Enclosure building again with more info

[JimJam]

So I was looking around all the websites I can find for pvc, hdpe, and any other type of sheets that would work to make a good terrarium. They're massively expensive if you want a large terrarium. So naturally my head goes to a wooden enclosure. I know that wood isn't sufficient for heat and humidity reasons, but hear me out.

If if I were to make a terrarium out of a nice wood like oak, walnut or cherry, then seal it with a Thompsons water seal or similar, let it sit and cure obviously, and then coat it with DeckCover, it seems like it would work. if you've never seen DeckCover it's pretty cool. The solid colors are an opaque, solid, thick paint-like coating.

It's made for outdoor temps and humidity obviously, and the whole project would cost ~$275 instead of ~$700. Of course my chief concern is whether or not it is safe for my boa, who seems to want to climb and have more space. Her 48x24x12 just seems small for her.

Ive talked to several very nice people who have offered to build custom terrariums for me (shout out to AKA Dave on this site). It just seems to be costing an arm and a leg for pvc or similar.

Thoughts on safety of the snake? If it's meant to be outside, surely it can handle 75 degrees and 80% humidity for years to come. But will the coating harm the snake? Idk. So many decisions when it comes to my pets homes.

Link to DeckCover at Home Depot
http://www.homedepot.com/p/BEHR-Prem...0001/206031374)

[Yodawagon]

I would worry about off gassing.

[AKA Dave]

I would worry about off gassing.

I agree. As for anyone that would charge ~ $700, shop around. You can do much better. Oh, and thanks for the shout out!

Dave

[Willowy]

I did an indoor concrete floor with DeckOver. . .it stinks! Bad! It's fine now. I have no idea how safe it would be for an actual enclosure though. Also, it's a semi-rough surface, meant to prevent slipping, I'm not sure how that would be for skin contact.

[Yodawagon]

You can get melamine that's white on one side, wood veneer on the other.

[spikell75]

Any kinda paint you use will take roughly 30 days to cure fully.. if your going to go paint route I would use oil exterior primer, then a high quality latex paint, let dry minimum of 2 weeks before you add humidity to the enclosure. Been a painter for 20 years just some advice. Pvc last forever.. paint does not😉

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[JimJam]

Well, finally craigslist came through. Picking up a bigger, cheaper home for her this weekend. It won't be her forever home but it'll get her through a year or two until I can get something really awesome. Plus it'll give me a chance to see just how much she climbs and hangs.

Yall voiced the the same concerns I had. Thanks for the input.

[bcr229]

I've thought about making the frame out of a decent plywood, lining the interior with fiberglass wall panels, and using silicone caulk to seal the seams.

These are the fiberglass panels, they are 4'x8'x0.09":
http://www.lowes.com/pd_8566-293-FTSTF.1_0

http://www.lowes.com/pd_8566-21553-8566_0

[Coluber42]

Here's a thought. You could build the enclosure out of wood structurally, and then line it with another material such as PVC, acrylic, ABS, polypropylene, polyethylene, etc. The plastic liner would basically be like a box in a box, but wouldn't actually need to be that sturdy by itself if it were supported by the wood framework around it. You could even use something like 1/32" polypropylene or polyethylene, which is like what the cover of a soft plastic binder is made of. It would be structurally useless on its own, but as a liner on the inside of a wooden structure it would be fine. It comes in sheets of various sizes and is quite inexpensive, and can be USDA approved for food contact, which I take to mean that it would be safe for a snake. You'll have to look into what kinds of cements, sealants, glues, plastic welding, etc, you can use with all of those materials, but websites that sell it usually have that kind of information. Look at usplastics.com, tapplastics.com, eplastics.com.

[pbyeerts]

What about using plexiglass and wood..... That would be cool