# Best wood for building vivarium?



## MrGuy

Other than contiboard/melamine, whats the best wood to use for a 4x3x1.5? (LxWxH).

I cant find anywhere that sell conitboard/melamine for the size of the viv I wanna build so thats why I said "other than", unless you can tell me places that do? I cant find it on B&Q, Wickes or Homebase.

I was looking at Chipboard/Hardboard, are they ok? Oh, and how would I seal the the viv, is it just like the edges and corners on the inside or coat the whole thing? and what would be best to do all that? 

Thanks! :smile:


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## markhill

whats it for?
I built vivs for things like Bearded dragons out of MDF, as they're a dry loving species the viv faired really well as there was no moisture but building the same type of viv for a Blood Python wouldn't work.


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## MrGuy

markhill said:


> whats it for?
> I built vivs for things like Bearded dragons out of MDF, as they're a dry loving species the viv faired really well as there was no moisture but building the same type of viv for a Blood Python wouldn't work.


Desert Iguana's, they're dry loving species aswell so I take it MDF should be alright?


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## markhill

MrGuy said:


> Desert Iguana's, they're dry loving species aswell so I take it MDF should be alright?


should be yeah, It certainly worked well for my Beardies.

I sealed round the inside edges with bathroom sealent and that was it, I didn't even varnish the inside.
I varnished the outside but that was just so it fit in with the decor of the room at the time.


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## johnsy

i think mfc is the best ,mdf is like a sponge and will exspand and turn to mush,plus the dust is a killer


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## Kamuro

Its really what you intend to home as to what to use....

Well Ive just built this (empty untill end of the month hopefully) 









And I've used an American oak melamine or contiboard if u wish (bought through work as I 'm an assistant manager @ a builders merchant) but I thought long & hard what to use....

I knew a WBP or a EN636 stamped hardwood ply (See below) sealed with some sort of PVA or Yacht would give me the best waterproofing as the ply has water resistant properties prior to sealing, but ofc (this can be bought in any merchants or DIY superstore) but i didnt just the "plain" ply look in my livingroom, (just give them ur sizes & they "should" cut it)

Example : 









I made a bit of a rookie mistake with my contiboards as the sheets come "un-edged" & i forgot to get my driver to pick up a roll or 2 of matching iron on edging so i Sealed all the edges with a aquarium sealent (animal friendly) and sealed all the joints & I also glued on a black edging to finish off.

I doubt you'll find a "white" or any other colour melamine/contiboard that has the lipped edges, like so in the DIY stores for the size you need 











As they only normally carry the shelf sizes 200mm (8inch), 300mm (1ft), 400mm (1ft 4) or 610mm (2ft) max by either 1800mm (6ft) or 2400 (just a tad under 8ft, as above pic) they might have an 8ft x 4ft white unedged contiboard (like mine but in white....like so










And they would cut it, If u gave them the sizes...ofc cutting in half across the 4ft would give u x2 4ft by 4ft bits for the top and the bottom but u would need more sheets to do the back & ends & edging roll to tidy & cover the ends (without having to buy something to finishs the ends...p.s Forget hardboard as its only comes in thin sheets & is no good anyway

Some ppl use OSB (Oriented Stand Board)








seal & paint it but again i didnt want that look...If you want something a bit fancier (like mine) then I think you would need to order through a builders merchants...Soz for going on.....and on...lol just trying to help :whistling2:


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## MrGuy

I found conti board on B and Q at £30 for what I need or £24 for Chipboard in Wickes? is it worth that extra £6?


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## my_shed

MrGuy said:


> I found conti board on B and Q at £30 for what I need or £24 for Chipboard in Wickes? is it worth that extra £6?


Yes. Lol simple answer so i'll explain. For cleaning, moisture resistance, and attractiveness of finished product contiboard scores well above chipboard. Contiboard can be wiped clean with disinfectant, the surface is far less likely to allow urates to soak into it, spilt water and occasional mistings as well as humid hides will not affect contiboard but will quickly cause deterioration in chipboard. And finallyt chipboard looks pretty awful, whereas contiboard at least looks like its made a half decent attempt at looking good. Even the plain white can look good if it's finished correctly, and in fact can fit very well in a modern or contempory setting. Sorry for rambling on, 

Dave


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## stevier

Bought the 15mm white conti for my new build last Sunday from B and Q. Dimensions will be 4 x 2 x 3(h), it required a sheet of 2440 x 1220 and a sheet of 2440 x 610, cost was £42.37. Had a bit of wastage but that can become a shelf. All neatly cut to size and waiting for me to bang together. 

As previously stated, edging strip is needed - this is a hell of a lot cheaper on ebay than it is in B and Q however.


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## johnsy

MFC!:whistling2:












can be cut with a hardpoint saw if you ve got a steady hand


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## Kamuro

my_shed said:


> Yes. Lol simple answer so i'll explain. For cleaning, moisture resistance, and attractiveness of finished product contiboard scores well above chipboard. Contiboard can be wiped clean with disinfectant, the surface is far less likely to allow urates to soak into it, spilt water and occasional mistings as well as humid hides will not affect contiboard but will quickly cause deterioration in chipboard. And finallyt chipboard looks pretty awful, whereas contiboard at least looks like its made a half decent attempt at looking good. Even the plain white can look good if it's finished correctly, and in fact can fit very well in a modern or contempory setting. Sorry for rambling on,
> 
> Dave


Bang on there dave!



stevier said:


> cost was £42.37. Had a bit of wastage but that can become a shelf. All neatly cut to size and waiting for me to bang together.


Mine cost me (staff price, so eg cost price £22 a sheet, I ordered 4..lol! but to be fair though, I've got a smaller project cut to size & stored away for a rainy day, (not sure exactly what will go in it!) & another long off-cut peice in the wood machining shed at work


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