# Cheapest way to seal wood?



## FwoGiZ (Jul 8, 2008)

I was going to use drylok to seal a wooden lid I made for a vivarium... but found out it went bad
I made the lid frame using 2x1 pine wood... what should I seal it with?
Thanks


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## EXODUS1500 (Jan 19, 2009)

If you still want to use drylock, I got a quart of it at Lowes fairly cheap.


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## redfrogger (Nov 6, 2010)

Yes you definitely would want to seal that up. Pine may leach and be toxic to the inhabitants. 

Have you thought about a glass lid? They are easy to cut to size or you can have a local glass company cut one fairly cheap.


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## jpstod (Sep 8, 2005)

You Need to use a (Marine Grade preferably) Polyurethane. If you like the color of the pine don't stain it.
Lacquer is not water proof..and will discolor

You could also paint it with an Exterior Paint that will stand up to moisture.


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## FwoGiZ (Jul 8, 2008)

This is a custom tank so I had to build a wooden frame to have the glass sitting on a flat sealed surface plus some extra support (4x3ft).
I want the frame to be black and not rot with the humidity.

Wouldn't exterior paint be bad?
I think I might get some more drylok and put some black acrylic paint to make it black?

I'll look up polyeurethan too.. it's a type of paint right?


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

spar varnish....


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## Bighurt (Jun 18, 2011)

Cheapest and best aren't too terms you can utilize together.

If you want cheap Drylok is pretty cheap although not very aesthetic for furniture grade.

A Spar Urethane is pretty cheap but it's oil based I wouldn't consider it do to the long cure time. It's designed mainly for outdoor woodwork so it breathes a long while before all the solvent is evaporated.

A clear Polyurethane is also on the lower cost side but it's less flexible than a Spar however it is water based so clean up is easy. It can also be re-applied, if necessary. Downside is you need quite a few coat's. My boa cages had 4 coats on the solid wood fronts I did year back, they lasted longer than the melamine carcass.

Epoxy is probably your best choice, you have a full gambit of epoxies from bar-top to marine to choose from. They are the most versatile in that you can choose you consistency, cure time and even color with additives. Stop by US Composites website and inquire those guys are pretty helpful. Downside is cost, and shipping. However with their versatility and protection level if I was to produce a custom enclosure I'd go epoxy.

If we are talking exposure to humid environment and not exposure to moisture and standing water exterior paint is pretty durable. I actually paint my equipment with Behr Marquee Exterior flat paint. As long as you let it cure for 4 day's its pretty resilient. I wouldn't do a cage interior with it.

Your mileage may vary.

Cheers


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