I'm a roofer. I just built my enclosure. Because of my job I have tons of extra framing wood and plywood laying around . I Used drylock and now have to wait 4 more days to cure. Can't wait to put my 14 year old ballie in it. She's been in a 35 gallon tank for the whole time and I feel horrible. I thought it was big enough because the pet store that sold it to me said it would be good for the life of the snake. After watching videos recently due to being bord at home because everything was shut down over the last 2 years I discovered she needed a bigger home. So now she has a 48x24x24 enclosure. I hope she likes it.
Hi, I also a roofer and was planning on making a bio vivarium. I don't know if you do any flat roofing but I was thinking of using resitrix reinforced rubber to keep it sealed... If you know if this product, would you say it would be safe for a reptile? Tia
Super helpful! Im doing an eight foot enclosure build for an adult tegu next week and this very much helped me decide to go for a polyurethane sealer/tint.
@@dandyxrandy7200 Glad I could help! With a tugu I would personally add a bit more protection to the wood since they do require more humidity and moisture. Here is a video I made showing a step after a polyurethane interior. This gives it a lot more resistance to moisture. Highly recommend. ruclips.net/video/Y42MmqLJcRU/видео.htmlsi=7K123HB27L-Nsn5_
Hey sweet enclosures!!! Btw. GE silicone 2 has mild inhibitors which are toxic to fish. I found out the hard way. GE silicone 1 is the only GE product that is aquarium safe✌️
Hey I know this is years after you made this vid but I'd like to say thank you!! You helped me make my vivarium! I needed a good waterproof sealant but could never find one. When I saw this vid I knew exactly what I wanted and so now I have a nice polyurethane inside on my Viv!
@@The_Horizon it worked extreamly well! I actually just made another terrarium with it the beginning of this summer. It does take a while to dry in-between and you have to do 3-4 thin layers. Just be sure to seal the edges with aquarium safe silicone. I've only used it in bioactive arid species enclosures, so a bit of moister but not much, but even if water puddles at the bottom there's been no issues. I can't say how well it would work on more humid species enclosures but I wouldn't recommend wood enclosures for humid species like crested geckos anyways. Hope this helps!
Your enclosures rock! I love plywood enclosures- they are strong, fun to paint and easy to customize with shelves and electrical. Great idea to sell kits.
That was so helpful! Thank you! I’m definitely getting one of your kits! Awesome idea! I’ve been doing tons of research and best price I’ve seen and it looks so nice!
Thank you for this, also when I was listening cuz I ordered the original fry lol he just said he doesn’t recommend because when you clean the whipping is rough, is that true??
@@Garzajonathan1 it’s similar to cleaning “ matte “ paint , rougher surface but super durable paint won’t come off with hard scrubbing or anything like that.
Giving me ideas which can be good, and could be bad! Thank you! I am so tempted that when I build my enclosure to use some fun Unicorn spit paint then use the polyurethane sealer...
This is very helpful. I'm on the fence right now. Either buying a 6ft pvc enclosure. Building a 6ft pvc enclosure or wood. Or pricing one out with you. I could save on shipping as a dont live far from each other
Very helpful, thank you!! I see you are using interior varathane.. does it matter whether it is interior or exterior? I just have some exterior stuff already, still water based.
What product do you recommend for the exterior of the enclosure? I'm planning to paint mine black on the outside with a raw wood interior. Thanks in advance. Great video!
If you're wanting to use a black paint for the exterior. I would recommend getting paint from Bear. Something that has a primer in it also. As soon as I have a bit of time in the next moth I hope to make another RUclips video showing exterior paints and stains that are great for reptile enclosures.
Both oil and water based urethane are reptile safe when fully cured. The down side to oil based is that it will off gas for much longer. But oil based is far more durable and water resistant.
Quick question. I’ll be doing a bio active for my bearded from the bio dude. The substrate won’t be super wet but it does require a light misting. Will the polyurethane break down??
My apologies for the super late response. I must have missed it in the past. I use polyurethane on my personal reptile enclosures that have lots of himidity in them. About 60-80% himidity, with misting. Hope this info was helpful.
I wonder, can you stack the water based polyurethane over a tinted dry lock. I’m actually gonna be using this for a hedgehog enclosure. Water based aquarium sealants and water based polyurethane both came recommended. The enclosure (a gray and white, wooden fir wood hutch) I bought off Amazon. But of course I can’t just put my hedgies in it without coating it. They aren’t super messy and have fleece padded liners to go over each section. But wood attracts mites and bacteria and to avoid it, all the wood must be coated. And it’s a lot of wood. I intend to do the outside as well as the inside. So for cage cleaning days, I use a 50/50 water and cleaning vinegar spray. So I’m looking into vivarium sealants as it may help me out. Thanks for making this video. I’m just curious if you can stack the polyurethane over a gray tint drylock, as I bought them walled ramps made from pine kiln treated wood but it’s just the natural wood color and want it to match the gray of their enclosures as best as possible. I was originally gonna use a water based aquarium sealant to caulk the nooks and crannies, and boy is there a lot of them. So not looking forward to this but it must be done. I’d like to get the entirety of the hutch done, both inside and out, but don’t have a ton of work space to do it. And I’ve also been sitting on this project for a while now as I wanted to be sure to find something non toxic for the hedgehogs. Thanks for making the video and giving examples of how it came out. Definitely gonna get the water based polyurethane, but just wondering if I used a gray tint drylock, can I put coats or the polyurethane over top? Or would it be possible to use a non toxic paint in the color of my choice, and then put the water based polyurethane over top? Thanks!!
What kind of wood glue would you Recommend when building a snake enclosure. Also, can I use both wood glue and silicone? If I glue the wood down once it sets, can I put silicone around the edges? Also videos are very helpful thank you.
