How to apply Plastikote and other related questions

[Hamsterita]

Hi!

I bought Plastikote to paint a wooden shelve that I'm going to use on my hamster tank as a platform.

I was wondering, how to apply it? Only one coat? Two coats?

He only pees on his potty, but I want to put food and the water bottle (maybe I'll try water bowl) over it, so I want to be sure that it's water protected. He's not a chewer.


How many days I wait til I put it on the tank? It says tha's dry on 25 min, but I suppose that it's better to wait a little bit longer.

And finally. For me it was ridiculously expensive. I have to import it, and it cost me 13 € for a 59ml bottle. I didn't care, because I wanted something that I know for sure that It's hamster safe, but then I realized that it just looks like regular water based enamel. Actually, there's no sing of pet safe advert anywhere. This is going to last me ages, because I've seen that a little bit goes a long way, but I was thinking, in some countries where isn't plastikote available, could we use another water based enamel, or pet safe enamel instead?

For example, for a little bit less I could have buy a water based enamel for terrariums, but I would have get about 500ml

And finally, If you're searching for substitutes don't try water based glue/elmers glue/cola blanca. It's ham safe, but I doesn't work for this. I thought that I could give it a try as I couldn't find the famous "Plastikote", and I painted a corner to look how it worked, but the moment the water touches the wood, the glue soaks the surface.

[Pebbles82]

If it's plastikote water based enamel it's fine :-) A little pot goes a long way. Two coats is best. You paint it on quite thinly and it's dry within a couple of hours although I find it best to leave it overnight before doing the second coat, and then leave it overnight again before putting it in the cage. I once painted the second coat a bit too soon and it stayed sticky for ages.

After that it is dry and hard and quite safe :-) It doesn't really have a smell and certainly doesn't smell after being applied - and I have a sensitive nose for such things!

I painted a couple of shelves and still had a third of a bottle left, so it does go a long way as it's quite thin and runny.

[cypher]

I find that the first coat usually soaks into the wood so you do need a second coat to finish but you apply it really thinly so a little does go quite a long way.
The first coat is often dry in about 10mins the second probably about 20 mins, the water based one is virtually odour free but I generally wait until the next day to put things in cages.

[Penguin]

Serendipity and Cypher answered most of your question, but I have something to add.

There is an alternative to plastikote that I'm aware of, but it doesn't come as a clear paint, which is why I ruled it out. The brand is Cuprinol garden shades.

Another thing I found is that a quick sanding with some really fine sandpaper makes the end result much better. I was unhappy with the rough surface I was left with after applying plastikote, so I started sanding everything down and got a nice and smooth painting surface, which stays smooth after painting as well. I used p320.

[cypher]

I always forget about Cuprinol!
I haven't used it for the hams but did get some to paint my hedgehog houses this summer & it very easy to apply & nice to work with but I did find it had quite a strong smell that took a few days to completely go.

[Hamsterita]

Thank you all.

And should I paint both sides?

[cypher]

I would do both sides, even if you don't think it will be getting wet or peed on I find it just makes cleaning a whole lot easier if all areas are covered.