# 6ft Rock background



## Monitors_R_Us (Oct 20, 2012)

So i have recently finished building a 6ft by 2ft by 2ft melamine enclosure and fully set it up. ATM it looks amazing but is just missing a background in my opinion. Instead of spending up to $600 dollars on one from a petshop i would like to try and make one myself.

Here is my plans so far:

Make structure from polystyrene ( foam from packaging ) glues together by liquid nails.
Cover in a common grout.
Cover in render. - repeated 3-4 times.
Last coat is acrylic, non toxic paint with render and pva glue?

Would this information be correct or am i totally wrong.
Please help thanks.


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## Chicken (Oct 20, 2012)

You've got the right idea, thats the general plan with custom diy backgrounds. Whats it for?


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## Monitors_R_Us (Oct 20, 2012)

Reptilerookie321 said:


> You've got the right idea, thats the general plan with custom diy backgrounds. Whats it for?



A hatchy monitor. I might add i am buying all the supplies from bunnings so if people could recommend paint/grout/render brands i would be very happy.

Also if anyone has any large rock backgrounds completed, pictures would be nice


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## Albino93 (Oct 20, 2012)

Cant help with brands but any idea on the type of monitor?


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## Monitors_R_Us (Oct 20, 2012)

Albino93 said:


> Cant help with brands but any idea on the type of monitor?


Gouldii.
Just reading through some archives it seems you mix the paints with the last few layers of grout then seal, any confirmation?


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## eddie123 (Oct 20, 2012)

i just pre purchased coloured grout and worked for me


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## thomasssss (Oct 20, 2012)

for render id use the dunlop brand , its really fine and mixes up great , i used one of the other brands before that and it just didnt mix as easily


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## Monitors_R_Us (Oct 20, 2012)

eddie123 said:


> i just pre purchased coloured grout and worked for me


 Did you paint over it or leave the grout color?

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thomasssss said:


> for render id use the dunlop brand , its really fine and mixes up great , i used one of the other brands before that and it just didnt mix as easily


Thanks Thomasssss, i am starting to get a bit confused now but is the render the sealant or used instead of grout?


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## thomasssss (Oct 20, 2012)

Monitors_R_Us said:


> Did you paint over it or leave the grout color?
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render is to replace grout which for a monitor id use render as its cement better for claws 

a quick summary of how ive done it myself 

foam to give it shape , then cement (render) few layers until you can tap it firmly all over with out any cracking don't try that until you've got a decent amount of layers down 

you might also need to shape some of the render after its gone on as it doesn't exactly make itself look like you want it 2 i used a hack saw blade snapped in half to make it easier for tight spaces be careful if you try to snap one though i put mine in a vice then snapped it with pliers 

with the whole paint in the last few layers thing , what that means is to buy the acrylic powder that goes with the render it comes in a variety of colours id recommend that as it looks alot more natural than all paint ,i used all paint on my last build and didn't like it 

then you can add a bit of paint to try to high light areas theres a good thread on it somewhere in the diy section but i cant remember the name of it 

then once your happy with it you seal it , different people use different stuff but i like going for one of the pond sealers that is safe for fish , that way done properly water should be able to get into and will just beed and roll off making cleaning alot easier


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## Monitors_R_Us (Oct 20, 2012)

thomasssss said:


> render is to replace grout which for a monitor id use render as its cement better for claws
> 
> a quick summary of how ive done it myself
> 
> ...


Thanks going to re-read over this a few times but this was just what i needed. Can you buy the powder paint to chuck into the render mix from bunnings as i will be trying to get everything from there. TBH i know it will not turn out perfectly firt go but i have seen a few first attempts in archives turn out kind of glossy/shiny which looks terrible IMO

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Also is pondite a good sealer?


