theflapjack
New member
Hey everyone, I have a few questions about our DIY enclosure before starting our project! Any guidance before taking the leap on this is appreciated :lol:
We're planning on building two 4' x 2' x 2' enclosures for our beardies Peanut + Pete. We are going to a lumber yard to sort out pricing/options for various woods such as marine ply, basic plys, melamine, etc. I've gotten the gist that everyone has preferences in woods to use/avoid but question #1 is what thickness would you recommend for a sheet of wood? I'm thinking 3/4" as 1/2" might be too thin? I've read 1/2" is good for melamine, particularly due to weight, but not sure how the other woods above would stack up (ha ha) in comparison at that thickness.
Question #2) I'm a bit unsure of how to protect the floor of the enclosure! I plan to use a few coats of polyurethane on the wood, and my idea is to set up a sand box area for digging (both our dragons LOVE to dig), and covering the rest with astro turf (for food/water bowls/basking areas). Taking that into consideration, my idea is to get a sheet of plastic/plexiglass and screw it on top of the floor (which will be coated in polyurethane anyway), seal the crevices with aquarium silicone, and add the desired substrates to their appropriate areas. Would this work or is it unnecessary? I've noticed with astroturf that poop tends to 'bleed' through the turf, which makes me believe having an extra layer of protection might be necessary...but maybe it's overkill and I'm thinking too much into it If doing a few coats of polyurethane and covering the floor with the substrate is more than enough protection, I am just as happy!
Final question- can my water based polyurethane ALSO be used to seal grout (when I create the backdrop/climbing areas) or should I stick with a non-toxic PVA glue?
Thanks.
We're planning on building two 4' x 2' x 2' enclosures for our beardies Peanut + Pete. We are going to a lumber yard to sort out pricing/options for various woods such as marine ply, basic plys, melamine, etc. I've gotten the gist that everyone has preferences in woods to use/avoid but question #1 is what thickness would you recommend for a sheet of wood? I'm thinking 3/4" as 1/2" might be too thin? I've read 1/2" is good for melamine, particularly due to weight, but not sure how the other woods above would stack up (ha ha) in comparison at that thickness.
Question #2) I'm a bit unsure of how to protect the floor of the enclosure! I plan to use a few coats of polyurethane on the wood, and my idea is to set up a sand box area for digging (both our dragons LOVE to dig), and covering the rest with astro turf (for food/water bowls/basking areas). Taking that into consideration, my idea is to get a sheet of plastic/plexiglass and screw it on top of the floor (which will be coated in polyurethane anyway), seal the crevices with aquarium silicone, and add the desired substrates to their appropriate areas. Would this work or is it unnecessary? I've noticed with astroturf that poop tends to 'bleed' through the turf, which makes me believe having an extra layer of protection might be necessary...but maybe it's overkill and I'm thinking too much into it If doing a few coats of polyurethane and covering the floor with the substrate is more than enough protection, I am just as happy!
Final question- can my water based polyurethane ALSO be used to seal grout (when I create the backdrop/climbing areas) or should I stick with a non-toxic PVA glue?
Thanks.