# 34gal split Plywood plus drylok



## decev (Dec 3, 2009)

It appears that no one has yet had the courage to try it... well here it goes. Of course marine epoxy would be preferable... but DryLok is freaking $8. People have used it successfully on monsterfishkeepers.com. If it's good enough for 100+ gallon tanks, it's good enough for me.

I haven't taken any pictures yet, but I will soon. This will be 2 vivariums, split in the middle. So 2x 34gal. Each will be 24" x 18 x 18. 

Early notes:
1 quart of Drylok is going to be just enough for what I'm doing.
Painting it on... it's a lot like liquid paper in texture, looks, and smell. It's white. It's latex based and has silicate suspended it in... so the finished product has a rough surface. Not exactly what I expected but no problem.
I read on the label that breathing in the dust can cause cancer... after I already did some sanding of it . Oh well.

I did 2x 2feet long vivs together because I found out that we live in a 4ft light fixture world... and it's easier to make a 4 ft viv than to fight the system.

Pictures to come.


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## JoeGecko (Dec 18, 2009)

Bizarre!!! I was in the hardware store today looking at that stuff, white latex roof coating and a "new to me" 1-step acrylic epoxy floor coating and wondering the same thing. Good luck and keep us posted, I am tempted to try the rubber roof coating... the worst ingredient I saw was titanium dioxide.


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## JoeGecko (Dec 18, 2009)

Wow, had to post back on this. I was up till 1AM last night looking into this stuff. I saw a lot of vague talk around whether or not this stuff works well in the long haul for actual waterproof aquariums, but I did find it is being used with great success as a cover for backgrounds instead of cement. The advantages stated have been things like; lighter in weight, easy to apply with brush, colored with concrete coloring agents and NO curing!!

I am going to do a bit more research for myself but I am pretty sure I will be taking this approach with my background and tree/limb builds.

Check this vid out, it gets to the application at around 2:40, the beginning is a bit boring after 30 seconds.


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## sly fox (Nov 26, 2009)

good stuff mate, i was thinking of doing a ply one myself...look forward to the progress... hadnt heard of the drylock before... for $8 thats pretty excellent


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## decev (Dec 3, 2009)

site:monsterfishkeepers.com drylok - Google Search

That's where I got the courage to try drylok. There are a couple thread mentioning it.

I'll post a picture when I get home today, but it's pretty boring so far. I wouldn't recommend using 1/2 plywood unless you use a table saw and can find perfectly unwarped wood. Mine was slightly warped and my circular saw cuts were good but not 100% perfect, but the good news is we'll get to see if this drylok stuff plus silicone is able to cover my tracks at all.

Right now I put on two coats and then screwed all the pieces together. I'm thinking about running the silicone bead along all edges and then putting more drylok on top of that to make 100% sure it's sealed. I don't want water finding any plywood edges, that would be bad. The silicone sticks fine to the drylok, so I'm assuming it works the other way around as well.


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## RarePlantBroker (Aug 3, 2008)

Dave,

Having worked with Drylok on one of my vivariums, I wouldn't trust it to seal over silicone. If you've already painted your plywood, screw it together, and then use a little hydraulic cement (fast drying cement patch) to your seems (like a wide bead of caulking). DryLok actually makes their own Hydraulic cement. Work quickly with it, it usually dries in under 10 minutes. After it dries, then apply your final coat of Drylok. It adheres wonderfully to the cement!


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## JoeGecko (Dec 18, 2009)

I guess I'll just throw out the question ... why not simply line the enclosure with a .5+ mil plastic/pond liner?


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## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

I used drylok on some plywood dwarf monitor, BTS, and beardie enclosures. They've held up well for over a year now.


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## JoeGecko (Dec 18, 2009)

decev said:


> I wouldn't recommend using 1/2 plywood unless you use a table saw and can find perfectly unwarped wood. Mine was slightly warped and my circular saw cuts were good but not 100% perfect, but the good news is we'll get to see if this drylok stuff plus silicone is able to cover my tracks at all.


I do a lot of cabinetry and furniture woodworking. Next time around there are a few good things to remember on selecting.working with wood.

1. Take your time and pick through the pile and with ply...try for the sheets that are 2 or three down in the pile.

2. As you noted plywood does warp, if you put the plywood convex side up on some grass in the morning and let the sun hit it the moisture will relax the wood.

