Sealing a timber enclosure..

[trdt58]

I have had a look round but can't find good advise on what to seal a timber enclosure with ..
its not MDF......but pine floor boards with the joints so there are plenty of cracks for the bugs to get into..

THANKS TOM...

 

[Lawra]

Hi [MENTION=40052]trdt58[/MENTION] would you mind posting a pic? Just for my own curiosity; why did you use floorboards?

I would say silicone in the cracks, not just for bugs but to make cleaning easier.

Otherwise, most varnishes and sealants are fine. I've used pond sealer on both of mine but if your boards are raw it will soak up a lot before being properly coated.

 

[Rogue5861]

Any water based sealer will work fine, cabots cfp clear works fine as long as your not flooding the enclosure with moisture. Yacht vanish or marine varnish works as well.


Rick

 

[Marty75]

Is it recommended for off-the-shelf melamine enclosures to be sealed? I've only got a small water bowl in mine and coarse critter crumble substrate.

Thanks

marty

 

[Rogue5861]

Is it recommended for off-the-shelf melamine enclosures to be sealed? I've only got a small water bowl in mine and coarse critter crumble substrate.

Thanks

marty

Seal all corners with silicone, no need to seal the flat surface of the melamine.


Rick

 

[Blocka89]

I made my enclosure out of pine and sealed the whole thing with water based varnish

 

[trdt58]

hi lawra..
thanks for the info ..i will take picture tonight ...unfortunately i cant get a internet connection at home it all has to be done here at work.
.i may have lead you all astray its timber panelingfor the walls and MDF for the floor...its the groves between the panels which i think will cause most of the cleaning problems.i would like to keep the timber look so a clear finish is what i am after..i like the idea of pond sealer...
thanks to the other members for their imput much appreciated..

 

[MrVic]

Liquid nails in between the joints. Place some masking tape either side of the cracks then smear the LN into the cracks. Once dry remove the tape and you have nice clean joins
As others have said, any water based sealant or pond sealer will do the trick.

 

[Rogue5861]

Liquid nails in between the joints. Place some masking tape either side of the cracks then smear the LN into the cracks. Once dry remove the tape and you have nice clean joins
As others have said, any water based sealant or pond sealer will do the trick.

Dont most people remove the tape while its still drying? If you try and remove the tape after i would of though with the liquid nails setting hard like a rock the tape wouldnt come off?


Rick

 

[MrVic]

You are indeed correct. I would remove it once I was finished and happy with the placement and depth of the LN.

Thanks for the correction Rick. I blame the lack of sleep