# Supplies needed for DIY Background. Please check



## Woma_Wild (May 9, 2013)

I'm Going to start working on my first background this weekend so I'm off to Bunnings. YAY!

I just need to make sure that my shopping list is correct.

PVA adhesive
Render - not sure which one to buy. I could use advice with this please.
Sealant - I'm going to buy PONDTITE
water based Acrylic paints.
spray bottles
paint brushes

I will be making the background straight on the wall of the enclosure. No vent issues as all vents are located on both sides, from top to bottom. There are 32 small round vents all up.

Have I forgotten anything ?


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## Rogue5861 (May 9, 2013)

I used render from bunnings, dunlop acrylic ($12- 20kg).

What is the pva for?


Rick


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## treeofgreen (May 9, 2013)

Great post Woma_Wild... the mrs and I were putting a list together last night. It was obviously a bad list, so I am stealing yours 

*Sits back and lets others provide better information* ... ahhh yes the true APS way


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## phatty (May 9, 2013)

i would be getting some liquid nails for gluing the polystyrene 
use the render rick has mentioned


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## phatty (May 9, 2013)

if you cant find pondtite use Waterproofing Crommelin 1l Pondsealer Clear 7205-001 - Bunnings Warehouse


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## RedFox (May 9, 2013)

You will also need polystyrene for making the actual wall.  If you don't have it already go to coles or woolies and ask for some broccoli boxes. There are free then you can cut and shape them to look the way you want. 

Dunlop render as mentioned is the way to go. You may have to ask as sometimes it is kept in the trade centre rather than on the shelves. It comes in a bright yellow packet so is hard to miss.

Bunnings doesn't sell pondtite anymore but they do sell crommelins non toxic pond sealer. I use this one and I don't think it goes as shiny as pondtite does.

Arcylics, just get them from a cheap shop. As long as they are non-toxic they are good to go. 

Liquid nails are used for attaching the polystyrene to the wall of the enclosure. Make sure you read the back of the tube to make sure it can be used on polystyrene. If not it will eat it away. 

I will hopefully upload some pics later today, of the Rockwall I recently made if you want to get an idea.


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## phatty (May 9, 2013)

you can also get polystyrene from Harvey Norman beta electrical ect they normally have good sizes and thick stuff as well


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## Rogue5861 (May 9, 2013)

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/showthread.php?t=204043
This is my build thread.

What i used for background-
Render
Bondcret/pva (mixed in first coat of render to help stick to foam)
Liquid nails
Crommolin pond sealer clear
Oxide colour (different coloured layers)

Not alot to making a background, but the basics are essential.

I also added some titebond3 into coat 2, to add strength (sets rock hard).


Rick


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## Woma_Wild (May 9, 2013)

thank you very much everyone.
This is all quite exciting.


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## kwaka (May 9, 2013)

Clear Crommelins is the best, and I used Rock-cote...got it half price because they are no longer stocking it, so no need for PVA glue, stuck well, get it to a consistency of really thick pancake batter, enough so it holds it's shape, and you can smooth it out with wet fingers!!

I found non-toxic acrylic paint in the $2 shops, Mont Marte is the brand. Watered down in cheap spray bottle works a treat, and if it splodges, I sprayed the splodges with some clean water, very fine mist, got rid of it all nicely. Finished product in my thread...


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## J-A-X (May 9, 2013)

All of the above  
Just thicken your layers as you go.
Thin cream to start with (with pva if using) last layer thick custard consistency. I use the adult size of the snake as a guide to the number of layers - big heavy adult snakes get about 4-5 layers for strength against the kgs they can weigh 
Small stimmie a would only need two/three


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## Woma_Wild (May 10, 2013)

Rogue5861 said:


> I used render from bunnings, dunlop acrylic ($12- 20kg).
> 
> What is the pva for?
> 
> ...



I am mixing it in to do as JAX does.


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## Rogue5861 (May 10, 2013)

Woma_Wild said:


> I am mixing it in to do as JAX does.



Might find pva is more expensive in comparison to bondcret and other glues marketed for the same purpose, pretty sure they are the same thing though.


Rick


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## mudgudgeon (May 10, 2013)

Get a box of latex gloves, glue is hard to clean of your skin, but render will burn your skin (ie chemical burns) and can cause dermatitis.

Get a $5 pack of cheapy paint brushes

x2 on using Bondcrete instead of PVA, its basicly the same, but cheaper, may not be with glues.

You can put render on as thick as you like, the only real limit is getting it to stay where you put it, and shaping it the way you want it. It sets hard through chemical reaction, so you dont need to worry about it not drying (thick layers do take a little longer)

I paint PVA onto the foam before rendering, it gives the best chance of getting a good bond. Brush PVA on, let it dry a bit, once it is almost dry, mix up your render and go for it.

I use a thin layer first so you can be sure its bonded, the next layer now has a rough surface to stick to so it doesn't slide off the foam.

I would suggest only mixing about 1-2kg of dry render at a time. Start by adding water to a bucket (~3litres for 20kg render, so for 2kg render use 300ml) scoop some render in, dont breathe the dust, mix it well and add more render slowly until you get the mix right, Just like making a cake!

For the first layer, you want it a little runny, use a cheap paint brush to spread the render onto the foam, it should be too gluggy to "paint" it on, your using the brush to smear it.

Overall thickness, if your background is reasonably basic and self supporting, you only really need about 5-6mm total thickness of render 10mm max. the hardest parts to cover will be sharp edges and corners, if possible, its best to round edges off before you render.


good luck


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## Woma_Wild (May 11, 2013)

thanks mud.


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## mad_at_arms (May 11, 2013)

Rogue5861 said:


> I used render from bunnings, dunlop acrylic ($12- 20kg).
> 
> What is the pva for?
> 
> ...



To add to the render mixture.
I use bondcrete but only because I got a big tin of it for nothing.

edit: should have read all replies first.

bamboo skewers are handy to hold foam pieces together when gluing.


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