Paint on water proofing for enclosed chamber

[Tortellini0000]

Hello! Has anyone built a wooden closed chamber enclosure and used some sort of water proofing/moisture sealant that they painted on? Is this a thing? Safe? thanks!

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello! I don’t doubt someone has used some sort of coating to waterproof a wooden enclosure to make a closed chamber, hopefully you’ll get some answers.

But tbh, if you’re getting a hatchling, the high humidity may get to the wood eventually.

Have you looked into greenhouse style set ups? They work well as closed chambers🙂

 

[Tom]

Hello! Has anyone built a wooden closed chamber enclosure and used some sort of water proofing/moisture sealant that they painted on? Is this a thing? Safe? thanks!

I tried this several times over several years it doesn't work. Get 1/2 inch thick expanded PVC sheets. Use a material that is impervious to water.

There are two materials that can work and stand up to the constant moisture:
1. Non-toxic boat pain that is meant to be submerged. The problem with it is that it wears off with the constant tortoise shells rubbing on it, and it also very expensive.
2. Pond Shield. It can work, but its very tricky to work with and apply and its also fairly expensive. You'll need to do a thick coat, and it takes a lot of the material to do that. You have to follow the instructions TO THE LETTER very carefully or the expensive stuff will not set up, or it will set up prematurely before you can properly spread it and coat everything with it.

There is nothing bought at the store that will work. I've had whole conversations with both the paint managers at Home Depot, and their paint company supply reps. Nothing sold there will work for our constant damp substrate and wet purposes, according to them.

 

[Tortellini0000]

I tried this several times over several years it doesn't work. Get 1/2 inch thick expanded PVC sheets. Use a material that is impervious to water.

There are two materials that can work and stand up to the constant moisture:
1. Non-toxic boat pain that is meant to be submerged. The problem with it is that it wears off with the constant tortoise shells rubbing on it, and it also very expensive.
2. Pond Shield. It can work, but its very tricky to work with and apply and its also fairly expensive. You'll need to do a thick coat, and it takes a lot of the material to do that. You have to follow the instructions TO THE LETTER very carefully or the expensive stuff will not set up, or it will set up prematurely before you can properly spread it and coat everything with it.

There is nothing bought at the store that will work. I've had whole conversations with both the paint managers at Home Depot, and their paint company supply reps. Nothing sold there will work for our constant damp substrate and wet purposes, according to them.

Thanks for the reply! I’m from Vancouver Canada and have looked online for expanded pvc with little luck. I’ll have to keep researching and find something similar

Iv read countless forums of yours and they have been so helpful!! I’m still in the research phase of homing a tortoise and very drawn to the leopards and Burmese star tortoises (but they are very limited In bc and very expensive)

I look forward to learning more. Thanks!

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

You might want to look at this thread as a part of your research: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/leopard-sulcata-starter.217805/

Are you planning on getting a hatchling or an adult? I am asking this, because it is best to get an enclosure set up before purchasing the tortoise. This way you can perfect the temps and humidity.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Thanks for the reply! I’m from Vancouver Canada and have looked online for expanded pvc with little luck. I’ll have to keep researching and find something similar

Iv read countless forums of yours and they have been so helpful!! I’m still in the research phase of homing a tortoise and very drawn to the leopards and Burmese star tortoises (but they are very limited In bc and very expensive)

I look forward to learning more. Thanks!

Try asking glass cutters and advertising signs makers in your area. That's how I've got my PVC sheets, they also cut to size.

 

[Tortellini0000]

Try asking glass cutters and advertising signs makers in your area. That's how I've got my PVC sheets, they also cut to size.

Thanks! I will look into that. Are you also from Canada?

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Thanks! I will look into that. Are you also from Canada?

No, I'm from Cyprus so we are very limited in what we can get in hardware stores (and overall in local shops). But expanded PVC is widely used for making all sorts of signs, ad boxes and such. A 10 mm, 300x200 cm sheet of PVC should be around 130-140 USD. I used this site to plan and calculate required cuts: https://www.cutlistoptimizer.com/

 

[psmith]

Lowes and Home Depot both sell 4'x8' sheets of white acrylic. 1/16th inch thick. Completely impervious to water. We've used it to line the insides of old cabinets for various projects over the years. The panels are pretty cheap, only around $25-$30 per sheet. If you have a wooden enclosure you want to waterproof it's a good way to do it. Cut panels to size and use a good adhesive to attach to your wood. Then just seal the seams with a good quality silicone. I wouldn't build a new enclosure like this but it's a cheap way to waterproof an existing one. We used to line the bottoms of cheap kitchen cabinets under the sinks in rental homes like this. Those cabinets were bad about crumbling to pieces underneath from stuff spilling, water leaking etc. It was a cheap easy fix if they couldn't afford to replace the cabinet.