# Polyurethane anyone?



## defaced (May 23, 2005)

I'm planning on replacing a pane of glass in one of my tanks with plywood. To keep the plywood from rotting I was thinking of finishing it with high gloss polyurethane sealant, either floor or outdoor depending on what's said here and personal research. There are a few issues I need to address before doing this, but I need some help.

1) Will polyurethane leech stuff into the water? This piece will be one wall of a water feature so this is issue number one. 

2) Does silicone adhear well to polyurethane? Since this will be under water constantly a positive, long-term adheasion is of great concern. 

Just for background info, I'm replacing a broken pane of glass that I drilled in attempt to use screws to support a piece of water saturated wood. Since my plans include covering that side with features, I'm not concerned about seeing though it and the plywood will be able to support this piece of wood, thus solving my orignal problem.

Thanks, Mike



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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Water based polyurethane is safe to use for amphibians as long as it allowed to fully cure and then is washed down to remove any water soluable residue. Water based polyurethane does not tend to leach when it is fully cured even when it is in contact with constant moisture. I have used it to seal paint onto fiberglass in enclosures that were then exposed to constant moisture. 

Ed


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## defaced (May 23, 2005)

Water based meaning that it will clean up with water, yes? If I were to look at a can of floor sealant, where would I find what base it is? Sorry for the poor wording of my question; I'm not very familar with panits/finishes.



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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Yes it will clean up with water (as long as you do it before it dries). There are two types of polyurethane oil based and water based (basically the carrier agent in which the polyurethane is dissolved). Oil based takes longer to cure and has a higher voc (which can be toxic). Water based cures a little quicker and when dry is safe once it is rinsed with water. 

Ed


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## Guest (Dec 20, 2005)

I would have to think that polyurethane is fairly non toxic. Great Stuff is polyurethane :shock:


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## defaced (May 23, 2005)

That's what I thought but I'm not too familar with finishes so I figured I'd ask. I ended up getting Minwax Polycrylic, because water based floor polyurethane was 43 bucks a gallon, and no smaller sizes were available.



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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Great stuff is polyurethane but it is not using a oil as a carrying agent, the oil based polyurethane is safe once it cures but during the cure the vocs are what are a problem. Using a water based poly reduces this as a problem. 

Ed


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## SickVoodoo (Oct 9, 2005)

I have heard about this stuff called cell tech that people use to replace panels for frog tanks. It is easy to cut and drill and withstands water no problem. There is a guy in Grand Rapids MI that deals with it. Chuck with Reptats (616)248-3866 I know breeders that order there tanks direct with the bottoms already done so all they need to do is drill where they want there drains with a regular wood drill. I looked into getting some and cost was really reasonable especially because you don’t need to deal with cracked panels due to drilled holes anymore.


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

Didn't see this one, sorry.

I have used West System epoxy mostly to make all my backgrounds and to coat wood. 

Is this polyurathane stuff the same as lacquer?


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