# Is this wood ok to build a vivarium?



## lee-ellam (Oct 17, 2009)

Temperate softwood ply

Would use MDF but it doesn't look very nice, and I don't think melamines right for what I'm doing.

If the ply is fine structurally I'll use that, and obviously give it a good few licks of varnish.


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

what's the viv for?
you can use ply but if melamine might not be right...


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## lee-ellam (Oct 17, 2009)

Gunna be an arboreal vivarium with a false floor and a rub underneath to hold substrate etc (think open bottomed viv on top of a rack). There needs to be a lip around the bottom so there's no gap around the sides of the rub, which cant be melamine as the chipboard would be exposed, and it will have a hinged glass door which would obviously need a frame around. 

Just don't want mismatched woods really, it won't be the nicest thing due to it being my (nonexistent) handywork, but even so, don't want it to all look odd.

Probably not the best explanation, but I know what I mean


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## mrchrissyb (Jan 25, 2010)

lee-ellam said:


> Gunna be an arboreal vivarium with a false floor and a rub underneath to hold substrate etc (think open bottomed viv on top of a rack). There needs to be a lip around the bottom so there's no gap around the sides of the rub, which cant be melamine as the chipboard would be exposed, and it will have a hinged glass door which would obviously need a frame around.
> 
> Just don't want mismatched woods really, it won't be the nicest thing due to it being my (nonexistent) handywork, but even so, don't want it to all look odd.
> 
> Probably not the best explanation, but I know what I mean


you can malamine edging strips, but that ply would be fine... dont use mdf as it cowers at the first sign of humidity!


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## pmcnaught (Aug 31, 2009)

plys fine got me beardies in a ply viv and they do fine, i treated mine with varnish though took around 2 weeks to vent out properly,
just one more thing i used 12mm ply and regret it now as its not as strong as id like but its sufficent


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