Habitat - Indoor :: PVC Dock stand options?

[katie_turtle]

Hey everyone,

I'm trying to see what my options are for building a custom PVC dock stand. I want to make it look good - as natural as possible, to kind of blend in for an aesthetic appeal. Can I paint it with something like a Krylon Fusion? I won't be getting my turts for at least a month, so I'd have plenty of time to paint it now and let it fully cure long before it ever goes in the water.

In addition to painting it, I plan to also do some basic camouflaging of it, tie some fake plants around it, but I just want it to look good and blend. I don't care if it's perfect, I just want it to blend in a little bit better than it would as plain white PVC.

Also, if I'm careful to apply it to the inside of the pipes only, can I use PVC adhesive, or do I have to just stay with dry fitting?

[steve]

I believe you can use Krylon Fusion. You can find colored PVC online but it will carry a higher cost. I've also seen some standard white PVC wrapped with plastic plants. It won't be perfect camouflage but it does make it look better.

A dry fitting is perfectly fine, though that depends on the design of your basking area. I use a very basic design that is weighted down but I've seen some elaborate designs that would make me consider using some PVC cement.

[katie_turtle]

Ok, PVC cement it will be!

I found this product, here:

http://store.tensecondsstudio.com/vdpaptsec.html

...and a video of a guy who was using it live, here...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mS5obguFdYM

...which makes me a lot more confident in how quickly I can dress up my PVC, without worrying about leeching real metals into the water. I'll build my PVC rack network as desired, and then paint it up to make it a nice looking faux aged copper pipe network... oooh, and I just had an idea to build off that...

Anyway, I can make it look however I like without waiting for real copper to age, and then once I'm done, seal it in a clear coat and be confident that it won't be a problem down the road. Thanks so much for your help, Steve!!!

[steve]

I am not sure about the safety of that paint, see if you can find the MDS sheet on it. I was thinking about clear coat too... definitely worth some research on it.

[Kansasslider]

I used clear fusion on a junk plastic dock I had patched because it was leaking. The clear I let cure for several days it didn't work. Its not waterproof. You need clear Epoxy. Its not cheap! http://www.pondarmor.com/shop/pond-shie ... quart-kit/

[steve]

Good to know! Have you looked into bartop epoxy?

[Kansasslider]

Not sure if its drinking water safe make sure if you use epoxy its drinking water safe!