Waterproofing

[Kayroxyoursox]

I am working on a cage for my babies. I know I have to waterproof the wood. I got some stuff called Rainguard. I was wondering if anyone knows how safe this is? It says Eco friendly so I assume it's non toxic?

 

[Blang]

Probably eco friendly but not lizard friendly! If you use it and when you mist your chams the water will bead up on the wood & the wood sealer mixing with the water & your babies licking it up probably wouldn't have a good outcome!

 

[Kayroxyoursox]

Soo what do I use

 

[pgr7]

I used the rubber you lay down for roofing projects,may not be helpful to you though :/
My buddy had extra from worm and we used that to line the floor of my custom build.

 

[JoCarp]

I was having the same trouble trying to find a way to waterproof my armoire. I used Thompsons Water Seal, but was concerned I was going to have to recoat it down the road so I wasn't happy with it. Did some searches on the web for "making reptile background" and I'm going to follow what I saw there. Basically you use "Great Stuff" expanding foam (I plan to use the "Pond and Stone" type since it's fish safe and it is black, easier to hide) to coat the interior of the enclosure, then once it has cured you spread black or brown silicone over it and stick substrate (coconut fiber, bark or whatever) to that. Here is one link that I looked at (there is another explaining the same process that doesn't make it look so daunting, I just cannot find it for some reason):

http://bamboozoo.weebly.com/diy-realistic-foam-background.html

There are a lot of other ways too, but this is my plan to make it look nice and seal the wood from getting water on it. Hope that helps!
Make it a great day,

 

[Banksy]

What kind of wood is it? Bare or coated?

If you're just looking to coat it, you can use Minwax Polycrylic. If you're looking to pain it, check outdoor paints. I used Valspar 365 outdoor paint/primer blend from Lowes that's water/mild/moldew resistant and water just beads off. Make sure you let it air out for a few days before putting your Cham in.

Also be sure that you fill in seams where the wood meets. The outdoor paint will fill it, but I was extra cautious and used GEII clear silicone on all the seams and then painted over it.

 

[Banksy]

I was working with particle board cover with laminate. If you know how particle board reacts to moisture you'll know keeping water out was crucial.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/1st-diy-enclosure-143681/