you can get it tinted however you like, which is what I did. It's a little more viscous than your average wall paint, but you'll probably want to give it a few coats, especially for a lizard. I think I did about 4 or 5 but that may be overkill.

The texture isn't as rough as actual concrete, but it does have a little grit to it. Not an issue in my case, since the girl I have in there doesn't rub and most of the Drylok is covered in a foam background anyway, but certainly something to consider depending on how your own snakes behave.

[JoshSloane]

Thanks for the info. I'm definitely going to use it in my tegu build. I've heard that it actually works well to help soften down lizard claws. My boas don't run a ton but I am worried that it could be an issue if they even did a small amount.