I do not use wood glue to secure my enclosures togeather. It is rare if I use wood glue, since it's quite a bit more permanent, and isn't quite as strong as screws.
Yes you can just wipe off the excess glue with a damp rag if you are using a water clean up glue. Any wood glue will be fine wood Glue isn't necessary but it can extend the life of the cage
Hey! Cool video! Quick question. I'm building 2 8x4x4 enclosures and I've applied 2 coats of drylock extreme on all interior sides of the enclosure, and after 24 hours the drylock seems to chip off quite easily. These enclosures are for tegus, which are natural diggers/scratchers and I'm worried it won't hold up very well to their digging. What would you suggest to help reinforce the durability of the enclosure? Thank you!
Chip off!! I've never had dryloc ever chip off. What kind of plywood did you use? 🤔 Personally I don't even sand the Interior of the enclosure before applying dryloc extreme, and it adheres perfectly to smooth birchwood.
@@talkingserpents its birchwood. It adheres to the wood fine, but the drylock itself comes off if I scratch it. And since I own tegus, I know they're going to be doing a lot of scratching
@@nerdherp782 That is very odd. I have a customer / friend of mine that isn't have any issues. I built the enclosure for his tegu, and I used dryloc for the interior. The only issue I could think of was there something on the wood before you applied the dryloc? Oil, residue, anything that might not let it adhere properly. Oh did you you use dryloc extreme or the regular dryloc? The extreme is smooth ,and the regular is like a coarse mixture ( feels a bit like sandpaper)?
Hi, I hope you and yours are safe and well. The Varathane Ultimate Polyurethane, Crystal Clear Satin sounds perfect. However it's not available over here in the UK, would you be able to suggest a similar wood sealant, that is?
It will work just fine, when using the polyurethane I suggest reading the directions when it comes to application time after staining. Sometimes after staining you may have to wait 3+ days after application to brush poly on. All depends on the product though!
What do you suggest for wood for enclosure besides birch since it's so expensive in my area. Would mdf be safe alternative if sealed with water based polyurethane.
I am sealing some styrofoam for just a homemade reptile background for my leopard geckos. I used varathane matte water based polyurethane. Is this good to seal it and and how long should I wait before putting a animal in the tank with the background
Since melamine is already a water resistant coating you will only need to calk the inside of the floor and a few inches up in each corner. Since you've already done that sounds like your all sealed and ready to go. 🎉🎉🎉😎
I definitely have. They seem to work great, but unfortunately it's pretty expensive, messy, and once you mix up the 2 parts you must you it all imeaduetly.
Question: Can I cover an oil-based polyurethane coat with a water-based poly to make it safe fore my reptile? My hubby grabbed the wrong can by accident and it's now 3 coats in on our $$ custom build. I need to fix this without having to start completely over.
Yes, I would suggest it, you should use the safest paint you can find and apply a few coats. You should also let it cure for a few weeks before putting the reptile in it, some paints can off gas for a long time after drying
Hey!! I have a question! We made a wooden enclosure and have stained the outside of the enclosure. We have water based triple polyurethane we plan to put over it. However, how the enclosure was built was to put our heat lamps directly on the top of the enclosure on the wood. Will the heat lamps cause these products to catch fire with direct contact? Should we mount the lights inside somehow instead? Thanks!
I would highly suggest installing them inside the reptile enclosure. I actually sell a heat bulb kit on my website. Here is the link. ⬇️ talkingserpents.com/product/heat-bulb-kit/
Sorry for the late response! I made a RUclips video recently showing all the ways to heat a reptile enclosure. Here is the link. ruclips.net/video/Y4Qo2VjSVZ4/видео.html
I have a giant china cabinet I hollowed it out I bought the drylok do I have to Remove the Shiney or can I just slap a few coats I hit like too by the way lol
I personally wouldn't do that, since the interior sealant will increase the thickness of the wood pannels. I might potentially cause problems while assembling.
@@talkingserpents ok thank you for letting me know! This video was super helpful. I wanted to use pvc but it’s so expensive and I’ve been wondering how to make wood work
Is the dry lock extreme ok even though it says it’s latex based? And how long does it take to cure I need to have my frilled dragon in his enclosure as soon as possible
The dryloc extreme is definitely ok to use. I let dryloc extreme cure for a minimum of 7 days. It's important to let it cure as well as make sure there is no odor inside the enclosure. Luckily dryloc extreme doesn't put off much of an odor to begin with. 😁
@@donnieshivel9882 Depends on the look you're personally going for, but I personally like the clear polyurethane, since it cleans up a bit easier, and I also enjoy seeing natural wood grain structure.
@@talkingserpents thank you for replying back! I wasn’t sure what disinfectant was safe to on polyurethane. I just built my very first enclosure . 48x18x18 using 1/2in birch wood and it came out really good . I did 7 coats of the varathane just because I didn’t wanna throw it away whatever was left .
Someone just told me drylok extreme has mold inhibitors are you sure its safe my bad for asking out of the random, how often have you used drylok extreme? For reptiles?
We use Drylok extreme with our birchwood / custom reptile enclosures on our website talkingserpents.com We have used drylok extreme on the interior of a reptile enclosure more times than I can possibly remember without a single issue. I also k ow of other reptile enclosures companies that use it without any other issue. The truth is, once it fully cures you're good to go. 😎👍 Hope this was helpful.
@@talkingserpents could you give me some names of the companies or one and again I really appreciate this also is waiting 2 days after supplying good enough to curez
@@joule-trix You don't believe me haha! Just kidding I highly respect people that think for themselves 👍😎 My good friend Ray at reptihomes used drylok extreme as well. Or other RUclips's - Serpadesigns, Will Nace, the list goes on and on. As long as your reptile dosen't plan on eating the interior sealant for dinner you should be just fine 🍽😅😁
hey i stained my reptiles tank with an oil-based varathrane by accident. the inside is stained too with it is there a way i can still make it safe for my reptile? like if i use a sealant will it be fine or no?