3. For cutting large 4x8 sheets, get a 4x8 sheet of foam, lay the wood on top and set the depth of your saw to just a hair deeper than the thickness of the wood. Its much more managable and safer than hanging off a small table or ripping on a table saw. We often rip full sheets down to managable overcut sizes then finish them on a table saw.


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## decev (Dec 3, 2009)

JoeGecko said:


> I guess I'll just throw out the question ... why not simply line the enclosure with a .5+ mil plastic/pond liner?


Part of this is that it's an experiment to see how well it all works.

Thanks for the drylok putty idea, I'll use that.

Sorry for the lack of pictures, I'm a little camera impaired right now. It's in the boring stage now anyway. I'm still putting the shell together.


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## decev (Dec 3, 2009)

JoeGecko said:


> I do a lot of cabinetry and furniture woodworking. Next time around there are a few good things to remember on selecting.working with wood.
> 
> 1. Take your time and pick through the pile and with ply...try for the sheets that are 2 or three down in the pile.
> 
> ...


Thanks for your suggestions. I'm sure there will be a next time. I like that lay it out in the grass idea. This is the first thing I've built I think since my sweet beerpong table in college a couple years ago.


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## therizman2 (Jul 20, 2008)

RarePlantBroker said:


> Dave,
> 
> Having worked with Drylok on one of my vivariums, I wouldn't trust it to seal over silicone. If you've already painted your plywood, screw it together, and then use a little hydraulic cement (fast drying cement patch) to your seems (like a wide bead of caulking). DryLok actually makes their own Hydraulic cement. Work quickly with it, it usually dries in under 10 minutes. After it dries, then apply your final coat of Drylok. It adheres wonderfully to the cement!


Quickrete hydraulic cement is exactly the same and about 1/4 the cost of the UGL stuff, just sold in the conrete aisle instead of the paint aisle.


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## decev (Dec 3, 2009)

Here's the picture of it so far. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to cut off the corners that are exposed in order to make a sloped door.


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## acrojade8 (Aug 17, 2009)

decev said:


> I did 2x 2feet long vivs together because I found out that we live in a 4ft light fixture world... and it's easier to make a 4 ft viv than to fight the system.


Logic, it works every time! Good luck and I can't wait to see how it works out for you. I've got a tank I'm considering making waterproof, but epoxy is so expensive. This would be an excellent alternative.


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## JoeGecko (Dec 18, 2009)

Lookin good! I like the slope idea, it would addd some nice interest.


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## decev (Dec 3, 2009)

I spent the weekend cutting chunks off and cutting holes into the viv for aeration and the pump cord. I also added some structure to the side walls that will let me put in the slanted doors. This look like it will end up with a very nice viewing area.

That means that I'm ready to cement the inside! This will be the fun part. The cement is supposed to set in 3-5 minutes, which obviously doesn't give much time. I'm hoping it's closer to 5 minutes. I'll have to do one side at a time. I'm just going for sealing the bottom ~ 3-4 inches to hold the water and filling a couple holes on top where small chunks of plywood got chipped off while cutting holes. The rest won't be under water so the drylok + silicone should be sufficient. After that, the rest of my drylok sealer goes on top to keep the cement from pH nuking the water.

I'll be sure to post before and after pictures. I don't think I'll have time for a during .

Remaining concerns - 
How to do the hinge which will be attaching glass to glass.


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## RarePlantBroker (Aug 3, 2008)

Dave,

On the directions for the hydraulic cement, they suggest using cool/cold water. I found that the colder the water, the more work time you have. Use small batches. Good luck!


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## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

Are you sure they are using dryloc as a barrier to the water and not just to protect the wood from moisture?


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## decev (Dec 3, 2009)

Yeah I'm 90% sure they were using it to seal it.

Here's some progress. It shows the process of cementing up the cracks on the lower portion of the viv and some detail of the viv. Since then I have painted drylok over the cement, and the water test begins today.


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## decev (Dec 3, 2009)

Well I filled both sides with about 3 gallons of water. They will probably hold 5 gallons when in use. They aren't hemorrhaging water, so that's something. The outside is not yet painting so I think it should be pretty obvious if there is a leak by the time I get home from work today.


