Dit enclosure

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nomad.stimmie

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Hey all, I'm building my own snake enclosure. Got my design and measurements for it.
Just after some details now .
What's a good brand off sealing /varnish I can use to seal it. And do I varnish then seal it or vise versa .
Is there any materials I shouldn't use like woods type and such
And for vents would it be acceptable to just drill holes (small enough so he can't escape ) in the back off the enclosure instead off actually fitting vents from a store??
Thanks James

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I don’t see any point to varnishing but I’ve never done it so can’t comment further on the specific pros and cons of that. I’m a big fan of pond sealant for sealing but a lot of people like to use epoxy as well. I think marine grade works very well. Brand doesn’t really matter as long as it does the job. Alternatively, if you haven’t selected the material yet, melamine is already water resistant so makes a pretty ideal building material. If you’d prefer the timber look though, you can’t really go past ply. I wouldn’t suggest MDF or chipboard since they absorb a lot of liquid and will be a nightmare to try to seal. The resins used to make them is also a potential health problem.

For vents, you will be there all day trying to drill a bunch of small holes and, in my opinion, it doesn’t look great, especially if you get chipping or splintering around the holes. Most hardware places will have small circular vents that you just need a spade bit or small hole saw for. Then you just glue it in place and it looks very “finished”. I’ve also used shower drains for a slightly fancier look but they are quite pricey for what they are.

Hope that helps.
 
I would stick with melamine. I varnished my first and second display enclosures as they were made from pine but the smell was so strong it too 5 months to go away. I couldn't house my snakes in them until the smell had gone. There are different grades of melamine. If you get a choice use the marine grade my melamine and put silicon in the corners to seal it all in.
 
What kinder places can get get melamine from. Will bunnings and stuff do them??

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I have some enclosures made from marine ply, mostly they're painted with some smaller areas of sealed plywood. The vents are horizontal cuts, 5 MM gap, I tidied them up with a rotary tool & sanding attachment. They're pretty damn smooth as far as plywood goes.
 
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