I know it doesn't have much to do with this video, but I may have missed it as I was going through your channel. When you build stuff like 8' by 4' enclosures and enclosure is cut in half, how do you seal that? Do you use the silicone or do you apply another coat of sealant? I'm curious because i'm building a red foot tortoise pen and then on top of it an ackie monitor enclosure and they'll both be 8' by 4'.
If you're planning to stack anything on top of the enclosure make sure the lower support enclosure has an additional structure I side it to brace for the extra weight.
Looking into building a bio active enclosure. I really like the melamine aesthetic but I am worried it won’t hold up well. I am also interested in the birchwood enclosure. But do not like the aesthetic. Which would hold up the best? Also if I were to go for a birchwood enclosure how well does the dryloc white cover up? Is it like paint and could it be used on the outside?
Also how resistant is melamine, birchwood, and the dryloc to heat. Which wood would work best considering all the other details. Also this enclosure will be for a bearded dragon. Lastly after sealing would fumes or anything toxic be created with the heat?
@@PokeliciousPulls melamine in the by far the worse choice. It can off gas fumes without adding heat and any moisture will get absorbed like a sponge causing the wood to swell. It is also incredibly heavy. The best plywood you could use would be baltic birch. It is incredibly strong and light and has a nice grain. It is also not super expensive but it can be hard to find in sizes other than 5'x5' For a beardie that would be more than big enough without having to join wood pieces. If Baltic is not a possibility White Oak if you can find it would be my next choice, then either white birch, red oak or maple. If you are going to paint the outside it won't make as much of a difference but if you want to stain the outside all of these woods react and have varying degrees of effectiveness in staining without blotches. it can be done but it can be more complicated. As far as sealing, it all depends on what you seal with but definitely let it air out for at least a week if you use a varnish or polyurethane.
The railing on the front of your cages that holds the glass where do you get it at and what size is it also how thick is the glass that you put in is it tempered or just regular
Always better to use tempered glass especially with larger lizards and snakes. A large animal striking at conventional glass could result in the glass shattering and possibly lacerating or killing the animal.
Could i use pond paint to seal an enclosure? My enclosure is a vivexotic black so would i need to coat it anything? or can i just go ahead and only seal the edges with silicone? And if i were using plywood for an enclosure, would the whole thing need to be sealed or again only the corners?
I personally wouldn't recommend it for standing water. I would recommend a pvc reptile enclosure since it can handle the highest moisture conditions. We have them on our website talkingserpents.com
I would say definetly not. When I stain the exterior of my enclosures I use water based stains and water based polyurethanes. While I stain the wood in my garage I use a respirator, because the fumes are very strong. A couple times the fumes made me a bit loopy in the head. 😪 even after letting the exterior cure for 7 days the stain has just a bit of smell to it. I would avoid staining the interior with risk of injury to your reptile. Also thanks for the comment. This is an important topic that should be talked about. 😎👍👍👍
My customers use all of these inteior sealants for bio active setups. Only thing these aren't good for is aquatic setups. For aquatic setup I would highly suggest a product called Pond Armor. This is what people use to water seal plywood aquariums. 🌊 Hope this info was helpful. 😎👍
@@deadpool981 I'm no expert with either of those 2, so I can't say for sure. Although I have seen many people use pond armor for inteior of plywood fish tanks. Knowing how sensitive fish are I lean toward pond armor, since it been proven. If you have any personal experience let me know.
I have used these sealants on 2x4 's in the past with good success, so it should work. Although I must say I don't personally recomend building reptile enclosures out of pine and cedar since they have oils in them that can be toxic to reptiles. I personally use birch wood with my reptile enclosures. Hope this information was helpful. 😎
Hey we built an enclosure for our beardie and we used minmax gel stain, not knowing about the oil being bad but my husband thinks putting polyurethane over it 3 or 4 times will be OK, but I'm scared I definitely don't want to harm my beardie!! Will this be OK or should I sand it all off???
@@talkingserpents we already put the minmax gel stain in it without knowing or realizing it is oil based and it can be harmful, so I'm thinking I should just sand it out and let it sit for a few days then doing the polyurethane coating a few times...
@@trincromwell7274 I would definitely sand all of the stain out of the inside of the reptile enclosure. Also I would highly suggest using dtylok extreme since you won't get all of the stain color out of the wood. Drylok extreme is more water resistant and you can get it tinted in several different colors if purchased at Home depot or Lows. Hope this information was helpful.
@@talkingserpents it most definitely it helpful and much appreciated!! Can I use the drylock and then the polyurethane to top coat just to maybe give it an extra layer of protection or will the drylock be sufficient? Appreciate this info!
I only use ge 1 because it doesn’t have the mildew resistant properties and oil based polyurethane is fine to use as well just let it cure never had any promblems
Never heard of the GE 1. Personally I would stay away from oil based polyurethane inside a reptile enclosure, since they have higher VOC levels in comparison to water based polyurethanes.
talking serpents the the Voc levels only matter when the coating hasn’t cured ge 1 is a kitchen and bath silicone made by the same company of silicone that you used it just doesn’t have the the mildew fighting properties if you look on the old reptile forum you can find people speaking on the differences on all my monitors enclosures I’ve used oil based poly but I do agree water based is easier to clean but both work great asking as you let the finish cure for a reasonable time
Me and all of my customers have never had a problem with drylok extreme. I've used this product on more reptile enclosures than I can possibly remember. Not sure if that's good enough for you. 😁
It's going on to foam not wood it's gonna be submerged tho.. so let me ask a different way lol.. how safe is drylok for fish? I see ppl use it all the time for their 3D background
Yes, these waterproof sealants are very low VOC levels. I've been using these methods for my customers for years and have had perfect results. 😁🎉🎉 There are other waterproof sealants out there, BUT their VOC and toxicity levels are dangerous for reptiles.
