Cement-all for faux rock?

[Aziara]

I've been researching how to build faux rocks for basking, hides, rock walls, etc. Most, if not all of the tutorials, use a base of styrofoam, coat it in grout, then seal it with something nontoxic.
Would cement-all work instead of the grout? I already have some, is why I'm asking. I'm not sure how to figure out the toxicity level (if any) from the SDS, so here it is: http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdfImages/e3/e399a116-52a8-4ecf-8f5a-db296b1a6e91.pdf
I know cement is a no-no for planted vivariums, because it messes up the ph balance for plants, at least until it cures. Would a high ph cause problems for a bearded dragon, though? I was thinking of sealing with some Dryloc, as it is water proof, and non-toxic enough to be used for dart frog vivariums. This is also something I already have, as I made a rock with it for my hubby's dart frog tank.

 

[BeardedHippy]

Its a good question, one thats been on my mind recently too. If you read Dogdayz post here, http://www.beardeddragonforum.com/threads/awesome-diy-build.19048/ we start getting into it. As cracking seems to be a problem with grout (so far, time will tell) it seemed logical to me to try a different approach. Grout is concrete based, its just that you can get sandless versions of it, otherwise there is little difference to concrete. The faux hides and rock you mentioned are all made from polyresin, which is a powdered rock suspended in a resin. Im going to try that, trouble is, now I know how to build it ,I dont know what to build lol Ive just spent an hour looking at pics of rock formations for inspiration....no luck so far.
I think whatever you use, so long as it has dried properly and gassed off would be fine ,especially with a good sealer. Ph shouldnt be a problem in such a dry environment.

 

[Aziara]

I think I will give it a go. I've used cement-all before as a mold material to cast oil clay sculptures, and I've never had any cracking issues, whether mixed super thin or thick and goopy. Now, I've never tried it as a coating on styrofoam, so I don't know whether it will crack in that application. I'm not super worried if it does, as the Dryloc will seal everything up.
I'll get to building once my cage comes in. I'd hate to make something that doesn't fit the space.
Something most folks neglect to mention: is what glue they use to put the styrofoam together. Would superglue work?
I used Elmer's glue for the one in the frog tank, and it was a real pain because it takes forever to dry.

 

[Dogdayz1215]

My understanding is that as long as you seal it good (ie several coats) you should be fine. I used grout and had some cracking which actually makes it looks more real, but I do worry about how long it will hold up. Only time will tell!

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[KrissyLeigh]

I think I will give it a go. I've used cement-all before as a mold material to cast oil clay sculptures, and I've never had any cracking issues, whether mixed super thin or thick and goopy. Now, I've never tried it as a coating on styrofoam, so I don't know whether it will crack in that application. I'm not super worried if it does, as the Dryloc will seal everything up.
I'll get to building once my cage comes in. I'd hate to make something that doesn't fit the space.
Something most folks neglect to mention: is what glue they use to put the styrofoam together. Would superglue work?
I used Elmer's glue for the one in the frog tank, and it was a real pain because it takes forever to dry.

I used tacky glue to glue the Styrofoam pieces together, and silicone to glue Styrofoam pieces together that were going to be weight bearing - might not have been necessary since I used grout to cover everything, but I had it on hand so figured might as well.

As far as cracking - what I found out - if you are using a large piece of Styrofoam as the background, you should reinforce it somehow so it doesn't flex. My background was 2' x 1' and even with 5+ layers of grout every time I picked it up, it would flex just enough to crack the grout EVERY STINKING TIME! Next time I will reinforce the back of the Styrofoam with some thin wood or metal or something to prevent cracking.

Hope this helps and have fun!!! I love making backgrounds! Your plan sounds great!

 

[Aziara]

So, I'm currently in the drafting stage of building. How big should hides be? I have no idea on what size to make them -- length by width. I've never seen an adult beardie in person...

Heavily inspired by this video:

 

[Dogdayz1215]

So, I'm currently in the drafting stage of building. How big should hides be? I have no idea on what size to make them -- length by width. I've never seen an adult beardie in person...

Heavily inspired by this video:

Adults can get 1.5-2 feet long so I would plan for that. The one I made has a big cave that Puff doesn't currently use but I'm sure he will once he gets bigger. Keep us posted! Can't wait to see what you build!!!

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[Dogdayz1215]

Another thing I would personally consider......while you do want a hide/cave, you also want to be able to access inside it jist in case your beardie is sick and hiding. Maybe that's just me and my crazy thinking, but I would hate for him to be hiding and not be able to get to him with it destroying the furniture

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[Aziara]

Another thing I would personally consider......while you do want a hide/cave, you also want to be able to access inside it jist in case your beardie is sick and hiding. Maybe that's just me and my crazy thinking, but I would hate for him to be hiding and not be able to get to him with it destroying the furniture

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Check out the video that I'm using for inspiration--The roofs lift off of the hides, which I think is really cool.

So really, how big in inches would you say is sufficient for a hide?