Low VOC Stains for Wood?

[AZJ0SH]

Can anyone recommend a good stain to use that is low voc and safe for a chameleons enclosure?

I am building a new enclosure this week, upgrading him to a 32x32x48" enclosure for more space and better drainage than my previous enclosure.

I don't plan on moving him into it for a few weeks, I am going to let it air out outside for a while to be safe.

thanks

 

[AZJ0SH]

Bump, any suggestions? I asked the guys at Home Depot, and I am not even sure they knew what Low VOC meant.

For his last enclosure I used a low voc waterproof outdoor paint, which has help up very well. I wanted to use a stain on this to bring out the redwood I am using for the outside, and to match my furniture a little better.

 

[EvilLost]

Are you going to have full wood panels?


If you are just staining the OUTSIDE of the enclosure, then you are pretty safe (I use BEHR All-Purpose weatherproofer rated for blizzards and snowstorms).

On the inside of the wood, I'm not entirely certain of the Behr in LARGE applications. I am not sure on the VOC content of the stain, but I can try to look when I get home. If you only have 2x2s or similar wrapped in screen I would think it is okay but cannot say for a fact.

DRYLOK is a latex based waterproofer, but it is not a stain and dries like a hard plastic coating. However, it is safe to use (extensively used in frog and vivaria setups). I use that on the inside of my wood panels where more water is present.


If you want to absolutely WATERPROOF, then go with an epoxy. They are hard to find at HD/etc and expensive at marine shops, but I found US Composites 635 Epoxy for $95/gallon shipped online. It is the cheapest I have found, but still pricy....this forms a "dry clear plastic" is my best description. it is water as well so I personally epoxy my wood while laying it flat before connecting them or else it will drip down for an uneven dry. When dried in a puddle, the epoxy looks literally like hard plastic water.

I guess the short answer is:

It depends.

 

[AZJ0SH]

Are you going to have full wood panels?


If you are just staining the OUTSIDE of the enclosure, then you are pretty safe (I use BEHR All-Purpose weatherproofer rated for blizzards and snowstorms).

On the inside of the wood, I'm not entirely certain of the Behr in LARGE applications. I am not sure on the VOC content of the stain, but I can try to look when I get home. If you only have 2x2s or similar wrapped in screen I would think it is okay but cannot say for a fact.

DRYLOK is a latex based waterproofer, but it is not a stain and dries like a hard plastic coating. However, it is safe to use (extensively used in frog and vivaria setups). I use that on the inside of my wood panels where more water is present.


If you want to absolutely WATERPROOF, then go with an epoxy. They are hard to find at HD/etc and expensive at marine shops, but I found US Composites 635 Epoxy for $95/gallon shipped online. It is the cheapest I have found, but still pricy....this forms a "dry clear plastic" is my best description. it is water as well so I personally epoxy my wood while laying it flat before connecting them or else it will drip down for an uneven dry. When dried in a puddle, the epoxy looks literally like hard plastic water.

I guess the short answer is:

It depends.

The frame of the enclosure is going to be built out of 2x4's, and then wrapped in screen, the back will be plywood to help with the overspray and very low humidity here in arizona.

The back will be painted using a low voc paint, which I used on my previous enclosure and has worked perfect. I just don't want to use the paint on the frame/exterior, I would prefer to use a stain to treat the wood, I don't expect the frame itself to be exposed to much water, but would like to take precautions to ensure the life of the enclosure.

I am using an safe-for-pets aquarium silicone for the interior to seal the edges and waterproof the barrier around the drainage setup I am using.

Thanks for the reply, let me know if you need more info.

 

[EvilLost]

based on your description, I would use the same paint you had before (or use DRYLOK) on the INTERIOR of the plywood....I believe this is your plan so that sounds solid


for the back (outside) of the plywood and the 2x4's, I would feel comfortable using the weatherproof stain I mentioned above, but I can't say "for fact" that this is 100% safe; only personal experience. I would not use that stain in an enclosed build, but where its mostly open air, I do feel comfortable. I'm pretty sure its fine for the frame 2x4s and so far it has held up decently well under my use but its been barely a year so we'll see how it continues to hold

For Silicone: GE WINDOWS AND DOOR I (or II is okay too) are safe though not directly marketted as an aquarium silicone. Cheap, easy to find, and known to be safe (thoroughly used in the frog hobby)

 

[Chadbot]

VOC stands for "volatile organic components". Essentially, these are solvents used to suspend the pigment particles or urethane particles so you can paint them easily. The VOC's quickly turn into vapor when exposed to air, giving the material that powerful smell of varnish or turpentine as they are evaporating. Once the solvent is all evaporated and you no longer smell the nasty stuff, the remaining dry material it is inert and safe as all the VOC's have gone into the air.

The real concern for VOC is the toxic nature of the vapors coming off the drying stain/varnish not good for tiny chameleon lungs (or even people-lungs for that matter). After about 2 weeks any VOC's, no matter how much is in there, will be essentially all gone, so you can use anything you like as long as it's going to sit for a while before you put your chameleon in there.