Im making an enclosure for my living room, i want to use a wood stain on the outside so it matches the rest of our furniture. Is this ok to do? Would it harm my tegu?
I sell custom reptile enclosures on my website talkingserpents.com, BUT if you need a size that I don't offer I should be able to make that happen as well.
Drylok doesn't waterproof, it makes a water resistant barrier. Damp soil and standing water will cause the wood to rot out. Is this why you now put a disclaimer on your finished enclosures that they're just water resistant?
You're correct. Drylok is water resistant not a waterproof sealant. Although I have put drylok through testing. The test was a small box coated in drylok. I then filled it with 1" of water and left it for 1 week. The coating was not damaged in any way. For perpetually damp substrates and standing water this coating is not proper. Our pvc reptile enclosures are best for those conditions.
It just wouldn't last as long. The wood would absorb any moisture in the air. It wouldn't be that bad if it was a very dry enclosure but it would still be best to seal the whole thing. Way easier to clean and will last a long time without issues
ALL THE PRODUCTS USED IN THIS VIDEO WILL BE IN THE DESCRIPTION OF THE VIDEO!!Hope this video was helpfull! 😎👍🛠
I'm a roofer. I just built my enclosure. Because of my job I have tons of extra framing wood and plywood laying around . I Used drylock and now have to wait 4 more days to cure. Can't wait to put my 14 year old ballie in it. She's been in a 35 gallon tank for the whole time and I feel horrible. I thought it was big enough because the pet store that sold it to me said it would be good for the life of the snake. After watching videos recently due to being bord at home because everything was shut down over the last 2 years I discovered she needed a bigger home. So now she has a 48x24x24 enclosure. I hope she likes it.
Hi, I also a roofer and was planning on making a bio vivarium.
I don't know if you do any flat roofing but I was thinking of using resitrix reinforced rubber to keep it sealed... If you know if this product, would you say it would be safe for a reptile? Tia
Super helpful! Im doing an eight foot enclosure build for an adult tegu next week and this very much helped me decide to go for a polyurethane sealer/tint.
@@dandyxrandy7200 Glad I could help! With a tugu I would personally add a bit more protection to the wood since they do require more humidity and moisture. Here is a video I made showing a step after a polyurethane interior. This gives it a lot more resistance to moisture. Highly recommend.
ruclips.net/video/Y42MmqLJcRU/видео.htmlsi=7K123HB27L-Nsn5_
Hey sweet enclosures!!! Btw. GE silicone 2 has mild inhibitors which are toxic to fish. I found out the hard way. GE silicone 1 is the only GE product that is aquarium safe✌️
I agree to this comment!!
This
THX SO MUCH!!! 2023 and still helpful, you're awesome.
Hey I know this is years after you made this vid but I'd like to say thank you!! You helped me make my vivarium! I needed a good waterproof sealant but could never find one. When I saw this vid I knew exactly what I wanted and so now I have a nice polyurethane inside on my Viv!
hows it holding up? I heard it can chip off easily
@@The_Horizon it worked extreamly well! I actually just made another terrarium with it the beginning of this summer. It does take a while to dry in-between and you have to do 3-4 thin layers. Just be sure to seal the edges with aquarium safe silicone. I've only used it in bioactive arid species enclosures, so a bit of moister but not much, but even if water puddles at the bottom there's been no issues. I can't say how well it would work on more humid species enclosures but I wouldn't recommend wood enclosures for humid species like crested geckos anyways. Hope this helps!
@@The_Horizon also it hasn't chipped at all for me
Reptiles and 2 strokes. Can’t get better than this
Your enclosures rock! I love plywood enclosures- they are strong, fun to paint and easy to customize with shelves and electrical. Great idea to sell kits.
GREAT VIDEO, REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR CONTENT AS I HAVE SPENT HOUR READING LABELS OF THESE AND SIMILAR PRODUCTS TO SEE IF THEY ARE REPTILE SAFE!
That was so helpful! Thank you! I’m definitely getting one of your kits! Awesome idea! I’ve been doing tons of research and best price I’ve seen and it looks so nice!
I’ve actually used drylok to make a wooden livestock water tank and it’s still holding water now 5+ years later.
Thank you for this, also when I was listening cuz I ordered the original fry lol he just said he doesn’t recommend because when you clean the whipping is rough, is that true??
@@Garzajonathan1 it’s similar to cleaning “ matte “ paint , rougher surface but super durable paint won’t come off with hard scrubbing or anything like that.
Thank you for making this video it was very helpful!!
Glad you were able to find it helpful.
Giving me ideas which can be good, and could be bad! Thank you! I am so tempted that when I build my enclosure to use some fun Unicorn spit paint then use the polyurethane sealer...
Thanks for the video man,an taking the time out to make this video an give us the info..
I'm looking to do some DIY and I had this exact problem! Great video and great timing.
Awesome! Glad I could help. 🎉😎🎉
This is very helpful. I'm on the fence right now. Either buying a 6ft pvc enclosure. Building a 6ft pvc enclosure or wood. Or pricing one out with you. I could save on shipping as a dont live far from each other
Thank you so much for this video! Extremely helpful!!
Just ordered your heavy duty snake hook for my retic! 🙏🏼🙏🏼
do you have to be concerned about the animals scratching the layers off and exposing any raw wood underneath that could cause mold? Thanks
Very helpful, thank you!! I see you are using interior varathane.. does it matter whether it is interior or exterior? I just have some exterior stuff already, still water based.
