# DIY Product Knowledge



## greenhorn (Jul 10, 2012)

hey everyone, after reading alot through the diy threads on backgrounds, hides etc firstly just wondering if the same concept could be applied to water bowls? but to my main question what is the best products to use as i have been down to bunnings tonight and have found so many different varieties so am asking here for the best products to use and what jobs they are best for? So whats the best product and for what satge out of, Crommelins Pond Sealer, Bondall Bondcrete or Gyprock Acrylic Stud Adheasive? or is there some other brand or product that would be better suited? thanks for any help you may give


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## Catnei (Jul 11, 2012)

For water bowls I would say go with the crommelins pond sealer. It's designed for fishponds so I can't see a problem with it. I'm actually making a waterbowl at the moment just have not tested it yet.


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## greenhorn (Jul 11, 2012)

wow people 70 views and only one response thanks for your support (not). 
Catnei thanks for the response i was thinking of using that for the water proofing let me know how your bowl turns when its finnished and tested i would love to know. but people have said that acrylic render is the better thing to use over grout and cement and mainly want to know if the one i listed is correct or if there is a different one?


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## balthazar (Jul 11, 2012)

greenhorn said:


> wow people 70 views and only one response thanks for your support (not).




Well people have to open the link and read your post to be able to respond, if they cant help you they would not respond.
I saw DIY Product Knowledge and you got my attention but i can not help.


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## J-A-X (Jul 11, 2012)

greenhorn said:


> wow people 70 views and only one response thanks for your support (not).



Patience... your thread isnt even a day old yet and some of us have to work and have a life that gets in the way and that sort of comment wont encourage people to help you !! 

i havent tried Crommelins pond sealer but i did try their pool paving sealer because it claimed to be a natural finish (which it is) but it soaked through my render and ate away the underlying foam, disaster ! the render collapsed... my fault i should have read the datasheet and realised it wasnt a water based product 
I read the datasheet for the Crommelins pondsealer and it sounds similar to the pondtite that most of us use. I couldnt find anything that said if it was a gloss finish (like pondtite) all i can suggest is to try it FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS and make sure the render/grout is totally dry, and apply a minimum of 3 coats at right angles to each other and post pics when its done, 

in Summary: Make sure whatever you use is 
a) Non toxic to fish or frogs if you are using it as a water bowl,
b) water based and that includes any adhesive you plan on using to stick foam together, the standard 'liquid nails' is solvent based. It makes clean up a breeze. 

Head over to the DIY group, there is a heap of info there on varying products that have been tried, but i'll link you direct to the foam work for all section. 
http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/groups/diy-enclosures-backgrounds-furniture-225/foamwork-430/


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## rockethead (Jul 11, 2012)

i'm thinking of adding the foam around a large plastic tub i've seen this done so you do not have any leaks. no need to water seal the inside tub


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## J-A-X (Jul 11, 2012)

LOL - heres one i prepared earlier ..........
around a $2 cake container.





PS, I seal the render for easy housekeeping, not for its waterproofing ability, I couldnt imagine the smell of urine soaked render/grout would be pleasant after a few years.


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## greenhorn (Jul 12, 2012)

my appolagies i did not intent to come across as impatient or rude, i just thought that of 70 views there would have been at least more that 1 response but any how thanks everyone. Jax when you say acrylic render is the one i listed appropriate or is there something better the only reason i am concerned is that i dont want to waste money on the wrong thing and then have to go and get some thing different so if you could please tell me of a specific acrilic render product i would much appreciate it


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## bigjoediver (Jul 12, 2012)

Some advice from a tradie, gyprock stud adhesive is for sticking gyprock sheets to wall stud, not suitable for much else. Acrylic render is render with acrylic binders mixed in to make it stick better, good for covering backgrounds etc but still needs to be waterproofed. Bondall or bondcrete are additives to make concrete and render adhere better but people have used it as a sealer with good results. Pond tite or equivalent is what you need. If you use the clear one make sure you follow the directions and min 3 coats. Doing the inbuilt plastic bowl is the sure fire way not to get leaks.


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## J-A-X (Jul 12, 2012)

I can't see where you mentioned a brand of acrylic render, and I don't have the bag from mine ( I put it into a waterproof tub because it wouldn't all get used at once) but it was only around the $10 for 20kg 
Other than that BigJoe is spot on with his advise.


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## greenhorn (Jul 12, 2012)

thanks big joe and jax looks like ill just have to jump in and give it my best try thanks for your help and suggestions


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## mudgudgeon (Jul 12, 2012)

greenhorn said:


> thanks big joe and jax looks like ill just have to jump in and give it my best try thanks for your help and suggestions



Acrylic render at bunnings is outside in the section with bagged cement, concrete, sand, etc.

I have used "Dunlop" brand, its in a bright yellow 20kg bag. Follow the instructions, BUT don't mix the whole bag, unless you are building life size pyramids 

Acrylic render will give you good coverage with only two coats and It's strong, but It's harder to get smoothed out, and you'll lose fine detail that you might get with grouts.


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## J-A-X (Jul 12, 2012)

Totally agree with not using the whole bag  I just use old 4Lt icecream containers and put a few cupfuls of the render in and then mix to the consistancy i need by slowly adding water (and oxide or paint if its the last layers) Because all of my snakes will be 8ft when adults i use 4+ layers. for smaller snakes you could do a few less, but why risk them crumbling under load, the render is cheap enough to add an extra layer for strength and wont add too much weight to a finished enclosure. i use a couple of thin layers first to get coverage then the layers get a little thicker but I dont do a lot of fine detail


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## mudgudgeon (Jul 18, 2012)

Jaxrtfm said:


> Totally agree with not using the whole bag  I just use old 4Lt icecream containers and put a few cupfuls of the render in and then mix to the consistancy i need by slowly adding water (and oxide or paint if its the last layers) Because all of my snakes will be 8ft when adults i use 4+ layers. for smaller snakes you could do a few less, but why risk them crumbling under load, the render is cheap enough to add an extra layer for strength and wont add too much weight to a finished enclosure. i use a couple of thin layers first to get coverage then the layers get a little thicker but I dont do a lot of fine detail



Hey Jax, 
if you want to build up a thick layer, there is ways you can do it without lots of thin layers.
I use a spatter coat before applying the first layer.
To do this, apply pva to the background, the once it's almost dry, mix cement + sand (tiler's sand) + water + pva (optional) to make a really runny watery mix, use a large paint brush to dip it into the mix, them flick the mix onto the background, keep the mixture well mixed, or the sand will sink to the bottom of the tub. The idea us to get blobs of sand stuck randomly over the surface, you don't aim to coat the entire surface. The small blobs adhere better to the background and dry leaving a rough surface with raised blobs all over it. Once It's dry, coat with acrylic render as usual (i use a sponge to spread it) the spatter coat means the first coat of render will be as thick as the spatter coat, plus 2-3mm on top of that.
If you want a really thick base, use river sand to do the spatter coat, your first layer of render would leave you with probably 6-8mm total coat thickness.

Doing the spatter coat is messy, but works well, particularly if coating large vertical, or upside down surfaces.

You might then just need to touch up any exposed edges before a final finishing coat.


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