Wood stain in fish room?

[tjbarnes]

Hello! I am wondering if anyone has experience with using wood stain in the same room as your fish tank? I have a fairly large project that I am needing to use wood stain on in the same room as the fish tank.

I know I have seen quite a few say painting is okay but nothing on staining. Does anyone know if this will be okay or if I should try to do it elsewhere?

Thanks!

 

[thepotoo]

I paint and stain all the time in the same room as my tank, never had an issue. Although, I do have a small bathroom fan in the same room as well that pulls air out almost continuously.

 

[G Santana]

Wait till spring, open windows and use an exhaust fan!!!
I assume that there is a small danger but mitigate as much as possible.

 

[hoffmeyerz]

I own and run a hardwood flooring company and work with stain on a daily basis. This question will mostly involve what type of stain you use. The most commonly used stains are solvent based, these are the ones with the strong stain oder we are all familiar with. These types of stains are easiest to work with but they have high VOCs and the outgassing from the solvent carrier will be strong. Depending on the amount used and the size of the space it can reach dangerous levels. When I refinish floors in homes with saltwater tanks I recommend they turn off the skimmer while I'm staining to reduce the chance of toxins from the stain outgassing being introduced into the tank.
There are waterborne stains on the market which are extremely low or zero VOCs. They are a little harder to work with but these stains would be safe to use as they use water as the pigment carrier so there is no volatile outgassing.
If you need to do the project now I would look at using a waterborne stain. If you can wait and would rather use the typical solvent based stains I would wait till spring like G Santana mentioned above and open windows to increase air exchange.
Good luck, I hope your project turns out well!!

 

[BeanAnimal]

Hello! I am wondering if anyone has experience with using wood stain in the same room as your fish tank? I have a fairly large project that I am needing to use wood stain on in the same room as the fish tank.

I know I have seen quite a few say painting is okay but nothing on staining. Does anyone know if this will be okay or if I should try to do it elsewhere?

Thanks!

I would try to do it elsewhere if possible. If not, then I would provide good ventilation and a good activated charcoal room filter. I would turn off the skimmer and/air pumps, as well butt cover the tank for 12/24 hours if possible. It should not be an issue, but better safe than sorry.