Kindly family member tried to help with viv project and...

[aperson120]

Hello

I finished building three stackable vivariums out of malemine. I did not paint the inside of them because I went away and I planned on doing it when I came home. However my grandfather (trying to be helpful) went and painted them himself without my knowledge and he used oil paints! What I want to know is how toxic is oil paint when it is dry (the tanks had become dry by the time I came home). Secondly, will there always be paint fumes when the temps are up? Right now there are still fumes so I left the viv doors open so that they could fumegate. Will the fumes disipate over time or will they remain because of the heat in the vivariums? Would I be able to line the insides of the tanks with plexiglass so that the beardies can't come into contact with the paint?

I have not put my beardies in the tanks yet of course (and don't plan to until I figure this out)

I also forgot to mention that the paints are not outdoor oil paints but artist oil paints ( I am not a artist so I am unfamiliar with types of paints) and my grandfather mixed the paint with Linseed Oil.

 

[JeffSimpson]

Hello

I finished building three stackable vivariums out of malemine. I did not paint the inside of them because I went away and I planned on doing it when I came home. However my grandfather (trying to be helpful) went and painted them himself without my knowledge and he used oil paints! What I want to know is how toxic is oil paint when it is dry (the tanks had become dry by the time I came home). Secondly, will there always be paint fumes when the temps are up? Right now there are still fumes so I left the viv doors open so that they could fumegate. Will the fumes disipate over time or will they remain because of the heat in the vivariums? Would I be able to line the insides of the tanks with plexiglass so that the beardies can't come into contact with the paint?

I have not put my beardies in the tanks yet of course (and don't plan to until I figure this out)

I also forgot to mention that the paints are not outdoor oil paints but artist oil paints ( I am not a artist so I am unfamiliar with types of paints) and my grandfather mixed the paint with Linseed Oil.

Eeks... sorry to hear about that! IIRC correctly, the concern is not so much about coming in contact with the paint, but the fumes that oil based paints give off long after they are dry. Because of enclosed environment and minimal ventilation, it becomes a concern.

The linseed oil could be a different story, it could range from possibly OK to really bad. That being said, if you could post the specifics about what exactly was used, that would be helpful.

I'm not sure how you designed the enclosures, but is possible to flip over the sides that were painted? I.e. make the painted side face the outside?

 

[aperson120]

Unfortunatly I can't get flip over the sides that were painted. Do the fumes never go away after the paint is dry? How long would that take? I was going to line the sides with plexiglass on the inside as well. The fumes seem to be going away, should I just wait it out? Will heat cause more fumes or will they eventually go away all together? Since I wasn't there I do not know the exact types of paints my grandfather used, all I know is that he used liseed oil and olive oil I think...I will ask him so I can get more info.

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[JeffSimpson]

Unfortunatly I can't get flip over the sides that were painted. Do the fumes never go away after the paint is dry? How long would that take? I was going to line the sides with plexiglass on the inside as well. The fumes seem to be going away, should I just wait it out? Will heat cause more fumes or will they eventually go away all together? Since I wasn't there I do not know the exact types of paints my grandfather used, all I know is that he used liseed oil and olive oil I think...I will ask him so I can get more info.

Thanks so much for your help!

Google "oil based paint voc" and you'll find some more information. Here is one link: http://nwrenovation.com/painting-articles/vocs-its-more-than-the-odor/. The fumes will continue for quite a while (months), although you may not be able to smell them, they are still there.

 

[aperson120]

Thanks for your help and the information. I am now going to line the tanks with plexi-glass so they have no contact whatsover with the paint and then wait for the fumes to disipate. I guess I will have to wait longer to move them in then I thought

I am at the moment leaving all the heat lights on in the tanks with the doors open in an open area to try and "cure it". Do you think that will help?

 

[TwistedCrayon]

What about sanding it completely off And repainting it with smething less toxic and not taking any chances....? Gunna take some extra work and time, but I believe it will be better for your guys in the long run..

 

[BAD808]

Lining the inside with Plexiglas glass wont keep the fumes away from your dragon, so don't waste your time with that.
You would be much better off doing as Twistedcrayon said, stripping off the existing paint and replacing it with acrylic paint.

 

[aperson120]

Yeah I am going to sand the paint off I tried to find another option but you guys are most definitely right. I am going to use Acrylic paint like I had originally planned. One question though, can dragons come into contact with dry Arcylic paint...i know that is a stupid question but I know nothing about paint and I had previously used full glass aquariums.

 

[BAD808]

Yep they sure can, Acrylic paints once dry don't give off the nasty fumes like oil based paints.
Apparently you can chew the paint off your walls and it wont hurt you (the paint anyway,you might hurt your teeth chewing on your wall but :lol: )

 

[aoscar]

If you like the paintjob, you can just seal it with some water-based poly. This would also be advisable with the acrylic paints to keep your dragons from scratching it up.

 

[aperson120]

Well I got all of the paint off and repainted my vivariums ! I used acrylics like I was going to...Can I put the beardies in the day after I paint it?