DIY enclosure questions

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So I’m planning a 4X2X2 enclosure for my 4 month old beardie once she’s bigger(she’s in a 40 now) I know pine and cedar are bad but can I use any sort of wood otherwise? I’m of course looking for the cheapest wood I can use that will work. I’m planning to paint and seal the wood so if anyone has any suggestions for type of wood, paint, and sealant? I’ve seen a lot of people use melamine but it seems pretty pricey. I’m planning to tile the bottom as I have lots of extra tile from a previous project and I’m planning to cut a square for a screen for the basking light(the uvb will be inside the enclosure) in the top panel of wood. I’m not sure what the best route for ventilation will be so any suggestions there are more than welcome. I’m thinking of putting in a plexiglass sheet that slides on runners to open the tank, but if there’s a better solution please let me know.
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
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I'd go with a decent plywood that isn't treated with nasty chemicals to weather proof it. It probably doesn't have to be too thick, especially if you make a frame and slide the pieces into place (I'm sure there are a ton of ways to go about this). Since the wood will be sealed you don't need to get too picky beyond that aside from choosing something that looks nice.

I usually advise adding vents low on the cool side and high on the warm side to allow convection currents to move through. You could attach screen to it or perhaps a gutter guard or even a household style vent cover to it.

You could cut a screen area for the basking light, or just install a screw fixture to the ceiling over where you want the basking area to be and screw the light into place. You could attach that to a dimmer knob mounted to the outside too if you wanted to get a bit more elaborate with it.

The sliding style doors are popular but they only allow access to half the enclosure at a time. I have doors that open outward from the center but they can get in the way sometimes. I like doors that have a hinge on the bottom and latch at the top and swing straight down so they are out of the way when they are open and allow full access to the front of the enclosure. This really boils down to a personal preference rather than a best practice thing though.
 

MrSpectrum

Gray-bearded Member
Nightshade15":3vxm6gn2 said:
I know pine and cedar are bad but can I use any sort of wood otherwise?
Poplar? If you're sealing everything, that reduces the hazards of pine. Be aware that (AFAIK) most/all domestic plywoods (hardwood or softwood) use pine for the interior layers, including melamine, which uses pine particle board. OTOH, Baltic/Russian Birch uses birch for the interior layers as well as the veneer. It's incrementally more expensive than domestic, but has other advantages as well.

MDF is less expensive than plywood, but has its disadvantages as well. MDF vs. Plywood

I’m of course looking for the cheapest wood I can use that will work.
IME, "cheapest" and "best" are mutually exclusive, and oftentimes, "cheapest" can/will end up being more expensive in the long run. When you actually price out a project like this, the difference between "cheapest" and decent quality is only a few (<10) percentage points.

I’m planning to paint and seal the wood so if anyone has any suggestions for type of wood, paint, and sealant?
Safe paints and finishes for reptile enclosures

I’ve seen a lot of people use melamine but it seems pretty pricey.
If you think melamine is too expensive, I really don't know what to suggest; it's about the cheapest thing I know of, but I'd never use it for off-gassing/toxicity and other reasons. (Same for MDF)

I’m planning to tile the bottom as I have lots of extra tile from a previous project
Tile is a great way to go. If you're going to use grout, best seal that too, and think about how you're going to clean & disinfect it repeatedly (i.e. daily). I used large (2' x 1') tiles with no grout. Under the tiles is a waterproof shelf liner. If I have to, I can easily remove 1 or all tiles, clean underneath (as well as the tiles) and replace the liner if/when necessary (hopefully only annually).

I’m planning to cut a square for a screen for the basking light(the uvb will be inside the enclosure) in the top panel of wood. I’m not sure what the best route for ventilation will be so any suggestions there are more than welcome.
I used 4" soffit vents, and put an ultra-quiet thermostatically controlled muffin fan behind the one on the hot side. Not sure why you need/want a screen over the basking light(?)

I’m thinking of putting in a plexiglass sheet that slides on runners to open the tank, but if there’s a better solution please let me know.
I'm not sure what you mean by "runners" or if they're really necessary. I used a plastic track (top & bottom) and the heavy 1/4" glass slides extremely well in just that. Same/similar track can be had in aluminum.

When I priced plexi vs. glass for sliding doors, glass was far less expensive for the same thickness, but with glass, it also pays to shop around. I found ranges between $32 and $50 per door (but I have pretty large doors on my enclosure.

CooperDragon has a good point about door style. My doors are quite large (28" wide), so opening only half at a time works for me (not to mention the weight of the glass).
 

MrSpectrum

Gray-bearded Member
PS regarding sliding doors: Apologies if you already know this stuff--I don't know your experience with projects of this type.

Regardless of what kind of track system one uses, you have to be meticulously accurate in vertically sizing the opening (1/16" tolerance in my case) so the doors don't "pinch" anywhere along the track.

You also have to be meticulous about squaring the opening so you don't get gaps--usually at the top on one side and the bottom on the other side if the door frame is even slightly racked.

Sizing & squaring need to be done in conjunction with each other.

Other types of door (like CooperDragon suggested) are more forgiving in these respects.
 
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