What can use?

[beavesss]

I plan on making a rather large diy enclosure. I want back walls to be like the foam faux rock that comes in exo terra cages. Problem is they don't make any large enough and using it like panels would look weird. Is there any expandable/carving foam I can use? What Kind of paint/dye could I use that is safe? I also want a natural waterfall that will be filtered through a sub straight what can i use that is saf to seal the wood?

 

[heartben]

you can use the pink foam at home improvement stores to cut/carve into a wall then give it a generous coating with GE silicone II (they have black and brown) and push well dried eco earth into it and youll have a background.. just one option.

otherwise "great stuff" will work too.

edit : i should note im not sure how long itll hold up if you spray the background directly with water on a regular basis. it might be ok, it might not.

 

[beavesss]

you can use the pink foam at home improvement stores to cut/carve into a wall then give it a generous coating with GE silicone II (they have black and brown) and push well dried eco earth into it and youll have a background.. just one option.

otherwise "great stuff" will work too.

edit : i should note im not sure how long itll hold up if you spray the background directly with water on a regular basis. it might be ok, it might not.

I'll look into if it will hold up to water. Is there a paint I can use with out ecoearth? I want it to look like the rock like the exo terra foam.

 

[beavesss]

otherwise "great stuff" will work too.

edit : i should note im not sure how long itll hold up if you spray the background directly with water on a regular basis. it might be ok, it might not.

Also what is "great stuff"?

 

[heartben]

its expandable foam in a can used to seal gaps and cracks.

paint wise i dont know, if you search for paint though you might find some suggestions faster. i would imagine most non toxic things would be OK if you let it dry really well.

 

[moviemanmania]

For what your describing it will take some work to custom make:

1. Start with glueing 3-4 sheets of styro foam together to create one sheet that is about 3-4 inches thick. Cut this to fit in your background area.

2. Use different tools to carve out of the foam and get ready to make the biggest mess of your life. Heat gun, knives, etc for carving tools

3. Once happy with the carved shape, Spread a thin amount of premixed tile grout over the foam structure.

4. Once the grout is dried (24hours) you can paint it using any type of paint.

5. Seal the rock wall with a clear polyeuthothan (spelling?) finish. I use about 2-3 coats. This seals the grout and paint. Let it dry very well.

6. Wash off any residue and test for safety.

Your most expensive part will the the tile grout and it will make things heavy so I try to use a very thin sheet of over the foam.

 

[moner]

try this...
http://www.lizard-landscapes.com/Fake-rock-wall-beginner-video.html

if you feel like getting a little inspired, then look here...
http://www.lizard-landscapes.com/hobby-people.html

i got some ideas on how to create an interior for my Bearded Dragon Chuck's cage. i gotta admit, it turned out pretty dang good and when people come over to the house they are shocked to hear that i did not buy the interior rock formations.

ok, now i know what you are trying to do is different then what they did on the website i posted, but the prinicples will be the same.

good luck and make sure you post some pictures. i wish i had some to post of chucks cage!

oh and FYI, i went to a hobby/crafts shop for my foam at first. $17.00 for a 8" x 12" x 1/4" thick sheet of foam, PLEEEEZE!!! at that rate, i was going to need about $150.00 in foam for what i wanted to do! i got an entire sheet of 3/4" x 4 ft x 8 ft insulation styrofoam from Lowes for $12.00 or so bucks. i gotta admit, i had a lot of fun making it too.

Ramon-

 

[lindawaz]

For my beardies I used that spray foam-
I also used styrofoam for ramps. I covered all of it in a few layers of grout. You can mix the grout for the colors that you want. I used the kind with sand so it was easier for them to grip

here is what it looks like and it is now 4 years old and still holding up great