# Preventing driftwood rot



## easternversant (Sep 4, 2012)

Hi all,

I have a particularly awesome piece of driftwood that is excellent. It is very porous and excellent for placing some epiphytic vegetation in/on. I'm pretty positive it will rot away really quickly though (just my guess from looking at the wood, and it is a bit 'soft'). 

I suppose I could coat it with silicone and moss, but I'd prefer to maintain the texture/visual appeal of this piece. Is there anything I can coat it with relatively quickly and easily to prevent the decay of this piece of wood without ruining the texture of the piece? 

Thanks,
Adam


----------



## The Wolfe (Jul 17, 2012)

I had the same problem when I was building my last viv. What I decided to do is coat the peace of wood in titbond 3. It is water proof and it dried clear so you really don't notice it. It dried glossy but if it is going to get wet often then it doesn't really matter. I have found this method worked fine and the peace of wood hasn't shown any signs of rot yet. and it seemed to be fine when I planted moss on top of the titbond.

Hope that helps, 
The Wolfe


----------



## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

easternversant said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I have a particularly awesome piece of driftwood that is excellent. It is very porous and excellent for placing some epiphytic vegetation in/on. I'm pretty positive it will rot away really quickly though (just my guess from looking at the wood, and it is a bit 'soft').
> 
> ...


Paint it in water based polyurethane until it stops absorbing the urethane. Allow to dry, wash with water and again let dry. Try sanding it lightly with 1000 grit sand paper to remove the shiny look. 

Some comments 

Ed


----------



## Samuraisid (Apr 24, 2012)

Titebond 3 can be diluted with a max of 10% water by volume, according to an RC Airplane forum although the TDS says 5% max.

Im having the same problem, and I intend on trying this out over the week. Im going to try about 4 different scrap pieces all with different mixes and sanding options to see what works best. Titebond 3 is too expensive for me to do bg's with, so I gotta find other options.

Otherwise Im thinking of diluting it and doing as many layers as I feel is needed, sanding in between each one.


----------

