# Is mdf good or bad for a viv



## scooby36 (Jan 15, 2009)

Just wanted to know if mdf is any good for a lizard tank


----------



## hysteria_uk (Nov 28, 2007)

Yes as long as its well sealed with a good non toxic varnish


----------



## 170pand (Dec 22, 2008)

i would not use it personly,,melamin is best,,but i do know people what use it,,use non toxic yaught varnish to seal 2 coats best,,let dry for at least a few days,,then should b fine mate,,just gotta seal it properly inside and out,,:2thumb:


----------



## scooby36 (Jan 15, 2009)

:2thumb:Thanks for the advice


----------



## xsmithx2 (Oct 24, 2007)

mine cham cage is made from mdf

but it is sealed and well cover over by the wood effect layered thing lol..


----------



## Fangio (Jun 2, 2007)

I stupidly used it for a tegu viv, and it destroyed it through digging and tipping over the water bowl. It scratched away through the varnish and viv=ruined


----------



## panther_87k (Feb 4, 2009)

it depends on what type of lizard you plan to keep in it, anything that enjoys digging would probs be a bad idea, ive recently accquired an mdf viv which i plan to keep a pink tongued skink in.


----------



## stuart89 (Mar 16, 2008)

Bad, the worst wood you can use.

Its dusty because of how its manufactured and highly absorbant, again due to how its manufactured.

For the sake of a couple of quid, you can get conty board/ laminated wood which is a MUCH better option. It also comes in fancy colours/ patterns which really make the tank look much better. It is also waterproof, all you have to do is seal the edges like you would any other.


----------



## hysteria_uk (Nov 28, 2007)

stuart89 said:


> Bad, the worst wood you can use.
> 
> Its dusty because of how its manufactured and highly absorbant, again due to how its manufactured.
> 
> For the sake of a couple of quid, you can get conty board/ laminated wood which is a MUCH better option. It also comes in fancy colours/ patterns which really make the tank look much better. It is also waterproof, all you have to do is seal the edges like you would any other.


^^^Rubbish, its only harmful whilst being cut. Once sealed it is fine


----------



## Paul B (Apr 16, 2008)

melamine is plastic coated and doesnt need sealing with varnish. A good non toxic aquarium sealant around the bottom joints prevents the damp getting into the wood and expanding it. 
It may be a little more expensive in the long run but I feel its a better material than MDF. 
I am sure i have read somewhere that the bonding in MDF is toxic but couldnt swear to it. Its melamine and glass for me.

I have even lined a melamine viv with glass up to 9 inches for a snapper which gave me the best of both worlds....a viv and an aquarium combined to stop customers losing their fingers.


----------



## oakelm (Jan 14, 2009)

hysteria_uk said:


> ^^^Rubbish, its only harmful whilst being cut. Once sealed it is fine


Its really dusty to work with during construction compared to other wood even when just drilling the stuff. And not fine as a viv anyway if you have anything that digs as a layer of varnish wont keep a reptile from destroying it.
I personally hate the stuff as it bows easily, old saying you get what you pay for.


----------



## Fangio (Jun 2, 2007)

I use ply now with a decent varnish. That works well.: victory:


----------



## murphy78 (Feb 15, 2009)

Paul B said:


> melamine is plastic coated and doesnt need sealing with varnish. A good non toxic aquarium sealant around the bottom joints prevents the damp getting into the wood and expanding it.
> It may be a little more expensive in the long run but I feel its a better material than MDF.
> I am sure i have read somewhere that the bonding in MDF is toxic but couldnt swear to it. Its melamine and glass for me.
> 
> I have even lined a melamine viv with glass up to 9 inches for a snapper which gave me the best of both worlds....a viv and an aquarium combined to stop customers losing their fingers.


hi as far as i was told in my carpentry aprentaship mdf when its sawn the fibres can cause skin cancer and its not good for your lungs (obviously) but apart from that the finished product is fine..


