It won't work. The enclosure will rot in a year. I've tried. I primed with Killz2 and then did three heavy coats of DryLok. The bottom literally fell out of it the next year and my tortoises were at the edge of the hole looking down at the floor.
Thank you. Happy Birthday! 🎉
Yes I was wondering about that. I am not very DIY but I’ll try to sort that out, maybe get a handyman. I have this really large one I may use through the winter then work on the PVC. As I mentioned to Zeropilot, I wonder if it’s harmful to use the Kilz oil based primer or if I should skip it all together? Thank you for responding!
I've never used Kilz, but I have used the Killz2 formula several times and it is safe once it is fully cured.
You can use an underlayment of pond liner material or a thick shower curtain underneath the substrate.
Thanks so much.
PVC Board is not affordable. It cost $250 a sheet. It may have been cheaper in the past but it no longer is . No one can give me a source to where it not expensive. I live in Arizona and have called and looked around and the price is crazy.
I've been able to find it near me for $113 a sheet.
I use that stuff (spray AND tape, clear and black, etc.) all the time and even repaired RV roof vents that were cracked with the stuff and it doesn't leak. That said, it IS rubbery in spots and I'd hate to have one of mine eat it.
Then this is really easy. Build a box with marine grade plywood and paint it with high gloss oil paint. Additionally, after painting it with a few coats, I would finish by pouring the floor of the box really thick and letting it seal everything on the bottom. Let it dry really good outside, run your lighting rig and bring it to max temperature to get rid of any fumes and you’re done.
I did this on a big 4x8x4 foot indoor closed chamber build. More than 10 years ago it was $135 for the primer and $150 for the paint. Probably much more than that now. It worked okay and help up to the moisture, but over timer, the paint was rubbed off in all the high traffic areas along the walls and corners where the tortoise carapaces were rubbing.
I appreciate your expertise on the subject. I could not find any coating at any price or at any level of difficulty working with it that holds up long term. The best I've found is Pond Shield which is a three part mix and its fairly difficult and expensive to apply and use correctly. It does hold up well to tortoise traffic, is completely inert and non-toxic once cured, and if you didn't make mistakes in the application, it remains water proof. There is a guy on YT that makes salt water aquariums out of plywood using the stuff. It does work, but its not cheap or easy.
I'm afraid nothing is made to last forever. It's also not made for constant rubbing from a sulcata. However, it works. If it can hold up in water, it will hold up for tortoises, but yes, not forever, but longer than regular paint, stain, or sealer as it's made for water/moisture. That's what we are being asked, what will help to hold up in humidity.
