Does anyone know if MDF can be used to build a viv instead of melamine ?
If so what type of paint or varnish would need to be used on the wood ?

Regards,

Hi,
we make our own vivs and we use conti board, it varies from between £8.00 - £14.00 for a 8' x 2' sheet and they come in white, beech or oak finish so all you have to do is cut it to size and put together. So you dont have to worry about painting or varnishing it.

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Liz Smith

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1 Yellow Bellied Turtle Splash
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2 Siberian Huskies Misti and Skye
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depends on what the viv is for if you need humidity then no conti board will be best as it doesn't need varnishing. i've got a mdf viv which houses geckos it use to house a beardie
hope that helps a little
julie

Conti board is melamine. Reason I ask is MDF is easier to get a better cut with than melamine/conti board. Dont really want to have to mess around fitting edging strips and all that.

not too worried about humidity as the viv will house a Rat Snake so MDF may be an option then.

Actually, melamine-faced contiboard can be shite for holding humidity - any moisture gets under that coating and it will easily and readily rot the soft wood underneath. Add the fact that its not the easiest to seal due to the laminate and it can spell disaster for a humid cage.

If you want to use MDF, you can use Blagdon Pond Paint on it (as we have done). This dries to a hard, almost cement-like finish, and is water based so is low VOC - no hazardous fumes. For this reason, dont use the Blagdon Sealant - this isnt water based, and so will emit strong fumes. You can also use yacht-varnish, again so long as its water-based, but we personally havent used that so couldnt really advise further.

Finally, make sure you use a mask when you work with this stuff, and make sure to seal the outside of the wood too with an MDF primer to prevent formaldehyde leakage. This will also provide you with a surface to colour however you want - hurrah!

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thats a well good price

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Problem with MDF is that a small amount of water can warp the viv. You need to make sure the MDF has been water sealed basically otherwise theres no reason why you can't use it!

Most prefer conti as it already has a water coating on it and also looks better... thats all

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I wouldn't recommend mdf as the slightest bit of water or damp substrate gets underneath it, it will split the whole of the wood. If your using mdf for chameleons don't. It won't last 5 minutes. Use conti board and don't forget to seal it so water cannot get underneath it.

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could always go with painted marine grade ply, wouldnt look too bad and would stand the humidity well.. Used to have a shed built out of it and it lasted 4 years without any coatings before someone left the doors open and the wind caught it..
Owen

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