Stain curing

[noonthirtyfive]

My dad made me a killer new tank for Ender for my birthday. He stained the wood, inside and out, and I was wondering if anyone would hesitate about putting him in it with the inside stained as well, and how long you would leave it to cure beforehand.

 

[BadCon]

Did he just stain it, or did he stain and seal it? Did he use a combination stain and sealer? Was it water-based? Honestly, let it sit for at least a week outside (direct sunlight will help). If you can still smell even the the slightest hint of odor after that, let it sit for another week. You can definitely use the viv, it just needs time to air out. The length of time will depend on the sealer he used. If he didn't seal it, he definitely should. He can use virtually any water based hard drying top coat sealer. Polycrylic is a popular choice, and cures relatively quickly.

 

[noonthirtyfive]

I think I'll recommend sealing it, then, and go by the smell. Plus it'll give me time to find a bunch of cool stuff to put inside Thanks!

 

[noonthirtyfive]

Here are some pictures:

The stain he used was apparently some kind of stain+sealer, so I'm just letting it sit out on the porch until I can't smell it anymore... As of now, it still needs a few days, but I can't wait!

 

[BadCon]

Looks good! Heat will help with the curing, so set it in the sun, or even put the basking light on it.

 

[volvotech]

I also used a stain+sealer, and was able to speed up the "deodorizing process" by putting baking soda inside of the cage. I left one package open and sprinkled the other all over the floor, etc. Definitely sped up the process.