What product do you recommend for the exterior of the enclosure? I'm planning to paint mine black on the outside with a raw wood interior. Thanks in advance. Great video!
If you're wanting to use a black paint for the exterior. I would recommend getting paint from Bear. Something that has a primer in it also.
As soon as I have a bit of time in the next moth I hope to make another RUclips video showing exterior paints and stains that are great for reptile enclosures.
Does the exterior need to be sealed with polyurethane prior to painting black ??
Both oil and water based urethane are reptile safe when fully cured. The down side to oil based is that it will off gas for much longer. But oil based is far more durable and water resistant.
Quick question. I’ll be doing a bio active for my bearded from the bio dude. The substrate won’t be super wet but it does require a light misting. Will the polyurethane break down??
Had the same question as well
My apologies for the super late response. I must have missed it in the past.
I use polyurethane on my personal reptile enclosures that have lots of himidity in them. About 60-80% himidity, with misting.
Hope this info was helpful.
Polyurethane normally breaks down under UV rays not from water.
Another great video. Do you recommend filling any gaps with any sealant prior to final sealing with the Varathane or the DryLok?
How durable are the wood enclosures? Do you feel like they hold up for a super long time?
Thank you so much for this!!! Lots of help!!!
You're very welcome, glad I could help. 😁
Thank you so much for this video. May I ask how much of the polyurethane you would need to seal a 36x24x38 inch wooden terrarium?
This is definitely really helpful, but i just buy pond paint for sealing my vivarium ❤ useful to know which other paint i can get if i need to though
I wonder, can you stack the water based polyurethane over a tinted dry lock.
I’m actually gonna be using this for a hedgehog enclosure. Water based aquarium sealants and water based polyurethane both came recommended. The enclosure (a gray and white, wooden fir wood hutch) I bought off Amazon. But of course I can’t just put my hedgies in it without coating it. They aren’t super messy and have fleece padded liners to go over each section. But wood attracts mites and bacteria and to avoid it, all the wood must be coated. And it’s a lot of wood. I intend to do the outside as well as the inside. So for cage cleaning days, I use a 50/50 water and cleaning vinegar spray. So I’m looking into vivarium sealants as it may help me out.
Thanks for making this video. I’m just curious if you can stack the polyurethane over a gray tint drylock, as I bought them walled ramps made from pine kiln treated wood but it’s just the natural wood color and want it to match the gray of their enclosures as best as possible.
I was originally gonna use a water based aquarium sealant to caulk the nooks and crannies, and boy is there a lot of them. So not looking forward to this but it must be done. I’d like to get the entirety of the hutch done, both inside and out, but don’t have a ton of work space to do it. And I’ve also been sitting on this project for a while now as I wanted to be sure to find something non toxic for the hedgehogs.
Thanks for making the video and giving examples of how it came out. Definitely gonna get the water based polyurethane, but just wondering if I used a gray tint drylock, can I put coats or the polyurethane over top? Or would it be possible to use a non toxic paint in the color of my choice, and then put the water based polyurethane over top?
Thanks!!
What kind of wood glue would you Recommend when building a snake enclosure. Also, can I use both wood glue and silicone? If I glue the wood down once it sets, can I put silicone around the edges? Also videos are very helpful thank you.
I do not use wood glue to secure my enclosures togeather. It is rare if I use wood glue, since it's quite a bit more permanent, and isn't quite as strong as screws.
Yes you can just wipe off the excess glue with a damp rag if you are using a water clean up glue. Any wood glue will be fine wood Glue isn't necessary but it can extend the life of the cage
@@talkingserpents wood glue is actually stronger than screws when used right,but more permanent so I don't use it on mine either.
Hey! Cool video! Quick question. I'm building 2 8x4x4 enclosures and I've applied 2 coats of drylock extreme on all interior sides of the enclosure, and after 24 hours the drylock seems to chip off quite easily. These enclosures are for tegus, which are natural diggers/scratchers and I'm worried it won't hold up very well to their digging. What would you suggest to help reinforce the durability of the enclosure? Thank you!
Chip off!! I've never had dryloc ever chip off. What kind of plywood did you use? 🤔
Personally I don't even sand the Interior of the enclosure before applying dryloc extreme, and it adheres perfectly to smooth birchwood.
@@talkingserpents its birchwood. It adheres to the wood fine, but the drylock itself comes off if I scratch it. And since I own tegus, I know they're going to be doing a lot of scratching
@@nerdherp782 That is very odd. I have a customer / friend of mine that isn't have any issues. I built the enclosure for his tegu, and I used dryloc for the interior. The only issue I could think of was there something on the wood before you applied the dryloc? Oil, residue, anything that might not let it adhere properly.
Oh did you you use dryloc extreme or the regular dryloc? The extreme is smooth ,and the regular is like a coarse mixture ( feels a bit like sandpaper)?
@@talkingserpents I used extreme. I took some pictures but can't share them here. It scratches and peels off very easily.
@@nerdherp782 If you have an Instagram account send me a message there. 😎👍
Thank you for this video!
You're very welcome
What do you think is best to seal a grapewood branch for a ball python? Love your channel. New sub
I use lots of grapewood branches on my personal reptile enclosures. You should never have to seal the branch with anything.
@@talkingserpents thank you so much!!
How has the dry lock held up with the heat cycles? Any peeling, chipping, etc?
Is there anything I should know about cleaning an enclosure that has drylok extreme or can I clean it the same way I clean my glass enclosures?
Question is it ok to apply the drylock or the polyurethane before you assemble the cage?
Hi, I hope you and yours are safe and well. The Varathane Ultimate Polyurethane, Crystal Clear Satin sounds perfect. However it's not available over here in the UK, would you be able to suggest a similar wood sealant, that is?
Hi, im curious if I was to use a stain then cover with the water based poly if it would be okay?