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## Toby_H (Apr 6, 2009)

Your project is looking good...

Just as a word of encouragement...

I have a 4' x 2' x 2' grow out cage for my Tegu. The inside is sealwed with Drylock and the tank is water tight.

I have a friend who has a 1,200+ gallon tank/aquarium he built that is lined with Hardi Board over plywood and then sealed with Drylock. After being topped off with water for over 3 years it's still not leaking on him.

I'm currently using Drylock on a couple of styrofoam backgrounds and am very happy with the way it's going. I'm actually using the Drylock as a 'glue' to adhere styrofoam pieces together. I'm simply painting two smooth surfaces, clamping them together for 24 hours, then carving. It's working very well for me...

As mentioned by others, I have learned that Drylock over silicone doesn't work well at all. Which is why I stopped using Silicone to adhere styrofoam pieces together and started using Drylock as an adhesive.

Last little thing, as a lesson I've learned, making the first coat of Drylock a thin coat (especially when painting a smooth surface) allows better long term adhesion. On previous projects I've foind that making a single thick coat allows peeling after time.


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## decev (Dec 3, 2009)

Toby_H said:


> Your project is looking good...
> 
> Just as a word of encouragement...
> 
> ...


Hi Toby,

I was actually going to PM you because I read that thread. What are you using to color the drylok? I want to do the same to add some rocks on the inside, but I'm not sure what type of paint to mix it with to make sure its frog-safe.


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## David Brahms (Oct 31, 2009)

I used quikrete cement colorants to color my drylok (red and charcoal colors). I read the fish guys were using it with success. It's just iron oxide pigments and they worked very well to create my vines and buttress here:

BTY...thanks for bringing up the drylok option! I loved using it!


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## Toby_H (Apr 6, 2009)

I use the standard latex paint tint that they use to color latex paint at Home Depot, etc...

2 ounces of black (per gal) makes a nice medium grey, 3 ounces makes a nice medium/dark grey.

I'm familiar with others who have used the concert pingments with success...

I'm one of the fish tank guys


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## TDK (Oct 6, 2007)

All good information


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## David Brahms (Oct 31, 2009)

Just a bump...any updates on your water test?


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## decev (Dec 3, 2009)

Sorry I was just on a business trip, thus no updates.

Yeah there were two small leaks. I believe I took every reasonable measure to prevent them. There are two coats of drylok, followed by some quick cement, follwed by two more coats, and still there are two small leaks.

It may be possible, and in fact I'm sure I could patch the holes, but I'm going on record here: Just use a pond liner or something like it. It won't be worth worrying about it. I'm still glad I tried though. The thing that worries me is that if the middle section gets wet I'll probably have no idea and it will rot through.

I like the method used by rareplantbroker in this thread: 
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/pa...m-construction-thread-50-w-x-22-d-x-56-h.html

I'll be doing that on top of this already unholy amalgamation of cement, latex, plywood, and silicone. I've been wanting to paint the outside but I can't until I get this taken care of. Also I'm a spray paint fan, and thus I need an above freezing day to do it.


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## decev (Dec 3, 2009)

Update is a long time coming. I finally got my own camera so its easier to post pictures.

I uses a tarp as a liner to hold the water in. I added the fake rocks and the false bottom. I've mixed the clay background and i'm letting it sit overnight. I also used greatstuff to seal the edges. I'll be covering it with coco.


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## davecalk (Dec 17, 2008)

decev said:


> Update is a long time coming. I finally got my own camera so its easier to post pictures.
> 
> I uses a tarp as a liner to hold the water in. I added the fake rocks and the false bottom. I've mixed the clay background and i'm letting it sit overnight. I also used greatstuff to seal the edges. I'll be covering it with coco.


Question: What do you mean by tarp? The woven plastic tarp with grommets that are used to stop rain from spoiling a picnic? While these are for the most part will stop rain, they will eventually allow water to seep through. 

You may want to go to the plumbing department at a place like home depot or a plumbing store and purchase a shower pan liner. It is can be purchased by the lineal foot and it is completely water proof.

Dave


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## decev (Dec 3, 2009)

Thanks for the warning.

I used a blue/green tarp. I did subject it to a water test for nearly 24 hours and nothing came through.