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## thomasssss (Oct 20, 2012)

if you can find bondall pondtite go with that as its fine but ive also used crommelin(spelling) pondsealer fine basically the same stuff but it didnt seem to go as far as pondtite imo 

the acrylic powder was in the same place as the pond sealer at my local bunnings , you want to start adding it to the last few layers other wise your just kinda wasting it in the first few layers as it wont really be showing in the end 

with the glossy thing thats kinda the problem with any good sealer , they make it kinda glossy ive found that a smooth surface will turn out alot more glossy than a rough one so try to avoid to many perfectly smooth surfaces also you have to think that alot of that gloss in the pictures is created by the flash of the camera


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## Monitors_R_Us (Oct 20, 2012)

thomasssss said:


> if you can find bondall pondtite go with that as its fine but ive also used crommelin(spelling) pondsealer fine basically the same stuff but it didnt seem to go as far as pondtite imo
> 
> the acrylic powder was in the same place as the pond sealer at my local bunnings , you want to start adding it to the last few layers other wise your just kinda wasting it in the first few layers as it wont really be showing in the end
> 
> with the glossy thing thats kinda the problem with any good sealer , they make it kinda glossy ive found that a smooth surface will turn out alot more glossy than a rough one so try to avoid to many perfectly smooth surfaces also you have to think that alot of that gloss in the pictures is created by the flash of the camera


thanks again for all this help, i will be heading to bunnings tomorrow and i will let you know how it all goes. Any photos of yours by any chance?


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## thomasssss (Oct 20, 2012)

no worries any questions just ask , heres a few pics of one of mine 


http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/diy-zone-5392/made-box-box-doors-190944/


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## smileysnake (Oct 21, 2012)

hey monitors just one more suggestion after you put the pond sealer on and it dries you do need a couple of coats so after the final coat just use a very fine sandpaper or steel wool and go over your finished job it just takes a bit of the sheen off so looks much better i have used this method and turned out fine...oh one last thing with the render after i have applied it and it starts to go off i dab it with a dry sponge it roughs up the surface of the render hope this helps.....


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## Monitors_R_Us (Oct 21, 2012)

smileysnake said:


> hey monitors just one more suggestion after you put the pond sealer on and it dries you do need a couple of coats so after the final coat just use a very fine sandpaper or steel wool and go over your finished job it just takes a bit of the sheen off so looks much better i have used this method and turned out fine...oh one last thing with the render after i have applied it and it starts to go off i dab it with a dry sponge it roughs up the surface of the render hope this helps.....


 Thanks smiley but when you say go over finished job with steel wool is that with paint or more pond sealer? What do you mean by the render goes off? sorry for the questions also any photos


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## smileysnake (Oct 21, 2012)

no photos at the moment i just made some hides..render is cement render as it starts to dry this means its going off...and the steel wool is for the pond sealer it should be painted before the pond sealer the paint or oxide is mixed in with your render....or i have found a pond sealer that is a sandstone colour this way i have not had to worry about the shine as this pond sealer does not have this problem then i can just paint it with a non toxic paint....


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## Monitors_R_Us (Oct 21, 2012)

smileysnake said:


> no photos at the moment i just made some hides..render is cement render as it starts to dry this means its going off...and the steel wool is for the pond sealer it should be painted before the pond sealer the paint or oxide is mixed in with your render....or i have found a pond sealer that is a sandstone colour this way i have not had to worry about the shine as this pond sealer does not have this problem then i can just paint it with a non toxic paint....


ohhh haha thanks, any chance of that pond sealers name?


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## smileysnake (Oct 21, 2012)

*pics*

the brand is pondtite comes in different colours and clear and there is also another brand called cromellens not sure if thats the right spelling....

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hey monitors just did a quick seal on my enclosure with pondtite sandstone colour only needs one coat as it is like paint clear pondtite is like water so a couple of coats is needed now i just finish the whole thing then paint to suit the look of a cave...


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## Monitors_R_Us (Oct 22, 2012)

smileysnake said:


> the brand is pondtite comes in different colours and clear and there is also another brand called cromellens not sure if thats the right spelling....
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thanks bud ! yeah i can see no gloss here, looks very good, i have started mine, just finished making the structure from the poly and liquid nails


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## Albino93 (Oct 22, 2012)

Any photo's of ur progress Monitors_R_Us?


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## Monitors_R_Us (Oct 22, 2012)

Albino93 said:


> Any photo's of ur progress Monitors_R_Us?


unfortunately my family does not own any quality cameras and my iphone's camera is.....well lets just say broken haha


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## Albino93 (Oct 22, 2012)

Bummer lol good luck with it tho, hope it turns out the way u planned


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## Monitors_R_Us (Oct 22, 2012)

Albino93 said:


> Bummer lol good luck with it tho, hope it turns out the way u planned


haha thanks, i guess we all have to start somewhere.
I also found this guide which isn't too shabby 

Bearded Dragon . org - Building False Rocks for your Enclosure


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