How should i seal it?

[socapots]

so i got one of these on kijiji,

plan is to make i into a humidor..

question i have relates to sealing the joints on the inside.

I was thinking i would give it a trail run this winter, untouched. and see how it goes.

But in the off chance i will need to seal the joints to keep the humidity in.

What should i be using? I have seen reference to people using Aquarium silicone/adhesive for this.

Is there anything else people have used with the desired results?

I am guessing that you dont want to use anything that would continue to produce odors.

But is there any other concerns?

thanks for any info you guys can provide.

and before anyone asks. it will not be used to cool. my climate and the location that this will be kept is is between 18 celcius in the winters and 20 celcius in the summers.

thanks again.

[Babaloo]

Cheers, You can use kitchen & bath silicone if its more available but you will need to le it cure 48 hours before you do anything else to the box.

[Louich]

Aquarium sealent... Non toxic and IMO the best product for this.

[LordAnubis]

ummm, are they remote control cars in the reflection of the window? if so what sort?

[CanuckSARTech]

Do you mean to seal the door gap / opening, or do you mean to seal the individual joints within the case itself? If you're meaning the latter, then I definitely agree with what others have said. Aquarium sealant, and/or 100% silicone. When you pick up a tube of that, be sure it's 100% silicone that's low-/no-VOC, "food grade", etc., etc. After applying it, let it open air dry and cure for a good number of days.

On a bit of a side note, what's the interior surface made up of? Is this real wood, laminate wood, or a plastic coated interior? It might affect the long-term viability of this unit as a humidor, if it's not sealed against the high RH.

[socapots]

ummm, are they remote control cars in the reflection of the window? if so what sort?

not that i am aware of. I think thats a stroller and my kids toy lawn mower. However i do have a Traxxas stampede loads of fun.

Do you mean to seal the door gap / opening, or do you mean to seal the individual joints within the case itself? If you're meaning the latter, then I definitely agree with what others have said. Aquarium sealant, and/or 100% silicone. When you pick up a tube of that, be sure it's 100% silicone that's low-/no-VOC, "food grade", etc., etc. After applying it, let it open air dry and cure for a good number of days.

On a bit of a side note, what's the interior surface made up of? Is this real wood, laminate wood, or a plastic coated interior? It might affect the long-term viability of this unit as a humidor, if it's not sealed against the high RH.

Thanks to all for the responses. Interior is laminate wood, same as the exterior i believe.

What should i do about it if i wanted this for long term?

Main reason i picked it up was because it was the less cost compared to a 100 quart cooler in my area. But now im wonderimg if it was worth that.

[Babaloo]

saco, is it well built? What is the interior made of? (type of wood)

[CanuckSARTech]

...Thanks to all for the responses. Interior is laminate wood, same as the exterior i believe.

What should i do about it if i wanted this for long term?

Main reason i picked it up was because it was the less cost compared to a 100 quart cooler in my area. But now im wonderimg if it was worth that.

Well, it all depends on the quality of the laminate, if that's what it's made out of.

If it's one piece of laminate that makes up the interior and body of the cabinet, you could have moisture issues long term, with delamination of the wood or rotting of the wood particle core.

You could seal up the seams / corners with a quality silicone (100 % silicone, aquarium silicone, something that's no / low VOC's). Then let it dry and air out for a good number of days. And/or put a sealing barrier layer inside, like a marine-grade mahogany plywood or something similar.

It all just depends on the construction materials and the quality. Too many variables to list right now, and with only so many pictures and little info to go on.

[socapots]

The interior is the same material as the exterior. Laminated particle board.

And I feel you would be correct with the thoughts of it swelling over time due to mosture absorbtion.

It doesn't seem like a high quality product, but if it lasts a couple years that would work fine for me. Move onto something else at a later date.

Thanks again guys.

[CanuckSARTech]

If you're happy with that, then that's all that would matter. I would still recommend sealing the interior corners with a good low-/no-VOC 100% silicone and letting it cure and air out for multiple days. Just adding that measure would likely be a huge assistance, if you do nothing further, and you hope to only get a few years out of it.

[PigFish]

Are there visible gaps? If not, why seal at all? Wood itself is a decent vapor barrier but not an impervious one!

Sealing, if done to the extent that the wood cannot move, will usually cause the weakest point or joint to crack. Many forms of woodwork, including doors that have wood of various lengths with opposing grains, rely on overlapping and close fitting joints where no glue is used on the contact points, precisely for this reason.

Seal the door as Keith has suggested and don't worry about the rest.

On another note, if you live in a dry environment, this type of enclosure will likely require an active humidity system. Beads are not going to cut it in a box of this size, no matter how much you attempt to seal it.

Cheers. -the Pig

[socapots]

Now I'm second guessing my decisions. Lol. About once a month I read through pigfishes tutorial pinned at the top of this section. And I think I should just build one and be done with it. Lol.

I think I'll at least price everything I'd need and see if it falls within a yet to be determined budget. Lol.

And pigfish. I was thinking active would be the way to go.

History has taught me beads are just a buffer. And winters here do get pretty dry.