ANSWERS : Workshop

Going to build an aquarium stand soon. Going to use wood but was wondering what the best sealer/water resistor would be?
I know theres polyurethane clear coats and stain but was wondering if there anything else? Would like for it to be fairly cheap. How do the deck sealers work or are those stains too?

thanks

Comments

[orksecurity]

The ideal choice for this purpose might be a bar sealer rather than a deck sealer. I believe those are two-part chemically-cured coatings. Their advantage is that you can basically pour on a single very thick layer rather than having to build up in successive coats. Disadvantage is that it's very obvious that you've got a layer of (essentially) plastic over the top rathre than just finished wood.

Not sure about relative price. But given that these are intended for furniture that has water spilled on it on a regular basis, they'd seem to be the right tool for the task.

On the other hand: How often do you really expect spills from the aquarium? Probably relatively rarely, so I would bet that ordinary poly would do Just Fine. It works for floors, after all.

[Kiteman]

+1 the last point

If your aquarium is in good condition, just use whatever makes the stand most aesthetically pleasing to you.

[Re-design]

I'll join these good answers. If you're spilling enough water to hurt the furniture, then you need to be more careful.

Unless it's a saltwater aquarium. In that case just the opposite is true, and often just the humitity from the aqu. will damage furniture and walls in the area.