Enclosure question

[sean8172]

I recently got some OSB. I know it doesn't do well with moisture and tends to warp over time. I found information on another forum that stated a roof sealing is safe for chickens. Obviously, chickens are very different from bearded dragons, but do you guys think this would be safe to use to seal OSB?

http://m.lowes.com/product?langId=-...=3009894&store=2611&view=detail&nValue=SEARCH

 

[Luvthemanimal]

I personally wouldn't...... That's like a tar... Probably pretty toxic if injested by your beardie. And I assume would smell.....

 

[sean8172]

Honestly, I was thinking the same thing. Do you think a poly coating would be sufficient? The enclosure will stay inside year round, and obviously in a fairly dry environment.

 

[Luvthemanimal]

A non toxic wood sealer should be ok...... My buddie built a custom enclosure out of plywood for his water dragon and sealed it with......... I'll ask him and get back to you.. But it's holding up and no effect on the water dragon......

However it could be different for the beardie as beardies require a lot lower humidity and higher basking and ambient temps.

I personally would use MDF or Melamine for a custom enclosure.

 

[sean8172]

Normally I would too, but when someone just gives you a bunch of perfectly good OSB, you find a use for it. This was my use

 

[Luvthemanimal]

Fair enough...... Non toxic sealer..... Should do the trick.

 

[jarich]

Since this is just for a dragon enclosure, you can use a polyacrylic or polyurethane and it will work just fine. Give it two or three coats and youre good to go. Just make sure its properly supported as USB isnt very strong over big stretches without support.

 

[sean8172]

I was planning on using shellac. Would that work as well? I've been told shellac is stronger, and harder, that any poly based solution.

This may sound like a silly question, but by "properly supported" do you mean plenty of coats? I painted it with outdoor acrylic paint (four coats), and I'm covering that with shellac.

 

[DanielE]

I think what jarich was meaning was structurally supported.

 

[jarich]

Yep, I meant the OSB itself is not particularly strong over long distances without 2x4 or 2x2 for support. So when you build the long wall, make sure you give it a support beam in the middle or it will bow on you.

As for the sealing, it sounds like youve been talking to an old furniture maker. I didnt think anybody used shellac anymore. Its not particularly better than polys, but if youve got it already then it will definitely do the job. The only issue I could see is that it dissolves in ammonia, so make sure you dont let your dragon wastes sit around too long. Again, you arent talking about a high humidity enclosure though, so it will be more than enough to seal your wood. Just make sure to let it off gas for a good long time before you put your dragon in. If you can smell even a little of the fumes then dont put your dragon in yet. What I usually do is run my heat lights in it like normal and put a fan pointed into it for a couple weeks before using.

 

[sean8172]

There seems to always be a quart of shellac around the house. I come from a family of furniture makers (while I'm not one myself). Thanks for all the advice. I'll make sure I at least share the finished product.