----------



## ScottyGurn (Jan 20, 2008)

contiboard = very expensive, especially if ya makin a lot of vivs

mdf = cheap, sturdy and perfectly safe aslong as its sealed.

and i wouldnt seal it with varnish either, you can actually get the laminate strips that are on conti board for a couple of quid, thats what iv done anyway.

and theres no way my viv is wobbly, strong as an ox ha

cheers

scott


----------



## stuart89 (Mar 16, 2008)

hysteria_uk said:


> ^^^Rubbish, its only harmful whilst being cut. Once sealed it is fine


excuse me? you are talking rubbish mate...

and contiboard doesnt have to work out expensive, it depends on how you plan things. I made a 4ft l x 1.7ft w x 2ft h stack of 3 vivs and storage space at the bottom for £120.


----------



## catflea (Sep 1, 2007)

Wouldn't reccomend it.

As others have said it is very absorbant, so a small scratch in any varnish is going to cause problems.

Its only really a health risk when being worked on. MDF fibres can cause cancer when breathed in - not sure of skin cancer mind. Once its properly sealed with paint or varnish its perfectly safe. Bit like aspestos really (and no, thats not a recommendation to make an aspestos viv!)


----------



## panther_87k (Feb 4, 2009)

if you actually use a bit of common sense and wear a mask (and possibly glasses) while working with it you have no health worries whatsoever. providing it is well sealed with something like yacht varnish, and aquarium sealant around the edges there is no reason why it wouldnt work as a viv; providing you are using it for a rep that doesnt enjoy digging such as snakes or non digging lizards


----------



## Johelian (Nov 25, 2006)

8ft tegu cage built from MDF (outside is now painted). 4 years old this year, has survived a house move and a 4ft tegu digging in it and has no wear whatsoever. His melamine cage almost fell apart when we started dismantling it due to moisture seeping into the joints. The melamine viv was plastered with sealant on the joints.










6ft monkey tail viv built from MDF. 3 years old, has survived a house move and has copious amounts of spraying every day, and again has no wear.

MDF needs to be properly sealed; varnish wont necessarily cut it with larger animals. We use pond paint which dries to a rock hard surface and is completely water proof - and doesnt give off the same harmful fumes as varnish. A few coats of this stuff is nigh-on impervious to any damage - believe me, I have had my irate tegu trying to dig out of the viv on several occasions, and the viv is unmarked.

With regards to it being harmful, its true the dust is harmful if inhaled - as is dust from hardwood. Wearing a mask is the difficult solution to this conundrum. Its also true that MDF can release formaldehyde, which is damaging to humans (though interestingly a common component in beauty products due to its preservative properties); for this reason all exposed MDF should be coated. Painting both the inside and outside of the vivs can remedy this.

Melamine is an expensive mistake with high-humidity vivariums; due to the fact the plastic coating is so smooth it is difficult for sealant to adhere effectively to, which ends up in minute seepage into the chipboard below - and once moisture gets underneath the plastic you will never be able to dry it out, and the joints will gradually turn into pulp.


----------



## daddycool (Jan 22, 2007)

wow quite an agumentative thread!!!!

its all down to personal; choice really, but I think Johelian has proved the point totally....you can't argue with fact!!

I made a viv from MDF for a royal, and would do so again. It works fine and is totally strong enough
I made a viv from OSB board for a taller wider viv for my chams, 
both times i had the timber cut to exact size by B&Q
I sealed the MDF first with PVA mixed with water, I did this several times, to make sure it penetrated ruight into the wood, and then sealed with non toxic varnish, and aquarium sealant for the edges and corners (with the chams viv i used a waterproof non toxic timber stain first and then the varnish) Both times i did 2 coats of the varnish (poly eurathane varnish), but if it was for a tegu, i'd have gone for something a bit more boisterous as johelian suggests....

I would NOT use melamine personally.....if you get a bit of moisture between the coating, then you're stuffed basically, at least with mdf you know the risks and take measures to prevent it and by using pva and varnish only a minute area would be damaged if some sealant was damaged, as the inside has effectively been treated as well as the outside...if that makes sense......nor would I use conti board


----------



## Crownan (Jan 6, 2007)

Ive used MDF for a beardie viv. Its 4 x 2 x 2 feet. Its sealed with yacht varnish (took over 2 weeks to completely cure). It has 3 large vivs on top of it and has not bowed or deformed at all. It will be about 3 years old now and is still in tip top condition.

Its fine if you want to use it. I would however, recommend conti-board over MDF anyday.


----------