It will work just fine, when using the polyurethane I suggest reading the directions when it comes to application time after staining. Sometimes after staining you may have to wait 3+ days after application to brush poly on. All depends on the product though!
What do you suggest for wood for enclosure besides birch since it's so expensive in my area. Would mdf be safe alternative if sealed with water based polyurethane.
Personally I wouldn’t suggest mdf due to the sensitivity to moisture. The slightest amount of moisture will cause it to warp and bulge.
Yeah learned over the months it's not good due to the chemicals in the glue used
I am sealing some styrofoam for just a homemade reptile background for my leopard geckos. I used varathane matte water based polyurethane. Is this good to seal it and and how long should I wait before putting a animal in the tank with the background
I have personally never sealed Styrofoam, so I can say. Although I do recommend to wait 5-7days for the polyurethane to cure.
@@talkingserpents ok to be safe I’m going to do 2 weeks and is the varathane a sealant/ protective finish?
Would it be safe if I stained the inside and then seal it? And can this be used in a arid bioactive set up?
I just purchased a melamine enclosure, what product would you recommend I use? I used silicone on the corners and edges already. Thanks.
Since melamine is already a water resistant coating you will only need to calk the inside of the floor and a few inches up in each corner. Since you've already done that sounds like your all sealed and ready to go. 🎉🎉🎉😎
@@talkingserpents Thank you, I just wanted to be safe. Burms are big snakes and have big "movements" if you get my drift.
@@joshsmith7170 I know exactly what you mean 😂😂😂
Great video do you think I can use birch wood to build a snack rack
Yes you can. I have used this to build a snake rack in the past. I actually filmed a RUclips video showing how I did this.
Great I will look it up and watch it did you also paint it
I’ve been watching your RUclips videos I would like to see what it would run me for do it yourself enclosures do you do kits for DYI
Hi! I have all my diy and custom reptile enclosures on my website talkingserpents.com
I have many different sizes and variations on there.
How do you do the lighting in the tank for the when they are stackable tanks
Awesome video thank you !!!!
You're very welcome! Glad you enjoyed it. 😎
Ever consider Pond Shield/Pond Armor?
I definitely have. They seem to work great, but unfortunately it's pretty expensive, messy, and once you mix up the 2 parts you must you it all imeaduetly.
I would definitely recommend it for an animal that is aquatic. 😎👍
Question: Can I cover an oil-based polyurethane coat with a water-based poly to make it safe fore my reptile? My hubby grabbed the wrong can by accident and it's now 3 coats in on our $$ custom build. I need to fix this without having to start completely over.
Hello Talking Serpents, Is the wood you use Plywood?
Yes we use plywood, birch plywood to be exact, since it is reptile safe.
After applying the dryloc can you go back and paint a backdrop over it?
Yes, I would suggest it, you should use the safest paint you can find and apply a few coats. You should also let it cure for a few weeks before putting the reptile in it, some paints can off gas for a long time after drying
You can add powdered cement pigments to the drylok before you apply it.
Hey!! I have a question! We made a wooden enclosure and have stained the outside of the enclosure. We have water based triple polyurethane we plan to put over it. However, how the enclosure was built was to put our heat lamps directly on the top of the enclosure on the wood. Will the heat lamps cause these products to catch fire with direct contact? Should we mount the lights inside somehow instead? Thanks!
I would highly suggest installing them inside the reptile enclosure. I actually sell a heat bulb kit on my website. Here is the link. ⬇️
talkingserpents.com/product/heat-bulb-kit/
Very helpful thank you!
Is this kind of caging safe for heat tape? I'm so used to pvc but its been hard to come by with covid 19
Sorry for the late response! I made a RUclips video recently showing all the ways to heat a reptile enclosure. Here is the link.
ruclips.net/video/Y4Qo2VjSVZ4/видео.html
Can I also use Epoxy resin to water proof the wood?
Yes but use animal safe. Pond shield epoxy is the way to go and it will be 100% waterproof. You can make plywood aquarium with it
I have a giant china cabinet I hollowed it out I bought the drylok do I have to Remove the Shiney or can I just slap a few coats I hit like too by the way lol
I would 100% suggest to remove the previous coating, that way the drylok adheres properly.
Hey I just wanted to make sure that you could apply the sealant prior to assembling the enclosure
I personally wouldn't do that, since the interior sealant will increase the thickness of the wood pannels. I might potentially cause problems while assembling.
@@talkingserpents ok thank you for letting me know! This video was super helpful. I wanted to use pvc but it’s so expensive and I’ve been wondering how to make wood work
Have you tried drylok clear? Wondering if it would be safe.
I have never seen it in stores. I use polyurethane for clear with great results.
awesome thanks!
Is the dry lock extreme ok even though it says it’s latex based? And how long does it take to cure I need to have my frilled dragon in his enclosure as soon as possible
The dryloc extreme is definitely ok to use. I let dryloc extreme cure for a minimum of 7 days. It's important to let it cure as well as make sure there is no odor inside the enclosure. Luckily dryloc extreme doesn't put off much of an odor to begin with. 😁
Thanks and which would you recommend the dry lock or the polyurethane?
@@donnieshivel9882 Depends on the look you're personally going for, but I personally like the clear polyurethane, since it cleans up a bit easier, and I also enjoy seeing natural wood grain structure.
Could you use like black flex seal first and then the polyurethane coat?
Is there any paint that you recommend for the outside of the enclosure? Anything to stay away from that could be harmful to the reptiles?
ThatGuyWhoDraws use low voc paint, non toxic.
Hi what do I use to disinfect enclosure? I used varathane
To disinfect i personal like to use a 10 to 1 water bleach suction. In other words 10% bleach and 90% water.