If you're dead-set on still avoiding VOC's after what you read above, to avoid VOC's altogether you would want to go with a water-based varnish or weatherproofer. It just replaces the VOC solvent (usually hexane or xylene) with water. It's a slightly different chemistry, but still works well. For the best protection, you'd want to re-apply every couple of years though (Do this anyway no matter what you use) .

I used a clear epoxy as a final coat on my wood materials after getting them the color I wanted. Epoxies aren't generally sold next to the weatherproofing stains for outside use because they degrade in the sun over time meaning you'll have to look around to find it. That being said, they have MUCH better water resistance than urethanes/varnishes. So, if you're not going to keep this enclosure outside, the best thing to use is an epoxy. You can sometimes find these in the furniture-protection materials aisle or in the flooring aisle for covering up hardwoods.

Any questions, just ask. I'm an epoxy and urethane chemist by day. Cham-owner by night.

-Chad

 

[AZJ0SH]

based on your description, I would use the same paint you had before (or use DRYLOK) on the INTERIOR of the plywood....I believe this is your plan so that sounds solid


for the back (outside) of the plywood and the 2x4's, I would feel comfortable using the weatherproof stain I mentioned above, but I can't say "for fact" that this is 100% safe; only personal experience. I would not use that stain in an enclosed build, but where its mostly open air, I do feel comfortable. I'm pretty sure its fine for the frame 2x4s and so far it has held up decently well under my use but its been barely a year so we'll see how it continues to hold

For Silicone: GE WINDOWS AND DOOR I (or II is okay too) are safe though not directly marketted as an aquarium silicone. Cheap, easy to find, and known to be safe (thoroughly used in the frog hobby)

VOC stands for "volatile organic components". Essentially, these are solvents used to suspend the pigment particles or urethane particles so you can paint them easily. The VOC's quickly turn into vapor when exposed to air, giving the material that powerful smell of varnish or turpentine as they are evaporating. Once the solvent is all evaporated and you no longer smell the nasty stuff, the remaining dry material it is inert and safe as all the VOC's have gone into the air.

The real concern for VOC is the toxic nature of the vapors coming off the drying stain/varnish not good for tiny chameleon lungs (or even people-lungs for that matter). After about 2 weeks any VOC's, no matter how much is in there, will be essentially all gone, so you can use anything you like as long as it's going to sit for a while before you put your chameleon in there.

If you're dead-set on still avoiding VOC's after what you read above, to avoid VOC's altogether you would want to go with a water-based varnish or weatherproofer. It just replaces the VOC solvent (usually hexane or xylene) with water. It's a slightly different chemistry, but still works well. For the best protection, you'd want to re-apply every couple of years though (Do this anyway no matter what you use) .

I used a clear epoxy as a final coat on my wood materials after getting them the color I wanted. Epoxies aren't generally sold next to the weatherproofing stains for outside use because they degrade in the sun over time meaning you'll have to look around to find it. That being said, they have MUCH better water resistance than urethanes/varnishes. So, if you're not going to keep this enclosure outside, the best thing to use is an epoxy. You can sometimes find these in the furniture-protection materials aisle or in the flooring aisle for covering up hardwoods.

Any questions, just ask. I'm an epoxy and urethane chemist by day. Cham-owner by night.

-Chad

Thanks for the clarification guys. Just to be safe I think I will go with a low VOC stain, and see if I can find some epoxy if I decided to go that route.

I am building the cage this week/weekend, and leaving it outside for 2 weeks to make sure it airs out 100%.

Thanks again. I will reply if I have more questions, heading to Home Depot now to pick up the wood and stain.

 

[a2zcreatures]

http://www.ecowise.com/product_info.php/cPath/21_102_322/products_id/988

 

[xKBx]

Are you going to have full wood panels?


If you are just staining the OUTSIDE of the enclosure, then you are pretty safe (I use BEHR All-Purpose weatherproofer rated for blizzards and snowstorms).

On the inside of the wood, I'm not entirely certain of the Behr in LARGE applications. I am not sure on the VOC content of the stain, but I can try to look when I get home. If you only have 2x2s or similar wrapped in screen I would think it is okay but cannot say for a fact.

DRYLOK is a latex based waterproofer, but it is not a stain and dries like a hard plastic coating. However, it is safe to use (extensively used in frog and vivaria setups). I use that on the inside of my wood panels where more water is present.


If you want to absolutely WATERPROOF, then go with an epoxy. They are hard to find at HD/etc and expensive at marine shops, but I found US Composites 635 Epoxy for $95/gallon shipped online. It is the cheapest I have found, but still pricy....this forms a "dry clear plastic" is my best description. it is water as well so I personally epoxy my wood while laying it flat before connecting them or else it will drip down for an uneven dry. When dried in a puddle, the epoxy looks literally like hard plastic water.

I guess the short answer is:

It depends.

For the epoxy stuff you're on about would this product be safe to use? I'm actually making vivs for crested geckos and need to 100% waterproof it to the best of my ability ^.^ lol I've painted it with outdoor paint but wanted a varnish for on top of that. Would this be suitable? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sadolin-P...Material_Paint_Varnish_MJ&hash=item3392a55a0b