Sealing the bottom of the stand

[Anemone]

So, I've got my stand built. Inside the bottom is a piece of plywood right on the floor and it's cut to fit exactly inside the frame. I'd like to seal things up so any spills won't get through and damage the floor underneath. I'm thinking of using a paintable latex caulk to fill in all the edges and corners to make a seal. Then paint everything with 2 or 3 coats of primer (Kilz brand). Am I on the right track here?

The other idea I think I read was to tack up a small pond liner inside. Or maybe both?

[ronl]

I did the same...paintable caulk and 3 coats of Kilz primer, but then I finished it with 3 coats of Rust-Oleum Appliance Epoxy spray paint. Leaves a nice hard finish like the side of a refrigerator.

[Anemone]

Appliance epoxy spray... Nice idea.

Does anyone have a good story about just how well this all works? E.g., you find two inches of standing water happily waiting for you in the sump? Seems like the pond liner would be certain to work in this situation, how does the paint and caulk compare?

[Sad Panda]

I did exactly that. Had only one accidental spill (luckily no livestock was in place yet) which it contained nicely. (The caulk and 3 coats of Killz method) I can say it will hold a lot of water for at least 24 hours.

 

 Here is a picture as I built my stand.

Edited June 10, 2016 by Sad Panda

[Anemone]

Very good to know! I'll try to remember to place a water sensor in there too.

[Sad Panda]

Oh yes I have an apex leak detector in it.

[madweazl]

A product called Redgard is made for exactly this reason and it works very well; easy to apply and easy to paint over as well. 

[matt]

You could also get rubber shower pan liner or similar rubber material and attach. I got the stand for my 90g used, but the prior owner had done something like this and it has saved me some headaches once already

[Anemone]

Thanks for the input. I've started with the caulk. Hard to find the time with a new house full of projects. I should have asked, if the painting and liner are equally good for containing leaks, but the liner is faster to install (true?) maybe I should switch over to a liner just for time savings. Comments?

[Sad Panda]

if you have the time and money you can never go wrong using both for added protection. But then again I'm paranoid.

[treesprite]

Thanks for the input. I've started with the caulk. Hard to find the time with a new house full of projects. I should have asked, if the painting and liner are equally good for containing leaks, but the liner is faster to install (true?) maybe I should switch over to a liner just for time savings. Comments?

Shouldn't the aquarium project take priority?