Does wood type matter?

[rafa2k]

I noticed everyone seems to use the same melamine board in their builds. Is there a reason for that? I used 3/4" pine on my build and it came out great but now I'm a little worried that I may have chosen the wrong type of lumber. Does melamine board serve a specific purpose such as maintaining heat better, or is it mostly used because it's simply easier to clean up?

Any feed back would be greatly appreciated as I am looking to build another enclosure for another beardy I'm getting.

Thanks all.

 

[rafa2k]

anyone?

 

[twinim]

Hi,

I am certainly not an expert in this area, as I am still finishing up my enclosure. Having said that, I think the big draw to melamine is the fact that you don't have to paint/stain/seal it so it won't have fume issues and it is easy to clean up due to the coating. Drawbacks are that it is much heavier than say plywood.

I did not use melamine, I used 3/4" maple plywood. Personally I like it better due to it being much lighter than a melamine cage, and I was able to stain it to get a better match to my existing furniture.

So I say use what you want and feel comfortable using. All options work.

 

[rafa2k]

Thanks twinim

 

[Harley]

Pine is not a safe choice for a viv. Its pine oil will bother your dragon over time. Since it is already complete and i doubt you want to start over you should remove your dragon for now and get some modge podge and coat all the wood with at least 5 layers.

 

[Busted]

The biggest difference I can tell now that I have Toki in there is climbing the wall. With the slick surface of melamine it would be tough to climb and would most likely not happen. Toki was able to climb the plywood rather easily, but Toki is small. Toki did this twice and got on top of the light, which isn't hot, but still, the only way down is jump, which I don't want and I got Toki down both times. I used the same trick as people use on roaches, packing tape around the wall he uses to get up there. So far so good. I would say once they are older climbing would be less of a problem due to the weight of them and surface being used. If climbing is an issue and you don't want to tape it, try adhering tile or laminate to the walls.

 

[twinim]

Hmmm, interesting, haven't heard that before. Did you seal the inside of the tank? I used a water-based polycrylic to seal, we will see if climbing it is a problem for it.

 

[Busted]

Yes, I sealed the wood with a water-based polycrylic. Maybe Toki is just part ninja or something :lol:

 

[rafa2k]

Thank you for the info Harley. All the walls in the pine viv I made are covered with a 3D background I made. The background is sealed with ModPodge. The floor is sealed with several layers of Titebond III and I'm going to be placing the Reptisand Dessert White soon. I haven't placed Zeus in there yet. I am waiting for the smell from the staining of the outside to be completely gone.

If I see that he's stressed out in any way, I'll start over. Do you have any suggestions on another wood for my next build? I don't like the look of melamine. I want it too look like wood. I'm getting a 2nd beardy so I'll be building another one soon anyway.

 

[Harley]

Well I would say stay away from the sand due to impaction but I'm sure you have read what ppl think about it. The background being sealed is all good but its the pine boards that need to be sealed that are behind it, but if your background is coming off the wall itself ie Great Stuff sprayed right onto it, you should be good. If not then the scent of the oil may start to bother you dragon. It may not ever either but if that is the case why not do the full sealing before you do the switch just in case. This is all just things I have read on many sites I am by no means an expert. I sealed everything on my build but thats because I used melamine which is actually just particle board covered in melamine and particle board is just small bits of wood held together by urea formaldehyde.

 

[Harley]

For another wood type any type of HARD wood would be great but more costly. With the melamine if you dont like the look of it you could always paint it to look however you like. Make custom walls like you did for this build and paint the outside to match your home or just a fun design.

 

[rafa2k]

yes I did use the spray on background then sealed and re-sealed and colored and sealed with mod podge. The deck is also sealed, and yes I've read up on the sand but the breader I am getting my 2nd beardie from has been using it for 8 years so I feel comfortable using it. Besides, I think Zeus hates the tile he's on because he has a hard time getting a good grip (he does the cartoon run in place before take off) and sticks to the rocks and driftwood. I have not read anywhere else about the issue with pine so I am very thankful to you for pointing it out.

I'll see how he reacts to the build I guess. If I notice he's stressed or anything, I'll put him back in the 40g breeder and start all over :mrgreen:

 

[Harley]

Ok now i know how you did your background. Not being there or no pictures i just have guesses to go by. It sounds like you have a good seal on it. No oil will get through that Great Stuff and i doubt much if any scent will either. You should post a pic im intrested in seeing this background now lol.

 

[rafa2k]

Here is a pic of it the day I put it all together. I haven't taken a completed pic with the plexigalss on and it all stained

it's 48x24x24