zero voc acrylic latex waterproof?

Hey Guys,

Im almost finished with my DIY cage, which I have to give my hubby props for helping me. It coming out great (post pics up soon). I have been reading a lot about the no voc waterproof latex, but they have so many different brands.

Anyone can suggest one brand that they've used and loved?

Thanks,
Sherlin

Sherlinwed said:

Hey Guys,

Im almost finished with my DIY cage, which I have to give my hubby props for helping me. It coming out great (post pics up soon). I have been reading a lot about the no voc waterproof latex, but they have so many different brands.

Anyone can suggest one brand that they've used and loved?

Thanks,
Sherlin

Click to expand...

have a DIY cage as well, and I used Valspar brand, used the forest green color came out amazing.

Is it a true waterproofing agent or just a wood finish. Most if not all finishes are just to protect the wood, their not meant to be a waterproofing agent. The difference being that they'll do fine except for the bottom where they will be wet most of the time. Waterproofing materials are used on roofs and balcaneys. A normal wood finish that gets wet and stays wet most of the time will fail sooner or later.

espressodude said:

Is it a true waterproofing agent or just a wood finish. Most if not all finishes are just to protect the wood, their not meant to be a waterproofing agent. The difference being that they'll do fine except for the bottom where they will be wet most of the time. Waterproofing materials are used on roofs and balcaneys. A normal wood finish that gets wet and stays wet most of the time will fail sooner or later.

Click to expand...

No this paint is waterproof, I have had no issues with paint. Plus you shouldn't have any standing water in your enclosure in the first place.

espressodude said:

. A normal wood finish that gets wet and stays wet most of the time will fail sooner or later.

Click to expand...

I use zero voc latex acrylic paint on wood and peg board, no issues. I do repaint after a few years, but that's more choice than need. Paint is a decent sealant- think of the humidity in your bathroom when you shower and forget to turn the fan on or open a window - paint is all that's keeping the moisture out of the walls. And as noted above, there shouldnt be a great deal of standing water anyhow.

Thanks guys I will look into it I cant wait until I'm done with this project and put him in it. He's probably going to get lost..ha

I use drippers on all of my cages and as long as their dripping the floor of my cages are wet. I don't know how you guys keep the floor of your cage dry if you use a dripper. Paint is a decent sealant for vertical surfaces only, not so good for horizontal surfaces. In bathroom they also use green water board instead of normal dry wall for that very reason. If you have live plants in the cage and the pot is resting on the floor it's probably almost always wet below the pot (mine are). I've sprayed thousands of gallons of elastomeric waterproof paint, in order to get a guarantee it has to be at least 16 mils and that's for vertical surfaces. A normal paint job with priming and finishing is usually around 3-5 mils. I've tried many different products on wood floors and they have always failed over time. As the wood expands and contracts you only need a small crack to let water in. There are some products that will work but they are not normal house paints. The only reason I mention all of this is I still have an area in my living room floor that was damaged when a DIY wood cage floor failed. OOpps!

Yes i run drippers, but the vast majority of the water is collected in a plastic container, which I dump out. You shouldnt leave water puddles around for long periods of time. Of course I've had times when the chameleon moved the dripper during its travels and the water no longer hit the collection container, and so water sat in a cm deep pool for quite awhile, on a horizontal surface wood floor, and there was no water penetration through the paint. Seams are sealed also with caulking overwhich the paint is also. I find plastic collection containers easier, but wouldnt hesitate just to let the water splash onto the bottom, and soak it up with a towel within an hour.
Newer homes have green board. Many many many older have wood or drywall (which disintigrates in moisture). Really, paint has worked well for years in these cases, so long as the humidity isnt contantly high and pools of water arent regularily left.
I have borrowed a moisture metre, and I know factually there is no water getting past the paint of my cages.

I run drippers, all the water lands in my plant base though I made a funnel from clear plastic to funnel all the water into the soil.

I use screen cages and they have PVC floors, so I just drill a bunch of 1/8" holes and let the water fall into water trays. I've never had that much luck with collecting containers. I always let the water drip on to a plant and just when I think I know where it's going to hit the container it changes direction and misses it when I leave.
AZJOSH: I don't understand what happens to the water entering you plants, how do you drain those.
What I'm really trying to address here is I've seen people here on the forums build DIY cages with wood floors. Then they try to drain them into water trays. If the wood floor is getting wet day in and day out for hours at a time normal paint isn't a good choice for that floor. Don't trust me go to any paint store and ask them. If the floor is only getting wet once and a while for short periods then normal paint or varnish will probably be fine. My floors get wet for hours at a time and it happens everyday but they are PVC so it's fine.