What is a safe paint/sealant to use on my homemade wood racks?

Greetings all,

I just built my own wood racks for my adult ball pythons. I'm very proud of them. Sturdy 2x4 frames on castors with masonite shelves—13 tubs each. Sized for the 41 quart sterilite containers. Bye the way, is the rough side down the best idea for the masonite shelving? Is it too rough for the inside lid of the tub where the snakes may rub their heads? I figured I'd put the smooth side up to ease the tub sliding in and out and to facilitate the taping down with aluminum tape of the 3" bellyheat heat tape along the back of the shelf.

My MAIN QUESTION is: what can I paint/seal the racks with? I have not installed all the shelves as I figure I should seal them before final installation to make them easier to paint. I don't want to use latex paint because I don't want a thick surface that might cause unnecessary friction against sliding tubs. I don't want to use enamel paint because of the drying time and potential vapors hurting the snakes.

I was going to use a fast drying clear coat (Minwax water based polycrylic protective finish) to ensure that they are water/mold and mite/bug resistent, but I noticed on the can that it warned: "This product contains chemicals known to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm." YIKES! This sounds like an absolute nightmare for an upstart breeder.

Since the underside of each shelf is the lid for each tub, my ball pythons will be in close and constant contact with the sealed surface of the masonite (we all know how they like to probe their enclosure). If I place the rough side of the masonite down, I figure it will absorb even more of the protective finish and expose the snakes to even more of the harmful chemicals. Of course, this is not an issue if I leave it raw, but then that porous masonite underside may get moldy.

Should I leave the wood and masonite raw? Should I seal the frames and wood runners that hold up the masonite and leave the masonite shelves/lids raw? What should I use as a sealant? Is there a safe alternative? Perhaps I should seal the rough undersides with latex paint and the tops with something else, or just leave the tops raw? Wait a minute, doesn't the smooth side of masonite blister when water sits on it?

thanks to any and all who can respond.

—Noe H.

Milk paint, safe non-toxic and mixable. Dries fast. Give about 2-3 coats, then seal with Behlen's salad bowl finish.
Two coats, light sanding in between. Or use Behlen's water based varnish finish. Find mfgr. on Google.

Mike