# DIY fake rock wall alternatives.



## B_STATS (May 16, 2013)

How to Make a Reptile Cage Background | eHow So I found this and it looks too easy to work. Can insulation foam alone stand up to an Ackie? My enclosure is already put together so I can't do a full bathroom grout, expert job that all the other wall threads consist of. Just want a nice back wall to cover the stupid glue mess from the lino that was stuck to it.


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## Craigo (May 16, 2013)

I am also trying to find alternatives to fake walls.


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## Rogue5861 (May 16, 2013)

Gorillaglue and coco peat makes a good wall cover, can squirt with water to make it expand. A bit like expandafoam but you can control it a little better, im lead to believe it drys hard but i could be wrong. If not wanting to use coco peat you could paint it once dried, coco peat needs to be sprinkled on the wall before it sets.

Titebond3 and coco peat, is a 100% water proof wood glue. Use a paintbrush to apply glue to fake wall then push in coco peat (a little damp is ok and will absorb glue better then dry), this will set hard but will be soft to touch.

Stone look wall cladding can look great too, more of a feature piece then something that could be climbed on (2-5mm ledges).


Rick


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## Cypher69 (May 17, 2013)

Rogue5861 said:


> Gorillaglue and coco peat makes a good wall cover,
> 
> Rick



I've read about this method on the dendroboards. What's the advantage of Gorilla Glue & is it available in Australia?


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## Rogue5861 (May 17, 2013)

Cypher69 said:


> I've read about this method on the dendroboards. What's the advantage of Gorilla Glue & is it available in Australia?



On ebay yes, pretty expensive but its good stuff. Well the fact that it expands at a controlled rate is awesome, alot easier to use the expandafoam. Im yet to try this method but i have done titebond3 on foam an it came out looking great and worked alot better then silicone.


Rick


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## B_STATS (May 17, 2013)

Will insulation foam just pasted on the wall then moulded and painted work? I don't want to use Styrofoam backing or anything. And does the Gorilla glue act the same way? What about simply paint and sand mixed together to get that rough, rocky, sand papery look?


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## Gruni (May 17, 2013)

Personally I'm not conviced of the durability of the insulation foam with ackie claws grabbing hold. Why not paint it with a couple of coats of render and pondtite after the foam hardens as most of us usually do? It isn't hard to do and it works really well and you have to paint the foam to make it look good anyway.


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## B_STATS (May 17, 2013)

The render will harden it? Is it as simple as painting it with a brush?


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## Cypher69 (May 17, 2013)

My personal quirk when it comes to "fake rock" is that no matter how realistic it looks, I still know it's styrofoam.


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## andynic07 (May 17, 2013)

Cypher69 said:


> My personal quirk when it comes to "fake rock" is that no matter how realistic it looks, I still know it's styrofoam.


What do you use as a background?


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## Gruni (May 17, 2013)

There are plenty of threads detailing the process in the DIY section. If you go to my profile and look at threads started by me there is a VERY detailed build thread about my Mac's TV Cabinet enclosure with a gut load of pics of the backwall. Some of it was done with a brush some with my bare hands as the first coat is very soupy and sloppy but less so with the additional coats.


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## B_STATS (May 17, 2013)

I've seen a lot of the DIY threads but they do a full professional job. I don't have the skill to do that and my enclosure is already put together with glass front and everything. There are only two doors on each side to get into it which would make anything technical almost impossible. Maybe I'll just tile it? But then I don't know how to grout tiles. Sucks having no clue and no in-person help.


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## Cypher69 (May 17, 2013)

andynic07 said:


> What do you use as a background?



I've mainly mucked around with styrofoam off-cuts & expanda foam.
I'm just saying it's a quirk of mine. Friends will comment on a good job I've done but to me it's just foam, glue & paint put together.
I can appreciate other people's creations but I'm just too critical of my own projects.


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## Skeptic (May 17, 2013)

B_STATS said:


> Maybe I'll just tile it? But then I don't know how to grout tiles. Sucks having no clue and no in-person help.



Google and youtube are your friends  There are SO many instructional videos on youtube on SO many topics.


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## B_STATS (May 17, 2013)

Going to look for some natural looking wooden tiles to stick on the back wall. Might use them for the floor too but only if they can be sealed and not soak up waste. Going for an outback Australian theme for an Ackie.


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## andynic07 (May 17, 2013)

Cypher69 said:


> I've mainly mucked around with styrofoam off-cuts & expanda foam.
> I'm just saying it's a quirk of mine. Friends will comment on a good job I've done but to me it's just foam, glue & paint put together.
> I can appreciate other people's creations but I'm just too critical of my own projects.


Sorry mate I thought you were saying you would not use it because it looked fake and was interested in what alternative you used.


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## Gruni (May 17, 2013)

Making it isn't that technical and doesn't take much know how, just have a go. If you can access it to tile it you can access it to put a background in that is built in sections, possibly a top half and a bottom half. I am not a professional by any stretch and my thread really is step by step.


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## andynic07 (May 17, 2013)

I am with the other , just have a go and use this site and you tube to help you with bits and pieces. The worst that can happen is it doesn't work and you throw $50 worth of stuff away but I am pretty sure you will surprise yourself.


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## Cypher69 (May 17, 2013)

andynic07 said:


> Sorry mate I thought you were saying you would not use it because it looked fake and was interested in what alternative you used.



It's just if you look at the Dendoboards, everything is real, natural & alive...the ecosystem in the vivariums are amazing.
It's just my observation but we seem to be a bit more conservative in creating our enclosures.


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