DIY 3D Foam Rockwall.

[Tyaeda]

Has anyone here made one of these? I've seen various tutorials on youtube for aquarium backgrounds, and would like to make one for the new cage I'm working on. I tried looking for ready made rockwalls online, but none of them even come close to the size I need (42" X 48").

The plan (tell me if I'm in for disaster or not):

- Take a couple sheets of 2" thick polystyrene and silicone them to the plywood backing.

- Carve out rock shapes, silicone extra pieces of foam ledges on there.

- Once happy with the shape and look, I'll coat everything in a thin layer of "quick-drying" cement using a paintbrush to get into all of the nooks and crannies.

- As it dries I will lightly mist the cement with water so it doesn't crack as it dries.

- The second coat of cement will be thicker than the first.

- Lastly I'll add one more thin coat.

- Once completely dry I want to get creative with the spray bomb to make the stone appear more natural, and as if moss is growing on it.

- Seal everything in a durable waterproofing lacquer (something that isn't glossy).


- Let everything cure and set until there are no fumes present. Rinse very thoroughly



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Is there anything important I'm leaving out? Are there any products out there that you would recommend as the best to use?

It'll be a couple weeks before I can start putting this together, but I will definitely post pictures when I do

 

[windex]

I've used grout for tiles on the foam, it works great. You don't need to use cement at all though, after your foam structure is formed, take a torch and lightly melt the foam, this will form a hard crust on it, then simply paint it the color you want your stone. the slightly melted foam crust looks very much like weathered stone after it is painted

 

[ridgebax1]

I saw one video where they built the rock wall out of expanding foam insulation. It was pretty interesting.

 

[Ahyriah]

I am super interested in your results once you get going! I would love to do something like that for my cham's "big boy" cage coming up here soon. It looks so much better and more complete.

 

[Tyaeda]

I saw one video where they built the rock wall out of expanding foam insulation. It was pretty interesting.

I was thinking about going that route because it looks rock-like, but it also looks hard to manipulate, and also looks like it would take a long time (and a lot of cans) to fill a large surface. I'd rather carve it out of a block of foam so that there are no spots where water could seep through to the plywood backing. If it wasn't going to be 48" by 45" I'd definitely go that route.


I wanted to do the cement, because it will add some stability and texture to the foam. I have a small propane torch though, so I could give it a try and see if I like how it turns out.



I'll definitely be documenting everything for you guys, and I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[Olimpia]

Not to discourage you from making one but I thought I'd mention that Universal Rocks makes trully excellent, natural looking rock backgrounds for cages and aquariums. I have one that is almost 20" x 48" for an aquarium that I use for geckos and the look is superb - super light and durable. The owner is Australian and is starting to sell his rock products to stores here in the US.

I did pay about $50 for my piece though, so it's not necessarily cheap. But it looks SO good that I was happy to pay it, since it'll look great for a long time to come.

But as far as your DIY project - Look into using the large sheets of pink insulation foam they sell at places like Home Depot. They're affordable and they cut super well, not like styrofoam. You can cut our the pieces and make 3D shapes in layers, and then make it look much rockier with plaster or thick grout.

 

[crixus]

foam groat black paint green paint and grey paint.

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

You can also use Great Stuff, which is a spray on foam. After spraying the great stuff on a background and letting it dry, you can then sand and cut it to any shape you want. After that, paint on brown silicone mixed with cocoa husk and that should seal it and make it look real. I got the idea from the dart frog guys at dendroboards

 

[Tyaeda]

Not to discourage you from making one but I thought I'd mention that Universal Rocks makes trully excellent, natural looking rock backgrounds for cages and aquariums. I have one that is almost 20" x 48" for an aquarium that I use for geckos and the look is superb - super light and durable. The owner is Australian and is starting to sell his rock products to stores here in the US.

Wow they make lot's of cool stuff! Unfortunately, with shipping and everything, I think it's a bit too pricey. I was looking at that pink foam, it's a bit more expensive per sheet, but I'll definitely go with that if I have a hard time with the styrofoam. I have a few pieces of foam lying around from various appliances I've purchased, so I'm going to take one and practice my rock carving skills. I heard that you can heat whatever cutting tool you're using so that it cuts through the foam easier. I'll let you know how it goes.




I was also looking at spray foam kits - like the large professional propane tank looking deals - also expensive, and messy looking.

 

[PressurePro]

Go over to dendroboard and search to your heart's content

 

[Carlton]

I was thinking about going that route because it looks rock-like, but it also looks hard to manipulate, and also looks like it would take a long time (and a lot of cans) to fill a large surface. I'd rather carve it out of a block of foam so that there are no spots where water could seep through to the plywood backing. If it wasn't going to be 48" by 45" I'd definitely go that route.


I wanted to do the cement, because it will add some stability and texture to the foam. I have a small propane torch though, so I could give it a try and see if I like how it turns out.



