What is best to seal the cracks/edges of a full white melamine enclosure

[SomethingTegu]

Hi all, almost finished building my tegu enclosure. It's made of melamine wood, and I have heard of people running into problems with the humidity. Specifically problems with water getting in the edges and cracks of the melamine and wearing it down. I was wondering if anyone has an tips and/or experience for what to use to seal up the edges and cracks, and how many coats I would need to use. Thank you very much. I'm very excited to get my enclosure finished. It's an all white 6 feet long-3 feet wide-3 feet tall enclosure with sliding tempered glass doors. Once I am all done I will take some pics for everyone.

 

[Steven.]

I used white caulking (liquid nail all purpose, i think) when i built my plywood cage. Don't know if that would work. But i know anything liquid nail is strong and leak proof...

 

[SomethingTegu]

Thank you for the reply! I do have some liquid nails... I use that on my bottom tracks to keep them down. Hmm! What is the brand you use? For my tracks I use Heavy Duty Liquid Nails for Interior and Exterior "Construction Adhesive" .The stuff I used first to seal the cracks and edges is called Alex Plus Acrylic Latex Caulk Plus Silicone, however with the first layer it didn't look to work very well.

I used white caulking (liquid nail all purpose, i think) when i built my plywood cage. Don't know if that would work. But i know anything liquid nail is strong and leak proof...

 

[james.w]

Aquarium silicone.

 

[Dubya]

I used paintable rain gutter sealer. I think it was a latex/silicone mix, but it was non toxic.

 

[leosbybam]

For the edges they sell a strip specifically for the melamine that you iron on...Hope that helps

 

[SomethingTegu]

Do you know what it is called?

For the edges they sell a strip specifically for the melamine that you iron on...Hope that helps

 

[james.w]

The iron on strips will not help with sealing the wood though. You need to use something to prevent water/moisture from getting in.

 

[SomethingTegu]

Going to buy some more types of sealants today for my melamine enclosure... Wonder if anyone has any more recommondations, perhaps from direct personal experience???

What about using two different sealants on the edges. Example: Liquid Nails + Aquarium Silicone.

How many layers would everyone recommend for sealants in the edges/cracks??

 

[james.w]

I used silicone caulk to seal a melamine enclosure that I built. I had a couple spots that started to swell from moisture. I have seen a few sealed with aquarium silicone and they have held up very well. A lot of it comes down to how good your cuts are and how well you seal.

 

[SomethingTegu]

Thanks again for the reply. I've gone and bought permanently waterproof "supreme sillicone". IT says it is for Window/Door/Attic.Basement. Extra Flex for extreme joint movement, harsh weather conditions, and temperature fluctuations. It also says that this sillicone is permantnly flexible, shrink proof, and crack proof.

Sure sounds good to me, what do you think? Do you think making extra layers of it on top of eachother would help in sealing it better?

Do you have any pics of your swollen melamine by any chance? The cuts of wood were done by home depot, so I hope they were cut well. They look good anyway.

I used silicone caulk to seal a melamine enclosure that I built. I had a couple spots that started to swell from moisture. I have seen a few sealed with aquarium silicone and they have held up very well. A lot of it comes down to how good your cuts are and how well you seal.