Peel & Stick Tile

CandyAss

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Does anyone have experience using the peel & stick tile mosaics in their tortoise enclosures? I was thinking of making a slate basking corner where the floor and a portion of wall are black slate so my girls can cozy up to something really toasty. My concern is the adhesive and foam rubber backing, and whether or not they would release/off-gas toxic fumes due to the temps of the basking area.
I appreciate any feedback in advance!
 

Tom

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I don't have the answer, but I like the idea. I think you'd have to seal the edges to prevent moisture from damp substrate collecting under the tiles. I use GE Silicone ! in the caulking tubes for this purpose. And if you have to do that, maybe it would make more sense to just use tiles with no backing and caulk them all in place anyway? Just thinking out loud...
 

Kapidolo Farms

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All those things that 'off-gas' are supposed to have been legislated away or greatly reduced.

I'd suggest, if you go forward with your idea, run the system for several weeks, to give the adhesive time to off-gas before having the tortoise exposed to it. I think you will be able to detect any odor yourself.

If that does not work out, then just try a single tile away from the animals, under a heat source and see what happens.
 

SweetGreekTorts

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I built tables for all my babies last December. I lined the inside of the wood with Flex Seal, and added "peel and stick tile" around the inside walls to make them look nicer. All the edges were sealed too for extra waterproofing. Haven't had a single issue with anything.

Here's the link to my thread about the tables, with photos.

https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/christmas-gifts-new-diggs.172456/#post-1699501
 

CandyAss

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Thanks for the feedback, everybody! I decided to remove the adhesive and rubber from the backs of the tile and glue them onto some thin plywood leftover from building the tortoise enclosure. I have a ton of Flex Seal leftover, so I'll slap a few coats on the wood before I start with the Flex Glue. Hmmm, sounds like an infomercial!
I'll try to post pictures when I'm done.
 

Len B

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I did something like what you want to do and all i did was place the tiles in the corner and framed them with some fir strips to hold them in place and some 1/4 round molding on top edge against the wall so the tiles couldn't be lifted. I didn't use any glue or adhesive and never had a problem.
 

CandyAss

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I did something like what you want to do and all i did was place the tiles in the corner and framed them with some fir strips to hold them in place and some 1/4 round molding on top edge against the wall so the tiles couldn't be lifted. I didn't use any glue or adhesive and never had a problem.
Ah man, I wish I read this before I started gluing!
 
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