You're probably right, and water will eventually seep through. If it's just a little bit, it won't do anything because of all of the previous measures I took. So hopefully if it happens it will just be a little bit.

If worst comes to worst, I'll just remove the moving water feature and put/disguise tupperware containers in the pond areas and remove most of the water from the bottom. At some point I have to quit with the water proofing to maintain my sanity .

My only regret on this project was doing it on a large scale. I wish I would have done a smaller viv in this style so I could learn from my mistakes before doing a large one.


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## decev (Dec 3, 2009)

Finished it.

Side one. This has some extra plants laying in it for now so they don't die:

























Side two:

























Misc pics, some are "before" pics

































It's hard to see from the photos, but there is a moving stream moving down the center of the left viv, anda stream running on top of the "rock" in the right viv.

The "vent" system didn't work right. The fans aren't powerful enough to push air through a small opening. I think the tubes create a somewhat low pressure situation and so there isn't as much air to push. When I would attach them the fans would start spinning faster without pushing any air. Instead, I just put the fan in the viv directly in a PVC coupling, with wide openings.


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## decev (Dec 3, 2009)

Aw cmon, no comments or suggestions now that it's planted


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

lookin good  Whats going in it?


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## decev (Dec 3, 2009)

A couple azureus that I have that are currently outgrowing their 10g and I will be getting 4 A. pepperi orangehead sometime soon that are going in the other side. The right side seems roomier looking at it, so that's where the 4 are going.


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## davecalk (Dec 17, 2008)

RarePlantBroker said:


> Dave,
> 
> Having worked with Drylok on one of my vivariums, I wouldn't trust it to seal over silicone. If you've already painted your plywood, screw it together, and then use a little hydraulic cement (fast drying cement patch) to your seems (like a wide bead of caulking). DryLok actually makes their own Hydraulic cement. Work quickly with it, it usually dries in under 10 minutes. After it dries, then apply your final coat of Drylok. It adheres wonderfully to the cement!


Hi All, 

Just started reading through this thread. I agree that you don't want to try and seal over silicone with any product other than silicone. Use the Drylok to seal the bare plywood so that it's surface is well sealed. In essence you are creating a glass like barrier using individual panes of sealed plywood rather than individual panes of glass. 

I'm in the construction industry and I do want to correct something that I see will potentially cause someone to have a failure which results in a leak. *Do not use the hydraulic cement at the corners like a wide bead of caulking.* This could / will cause you problems in the long term. The corner joints between the panels of plywood should be caulked with silicone, just in the same way that you would caulk in the corner joints of glass paneled wall. 

This is a same mistake that I see folks make in their homes. Folks often will grout the corners of their showers or will grout the corners at the countertop / backsplash joint. The showers and backsplashes, as well as glass and plywood panels of our tanks will all move a little bit with temperature expansion and contraction, vibrations, etc. This movement typically results in hairline fractures / cracks which will open up in the corners. Over the years I have had to go in and scrape out and remove all of the cracked grout from the corners of showers and backsplashes all because of the cracks which open up in the corners which then in turn will leak. After I remove the cracked concrete grout from the corners I then have to re-seal the corners with grout colored caulking which is made to specifically be able to flex at the corners without cracking. 

This cracking occurs because most concrete products just do not have the flexibility to adjust to the minute flexing that every corner joint goes through. DryLoc's hydraulic cement may or may not be able to flex enough to hold together and not leak, I don't really know for sure, but in my 30 years of doing this, I have seen that most concrete products end up cracking and failing over time when they are installed at the corners. Hydraulic cement does work great if you are covering screws, filling holes in flat concrete surfaces, etc. but corner joints are different matter. 

A concreted corner joint will likely hold water for a period of time, even up to a year, but it is truly asking for trouble as it will likely crack and fail in the not too distant future. 

If you seal the plywood up very well with Dryloc and then silicone the corners, you should not have any of these problems. Also, there is no real need to try and seal over the silicone with Dryloc. Dryloc really won't adhere to the silicone anyways. Conversely, silicone will work just as well as hydraulic cement to cover up and patch any screws or holes that you might have in the flat portion of a wall, so there is no real need to purchase and use hydraulic cement. 

Just my 2 cents.


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