@@talkingserpents thank you for replying back! I wasn’t sure what disinfectant was safe to on polyurethane. I just built my very first enclosure . 48x18x18 using 1/2in birch wood and it came out really good . I did 7 coats of the varathane just because I didn’t wanna throw it away whatever was left .
Do you know if Minwax Polycrylic would work fine instead of the Varathane brand?
Can you paint over DryLoc extreme and if so what kind of paint is safe for ball pythons?
Thanks
Have u tried flex seal liquid rubber it's pond safe
Someone just told me drylok extreme has mold inhibitors are you sure its safe my bad for asking out of the random, how often have you used drylok extreme? For reptiles?
We use Drylok extreme with our birchwood / custom reptile enclosures on our website talkingserpents.com
We have used drylok extreme on the interior of a reptile enclosure more times than I can possibly remember without a single issue. I also k ow of other reptile enclosures companies that use it without any other issue.
The truth is, once it fully cures you're good to go. 😎👍
Hope this was helpful.
@@talkingserpents could you give me some names of the companies or one and again I really appreciate this also is waiting 2 days after supplying good enough to curez
@@joule-trix You don't believe me haha! Just kidding I highly respect people that think for themselves 👍😎 My good friend Ray at reptihomes used drylok extreme as well.
Or other RUclips's - Serpadesigns, Will Nace, the list goes on and on.
As long as your reptile dosen't plan on eating the interior sealant for dinner you should be just fine 🍽😅😁
hey i stained my reptiles tank with an oil-based varathrane by accident. the inside is stained too with it is there a way i can still make it safe for my reptile? like if i use a sealant will it be fine or no?
Will dryloc extreme last in a enclosed tortoise habitat that's 85°F and 85% humidity?
Will this still work if you use silicone 😅
Do you wait between coats ?
Is it a good idea to do a couple coats of drylok and a couple coats of poly? Twice the protection!
I know it doesn't have much to do with this video, but I may have missed it as I was going through your channel. When you build stuff like 8' by 4' enclosures and enclosure is cut in half, how do you seal that? Do you use the silicone or do you apply another coat of sealant? I'm curious because i'm building a red foot tortoise pen and then on top of it an ackie monitor enclosure and they'll both be 8' by 4'.
The enclosure that was in 2 pieces was joined together by packet screws. So seal the seam that goes around it I used 100% silicone calking. 🛠😎
If you're planning to stack anything on top of the enclosure make sure the lower support enclosure has an additional structure I side it to brace for the extra weight.
Hi I just bought the extreme and someone on a bearded dragon group said not to use it. Help please
Can you use spray foam over drylock extreme? Like people do for custom backgrounds?
I have not personally done this, but seeing that people are using spray foam on glass tanks it should definitely work.
What paints are safe to use on my snakes reptile wooden enclosure?
quick question have you used all of the sealants in enclosures in this video?
Yes, we have all these sealants options on our website talkingserpents.com
@@talkingserpents my man!!!
Looking into building a bio active enclosure. I really like the melamine aesthetic but I am worried it won’t hold up well. I am also interested in the birchwood enclosure. But do not like the aesthetic. Which would hold up the best?
Also if I were to go for a birchwood enclosure how well does the dryloc white cover up? Is it like paint and could it be used on the outside?
Also how resistant is melamine, birchwood, and the dryloc to heat.
Which wood would work best considering all the other details.
Also this enclosure will be for a bearded dragon.
Lastly after sealing would fumes or anything toxic be created with the heat?
@@PokeliciousPulls melamine in the by far the worse choice. It can off gas fumes without adding heat and any moisture will get absorbed like a sponge causing the wood to swell. It is also incredibly heavy. The best plywood you could use would be baltic birch. It is incredibly strong and light and has a nice grain. It is also not super expensive but it can be hard to find in sizes other than 5'x5' For a beardie that would be more than big enough without having to join wood pieces. If Baltic is not a possibility White Oak if you can find it would be my next choice, then either white birch, red oak or maple. If you are going to paint the outside it won't make as much of a difference but if you want to stain the outside all of these woods react and have varying degrees of effectiveness in staining without blotches. it can be done but it can be more complicated. As far as sealing, it all depends on what you seal with but definitely let it air out for at least a week if you use a varnish or polyurethane.
The railing on the front of your cages that holds the glass where do you get it at and what size is it also how thick is the glass that you put in is it tempered or just regular
Always better to use tempered glass especially with larger lizards and snakes. A large animal striking at conventional glass could result in the glass shattering and possibly lacerating or killing the animal.
Could i use pond paint to seal an enclosure? My enclosure is a vivexotic black so would i need to coat it anything? or can i just go ahead and only seal the edges with silicone? And if i were using plywood for an enclosure, would the whole thing need to be sealed or again only the corners?
I have never used a product called pont paint so I can not say.
Is it okay to have the water stay and rest on it. Asking as my enclosure with be for a chameleon
I personally wouldn't recommend it for standing water. I would recommend a pvc reptile enclosure since it can handle the highest moisture conditions. We have them on our website talkingserpents.com
Could you use a water based stain on the interior and then use the water based varnish?
I would say definetly not. When I stain the exterior of my enclosures I use water based stains and water based polyurethanes. While I stain the wood in my garage I use a respirator, because the fumes are very strong. A couple times the fumes made me a bit loopy in the head. 😪 even after letting the exterior cure for 7 days the stain has just a bit of smell to it. I would avoid staining the interior with risk of injury to your reptile.
Also thanks for the comment. This is an important topic that should be talked about. 😎👍👍👍
Yes. That is what polyurethane varnish is used for alot of the time.
Can u use dry guard paint for a fake rock paint? I just don’t want to harm my animals an it doesn’t say unsafe or safe on it or on the website.
Thank you so much
Will the drylock extreme be good for a bioactive terrarium or is it meant for non bioactive terrariums?
