# wood for vivarium



## looneydooley (Jun 20, 2010)

hi, im new to this website, im wanting abit of advice please.... 
im wanting to build my own vivarium unit approx 6ft wide x 6ft high x 20inch deep, just to tidy up my living room, ( and my landlord doesnt object to various cages ) i have 4 young snakes, ( boa, royal python, king snake, + corn ) and 2 young ( 7 mths old) chinese water dragons.
odviously built in seperate compartments suitable for their needs, 
can i use chipboard and paint it ( what paint do i use ? )
the reason being... odviously because of the size, and probable expense, i cant afford one custom made, and i dont know any where i can get veneer wood to suit measurements....cheaply......
im a dab hand with diy and im sure it will look brill if it can be done this way........i hope so
thanks for your replies
x x:2thumb:


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## chandelierman (Apr 13, 2010)

I'm not a fan of chip board/conti board or mdf,i just made a biggie using 18mm exterior plywood from B&Q 8x4 sheet is just over £26,you could use OSB board which is cheaper.


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## iajo (Sep 16, 2008)

You can paint osb but you should get a sealer on first followed by latex primer and latex paint, this will stop the pattern of the wood showing through the paint. 

Mdf can also be bought in 8x4 same as osb from most builders yards much cheaper than bandq. I would reccomend 50mm squared sawn timber, make a frame then fix the board to the outside, this stops problems with sagging, improves strength and stability and allows you to use multiple smaller sheets of wood rather than having to find huge pieces.


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## chandelierman (Apr 13, 2010)

iajo said:


> You can paint osb but you should get a sealer on first followed by latex primer and latex paint, this will stop the pattern of the wood showing through the paint.
> 
> Mdf can also be bought in 8x4 same as osb from most builders yards much cheaper than bandq. I would reccomend 50mm squared sawn timber, make a frame then fix the board to the outside, this stops problems with sagging, improves strength and stability and allows you to use multiple smaller sheets of wood rather than having to find huge pieces.


18mm plywood is much better,no extra framework is needed,just remember to use the right screws and drill a pilot hole to avoid splitting the wood.
Heres my one that i made 2 weeks ago.


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## krox2008 (Aug 9, 2009)

i would use melamin from b&q it is a bit expensive but looks very nice 

the only prob i can see is that you are going 2 need a viv nearly that big just for your cwd's


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## looneydooley (Jun 20, 2010)

thanx for ur info....iv been to B&Q today, im reyt chuffed, there having a clearout and iv bought bookcases, well ....supposed to be, but in each pack costing £8 were 4 pieces of limed oak laminate, each measuring 16inc x 35 inch and 1inch thick...there were 4 packs, so i snatched em , cost me £32 but im intending now to look for 6x my height ( 80inch ) so i can use the 16 shelves as floors/roofs for my vivs, no paint, no worries....it will make me 3 units, side by side, made to measure..... just need backs, for it all then to "LOOK" like progress, i really cant wait, its gonna look really nice.....take my time n do it well eh ?


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## thebaty (Feb 2, 2010)

Have made a osb vivarium and wanting to put a heat mat inside between the 21mm board and sand?
Do you think its safe?
Should i concider some sort of fire retardant paint or glass in between etc?


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