# Drylock Question



## boidgal (Jan 21, 2011)

Hey, I'm planning to build a wooden enclosure and I've read that when your using drylock it's best to put one layer on really thin and then use 2 more coats or so to really seal it in or it'll flake and peel. I was wondering....if I prime the wood first would I still have to do so many coats or just 1-2 really nice ones. I'm also wondering how many gallons I would need to do an enclosure 8'longx4'widex4'high, coating the inside only. Any advice would be welcome. Thanks


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## james.w (Jan 21, 2011)

I just did my 8x3.5x2.5 and it took 1.5 gallons to do the inside.


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## Toby_H (Jan 21, 2011)

I did my 8' x 3' @ 3.5' with about two gallons... but that included several internal rafters/beams, a water dish and a couple shelves.

I've used Drylok on a lot of applications. It is not designed to be used on wood, but there is a simple trick to make it work very well... put on a very very thin coat first, then apply sucessive coats a little thicker each time. 

I would not cut corners when applying Drylok, especially on the bottom half of the enclosure. I make mine so they are quite literally water tight which allows me several freedoms. To increase humidity I can pour water on the mulch by the gallon with zero concern of leaking or damage. Cleaning is also very simple. Any water soaking into the wood in any way will drastically shorten the lifespan of the enclosure (and possible damage the floor where it sits). 

Lastly, my Tegu digs at the floor of his enclosure quite frequently. My thick layers of Drylok stands up to his claws with ease, but thinner layers will be cut and allow moistuer to penetrate. Actually the thick Drylok files his nails quite nicely. When applied properly it can be as tough as concrete.

Plus... At $20 per gallon... I do not feel the risk is worth the saving...


PS - Did you know you can add color pigment to Drylok to make different colors? The back of my enclosure is Drylok'ed forrest green and the shelves are Drylok'ed brown... I'm very pleased with it...


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## Guest (Jan 22, 2011)

Toby is the man when it comes to Drylok. I would not use primer as you do not want anything between your wood and the Drylok that moisture could permeate.I have never worked with Drylok but in a situation like this you could make your own primer by mixing [water or thinner] with a small amount till it is thinned and use that for your first coat .. That is what you do when making cabinets or furniture ..


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## chelvis (Jan 22, 2011)

I did love that the dry lock filed my tegus nails... i now have a vision cage so that task is left for me to do. I would not skip layer with the dry lock. I did a sanding with large grit sandpaper and then a thin layer of dry lock, then two thick coats. I flooded that cage one day (never use automated misters hooked to a garden hose. It had 3" of standing water. The subrated had to be tossed but nothing leaked. I know alot of large fish keeps make wooded fish tanks and use drylock to seal them, that were i got the tip to sand the wood first to allow the stuff to really take hold.


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## james.w (Jan 22, 2011)

Would it be a good idea to test your enclosure for water tightness before adding substrate. Should I pour some water into mine and see what it does or would it prevent me from adding more drylok if needed??


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## Guest (Jan 22, 2011)

Sounds like a good Idea .. But be ready [mop or what ever ] .You may want to caulk and then drylok over that if you have problems .. I would never count on my enclosure [holding water ] . Did you build a false bottom on your enclosure ?? it would be nice if you could get some air underneath it ..Just dry it out and drylok again ..


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## james.w (Jan 22, 2011)

I did caulk already. I put one coat of drylok, caulk, than drylok again. The enclosure is in the garage right now so I'm not worried about it making a mess. I don't necessarily need it to hold water, but i want to be able to mix water with the mulch and not have to worry about it leaking out.


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## boidgal (Jan 22, 2011)

Thank you to everyone for their suggestions. I live in Canada and have seen drylock for $60 a gallon so I'm curious about mixing the drylock with water...about what ratio of drylock to water would you suggest I use?


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## Guest (Jan 22, 2011)

I was only speaking of thinning for the first [primer ] coat . I don`t even know if Drylok is water soluble .. Drylok should be used full thickness at all other times ..For the primer coat I would thin just slightly ..


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## Toby_H (Jan 22, 2011)

Drylok comes in oil base or water base (aka latex)... I've only worked with the water/latex version...

I've never thinned drylok, nor latex paint, to be used as a primer coat. This does not mean it's not a good idea, it's just something I've never done...

rough sanding the wood is a good idea. I used Plywood that was sanded on one side and rough on the other. The sanded side went to the outside and was stained, the rough side went on the inside and was Drylok'ed...

Personally, I would not thin the Drylok nor use a Primer coat of any sort. Not because it's a bad idea, but because I've had success a few times without doing so. 

I just put as thin of a coat as possible on the rough wood (plywood or lumber) as a first layer... then a slightly thicker second layer... then a slightly thicker third layer... etc...

I make it thicker (more coats) near edges... I made it thicker (more coats) on the bottom of the enclosure than the top...

Both of my Tegu enclosures are 100% water tight. Both have been tested/proven by filling it with water (tested outdoors) until it spilled out the front... then I waited several hours to ensure the water level did not drop. My smaller (4x2x2) enclosure sat like this for several days with no issues...

Being a recovering fish junkie, I know a couple of people who used Drylok to seal plywood fish tanks. When applied 'properly' (as described here) it holds 100% water tight.

A local friend who did it had the Drylok begin to peel off after 5 years of constant use. He believed this was because his first coat was too thick. He has since stripped and resealed the tank (with Drylok) and it's been holding problem free for several years (3~5). 

At $60 per gallon I can understand why you are trying to use it sparingly. I have no personal experience thinning it therefore I'm not willing to give you suggestions on doing so. Again, I'm not saying it's a bad idea, I just don't want to risk being wrong (especially at your expense). 

Feel free to test for leaks before use. If you have a leak that needs to be re-Drylok'ed simply dry the tank ensuring the wood at the leak is dryed thoroughly (to avoid internal rotting), rough sand the area to be re-Drylok'ed and reapply. 

While there are several major differences between Drylok and Latex Paint, the general rules of application are the same. The bad part is, the manufacturer nor any painting professionals will advise us on how to use it on our applications, since we are not using it according to the manufacturers recommendation. Simply because their insurance company forces them to avoid responsibility.

As for our Canadian users, personally, I would shop around for better prices before I cut corners with application. I think I remember someone saying Canadian Tire had it at a decent price.


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## davidson012003 (Jan 14, 2014)

Has anyone ever used epoxy resin? I built 2 enclosures using this and it works awesome!


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