My customers use all of these inteior sealants for bio active setups. Only thing these aren't good for is aquatic setups. For aquatic setup I would highly suggest a product called Pond Armor. This is what people use to water seal plywood aquariums. 🌊 Hope this info was helpful. 😎👍
This was extremely helpful. Thank you for the feedback.
@@tonyjones2347 My pleasure! Glad I could be helpful.
@@talkingserpents for aquatic set up could you also do regular epoxy resin on the wood instead of pond armor?
@@deadpool981 I'm no expert with either of those 2, so I can't say for sure. Although I have seen many people use pond armor for inteior of plywood fish tanks. Knowing how sensitive fish are I lean toward pond armor, since it been proven.
If you have any personal experience let me know.
Awesome Ive used yacht varnish in the past which works pretty well too :)
Was the yacht varnish waterbasted or oil based?
@@talkingserpents water I believe but I'll have to check!
If I use a safe sealant on dried pinewood vivarium will it be ok to use?
I have used these sealants on 2x4 's in the past with good success, so it should work.
Although I must say I don't personally recomend building reptile enclosures out of pine and cedar since they have oils in them that can be toxic to reptiles. I personally use birch wood with my reptile enclosures. Hope this information was helpful. 😎
@@talkingserpents cheers mate thank you
Hey we built an enclosure for our beardie and we used minmax gel stain, not knowing about the oil being bad but my husband thinks putting polyurethane over it 3 or 4 times will be OK, but I'm scared I definitely don't want to harm my beardie!! Will this be OK or should I sand it all off???
Are you talking about wood stain being applied to the interior of the reptile enclosure?
@@talkingserpents correct.
@@talkingserpents we already put the minmax gel stain in it without knowing or realizing it is oil based and it can be harmful, so I'm thinking I should just sand it out and let it sit for a few days then doing the polyurethane coating a few times...
@@trincromwell7274 I would definitely sand all of the stain out of the inside of the reptile enclosure. Also I would highly suggest using dtylok extreme since you won't get all of the stain color out of the wood. Drylok extreme is more water resistant and you can get it tinted in several different colors if purchased at Home depot or Lows.
Hope this information was helpful.
@@talkingserpents it most definitely it helpful and much appreciated!! Can I use the drylock and then the polyurethane to top coat just to maybe give it an extra layer of protection or will the drylock be sufficient? Appreciate this info!
I only use ge 1 because it doesn’t have the mildew resistant properties and oil based polyurethane is fine to use as well just let it cure never had any promblems
Never heard of the GE 1.
Personally I would stay away from oil based polyurethane inside a reptile enclosure, since they have higher VOC levels in comparison to water based polyurethanes.
talking serpents the the Voc levels only matter when the coating hasn’t cured ge 1 is a kitchen and bath silicone made by the same company of silicone that you used it just doesn’t have the the mildew fighting properties if you look on the old reptile forum you can find people speaking on the differences on all my monitors enclosures I’ve used oil based poly but I do agree water based is easier to clean but both work great asking
as you let the finish cure for a reasonable time
How UV resistant are these? im looking for a good sealant for my bearded dragon enclosure but i cant find anything thats safe and also UV resistant.
Me and all of my customers have never had a problem with drylok extreme. I've used this product on more reptile enclosures than I can possibly remember. Not sure if that's good enough for you. 😁
How safe is drylok for aquariums? For fish and reptiles??
I would only recommend sealing a wood aquarium with a product called pond armor. Check out their website.
It's going on to foam not wood it's gonna be submerged tho.. so let me ask a different way lol.. how safe is drylok for fish? I see ppl use it all the time for their 3D background
Are these low in VOC or VOC free
Yes, these waterproof sealants are very low VOC levels. I've been using these methods for my customers for years and have had perfect results. 😁🎉🎉
There are other waterproof sealants out there, BUT their VOC and toxicity levels are dangerous for reptiles.
talking serpents thank you for the quick reply I’m going to pick some up today
@@edwindanielvillegas9121 My pleasure!!! 😁
How much would a 4 ft by 4 ft x 8 ft kit be?
Im making an enclosure for my living room, i want to use a wood stain on the outside so it matches the rest of our furniture. Is this ok to do? Would it harm my tegu?
This should be fine as long as it dries
Does the dryloc extreme make wood smooth? I have a problem of dubia climbing the walls of the enclosure
Drylok extreme has about the same texture / smoothness as an interior paint.
@@talkingserpents oh okay. So dubia shouldn’t be able to climb up the walls ?
@@Xotics365 I don't couldn't tell you that specifically
They can climb it
How much would I have to pay for you to make me a custom enclosure?
I sell custom reptile enclosures on my website talkingserpents.com, BUT if you need a size that I don't offer I should be able to make that happen as well.
@@talkingserpents thanks for responding, do you sell 7x4x3 ft enclosures or would that be a special request?
Drylok doesn't waterproof, it makes a water resistant barrier. Damp soil and standing water will cause the wood to rot out. Is this why you now put a disclaimer on your finished enclosures that they're just water resistant?
You're correct. Drylok is water resistant not a waterproof sealant.
Although I have put drylok through testing. The test was a small box coated in drylok. I then filled it with 1" of water and left it for 1 week. The coating was not damaged in any way. For perpetually damp substrates and standing water this coating is not proper. Our pvc reptile enclosures are best for those conditions.
Is this amphibian safe
Do u sell the snake enclosures
Yes I do. I have all my products on my website talkingserpents.com
Could probably make it any color by adding acrylic paint to it
What happens if I only seal the bottom and not the rest of the wood?
It just wouldn't last as long. The wood would absorb any moisture in the air. It wouldn't be that bad if it was a very dry enclosure but it would still be best to seal the whole thing. Way easier to clean and will last a long time without issues