I'll definitely be documenting everything for you guys, and I'll let you know how it goes.

I don't know...maybe its just me, but I'd rather have more foliage cover for an arboreal cham than rock faces. I've considered cutting panels of that synthetic leaf privacy fencing to use as a backdrop in a cham cage. All the leaf surfaces would hold water droplets, the cham could climb it if it was so inclined, it would block views, but give the impression of a bushy habitat instead.

 

[Tyaeda]

Oh, there will be foliage!

This rockwall will be more for an aesthetic background than anything. But I will install some "ledges" that will actually be pockets for small planters to go into (for more foliage). Here's a picture of what his cage looks like now:

Now that we know what he needs, and gone through building his first cage, we know exactly what we want now. We're now able to focus on a more sturdy and permanent setup, that not only functions well, but looks awesome too.

In addition to a natural looking rockwall, we want to replace all of the fake branches with real ones. Instead of the faux foliage bunches you see in the corners, it will all be live plants. On top we plan to hide all of the fixtures.

Mr. Pink also likes to climb on his mister and dripping tubing, as you can see in the picture. He's always moving stuff around up there, and it's a pain to get things back to the way we want it everyday. I'll be switching to an aquazamp system with raindome so I'll be able to fasten everything to the top, which will be chicken wire mesh (painted), and none of the tubing will be inside the cage. Since we're going with the aquazamp, our water usage is likely to increase, as will our needs for drainage. We're going to have to close off the back panel of the cage, just because the wall is made of wood paneling, and because we rent, we really don't want to cause any water damage. What nicer way than a cool looking rockwall?

I saw this picture in the official enclosure picture thread.

I like how minimalistic the framing is, and will most likely end up with something that looks very similar. The only thing I'll change is instead of middle braces on the sides and door frames, I'll be using discrete metal plates and brackets in the corner, so we can see through all of the sides with little to no view obstruction.

My husband and I were experiencing some car issues, but once we have those taken care of financially, we'll be able to throw some serious cash on this project. We expect to pay around $250 just for the cage build, including the rockwall. It's going to be freaking sweet!

 

[AmenBrotherBen]

foam groat black paint green paint and grey paint.

Wow that looks really good... The Tile is a nice touch

 

[crixus]

yeah here was the parts list...

Foam 10$
Torch 12$ (if you have a lighter that works fine to this is just faster)
Mocha Grout 15$ (I had allot to cover my cage is HUGE)
Black Paint 2$
Grey Paint 2$
Green Paint 2$
Hot Glue Gun 7$
Razor Blade 3$
2.50 water base seal

I broke each part of the foam into pieces and then scuffed it up with the razor blade.

Then Glued each piece on the back of the cage or if your putting it on a board the board.

I also added other foam pieces on top of each other to give more depth. Once it was complete I got the torch and heated up the foam which hardens it.

After it dried I made the grout and just added it on with my hands which was the easiest and fasted way.

Left it to dry and then painted it the next day.

First get a spray bottle and put some black paint and water in it and just squirt the back drop with desired effect. Then let it dry and lightly dry brush the grey and green on it. But do not add that much paint to it very light on the grey or green.

It was very easy and saved a ton of cash. I think I have 300$ total in this cage including all the glass, parts, cabinet, back drop and ect.

I did have to buy a jig saw but not calculating that into cost because i can still use it.

 

[Tyaeda]

yeah here was the parts list...

Foam 10$
Torch 12$ (if you have a lighter that works fine to this is just faster)
Mocha Grout 15$ (I had allot to cover my cage is HUGE)
Black Paint 2$
Grey Paint 2$
Green Paint 2$
Hot Glue Gun 7$
Razor Blade 3$
2.50 water base seal

I broke each part of the foam into pieces and then scuffed it up with the razor blade.

Then Glued each piece on the back of the cage or if your putting it on a board the board.

I also added other foam pieces on top of each other to give more depth. Once it was complete I got the torch and heated up the foam which hardens it.

After it dried I made the grout and just added it on with my hands which was the easiest and fasted way.

Left it to dry and then painted it the next day.

First get a spray bottle and put some black paint and water in it and just squirt the back drop with desired effect. Then let it dry and lightly dry brush the grey and green on it. But do not add that much paint to it very light on the grey or green.

It was very easy and saved a ton of cash. I think I have 300$ total in this cage including all the glass, parts, cabinet, back drop and ect.

I did have to buy a jig saw but not calculating that into cost because i can still use it.

The prices are a little higher for supplies here, but I got everything I need and will be getting er done in the next couple days.

Pics to come!

 

[windex]

If you grouted the background why would you need to paint it? Or was the painting part actually "detailing" or highlighting the rocks?
I'm going to be putting together a new enclosure for a bearded dragon and was thinking of making a 3D rock background in the same way. But paint didn't cross my mind, I was going to use a desert color grout and use a darker grout to add detail shading to it.