# My hide



## Woodeh (Dec 19, 2011)

Hey I just made a hide for my snake, made from polystyrene then put 3x coats of grout the sprayed it grey and painted it to make it look like rock, only problem is it smells a bit inside the outside is fine, what would stop this and do I need to varnish it, if so what is a good affordable varnish? 

Thanks inadvace,


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## wilko92 (Aug 29, 2011)

Woodeh said:


> Hey I just made a hide for my snake, made from polystyrene then put 3x coats of grout the sprayed it grey and painted it to make it look like rock, only problem is it smells a bit inside the outside is fine, what would stop this and do I need to varnish it, if so what is a good affordable varnish?
> 
> Thanks inadvace,


 you should always varnish over paint so the paint doesnt wear off or cause any harm to your reptile. i used yaht varnish on the hide i made my leos took a good 2-3 months for it to be dry and lose all the smell!


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## Woodeh (Dec 19, 2011)

Thanks where is the best place to get it and what make is the cheapest? 

Thanks


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## wilko92 (Aug 29, 2011)

Any varnish will do! i picked my yaht varnish up from wilkinsons : victory:


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## ch4dg (Jul 24, 2008)

you dont need to varnish it (unless you want it there to protect the paint) just give it a few days for the smell to dispearse you can wash it in some warm water to speed things up

if you do varnish it dont get a £20 tin of branded yatch varnish just use this...
151 Yacht Varnish - Gloss boats wood doors windows | eBay

i use this for all my projects
151 Non Slip Clear Paint - Steps Tiles Etc - 180ml (5050375085701) | eBay

hope that helps : victory:


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## Woodeh (Dec 19, 2011)

Yeah that is very helpful thanks, was thinking 2-3 coats of that non slip paint will be fine?


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## Woodeh (Dec 19, 2011)

Does the 151 non slip clear paint make the hides waterproof completely or just a bit of contact with water is ok? 

Thanks Daniel


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## chibbins4 (Aug 29, 2011)

This is the stuff I used to seal the hides I've made:

polyvine - advanced decorating products that really work

The 'dead flat' finish gives a matte effect, plus it's low odour and waterproof etc

Rob: victory:


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## ch4dg (Jul 24, 2008)

its makes it waterproof about 99.9999999999% especially with 3 coats i normally use on..i sealed most of my t-rex water fall with it ,but it is not recommended for 24/7 contact with water i.e a water bowl, pool area or a submerged section


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## smiling paul (Sep 12, 2011)

today i started on a homemade viv background/hide/furniture etc and i'm going to spray it with the paint that gives a stone effect and colour. to seal it all back would a few layers of watered down PVA glue do the trick?

cheers


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## ch4dg (Jul 24, 2008)

smiling paul said:


> today i started on a homemade viv background/hide/furniture etc and i'm going to spray it with the paint that gives a stone effect and colour. to seal it all back would a few layers of watered down PVA glue do the trick?
> 
> cheers


you might wanna see this..
http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/habitat/792374-background-cracking-melting-due-stone.html


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## Woodeh (Dec 19, 2011)

this is what they looked like at the end


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## dinostore (Feb 23, 2011)

smiling paul said:


> i'm going to spray it with the paint that gives a stone effect and colour
> cheers





ch4dg said:


> you might wanna see this..
> http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/habitat/792374-background-cracking-melting-due-stone.html


thats mine....stay away from the toxic :censor:


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## Woodeh (Dec 19, 2011)

They are up for sale if any1 looking for hides, can make ur own designs if u want something different?


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## smiling paul (Sep 12, 2011)

ch4dg said:


> you might wanna see this..
> http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/habitat/792374-background-cracking-melting-due-stone.html



thank you soo much for pointing that out to me :notworthy::notworthy:

its easy to miss an article in on here when there is thousands of pages of threads haha got abit further on with build today, got it grouted. someone else put a link to show off their viv in a thread that covered their wall in silicone then stuck planation soil and railway track fake grass to it :no1: a really really good effect so i'm gonna go down that route on part of it. i'll put up pics of my viv when its done!


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## Woodeh (Dec 19, 2011)

*Cool*

Nice sounds good


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## dinostore (Feb 23, 2011)

smiling paul said:


> thank you soo much for pointing that out to me :notworthy::notworthy:
> 
> its easy to miss an article in on here when there is thousands of pages of threads haha got abit further on with build today, got it grouted. someone else put a link to show off their viv in a thread that covered their wall in silicone then stuck planation soil and railway track fake grass to it :no1: a really really good effect so i'm gonna go down that route on part of it. i'll put up pics of my viv when its done!


after this happened i researched it....and bloody hell this stuff is toxic


if its a rock effect you want.
base coat-very dark grey
highlight with- light grey
drybrush with- white

you can also add fake moss








THIS IS 'CH4DG' PIC I JUST BORROWED IT......HOPE YOU DONT MIND


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## smiling paul (Sep 12, 2011)

dinostore said:


> after this happened i researched it....and bloody hell this stuff is toxic
> 
> 
> if its a rock effect you want.
> ...



thats strange you putting that about drybushing because i was only watchin a youtube vid on how to do it today. i def gonna do a mixture of rock effect, parts of moss and eco earth (today i bought the brown sealant, moss and earth so i'm slowly gettin there. Going to do some more on it tomorrow if i get chance :2thumb

one question tho, what type and brand of paint do you use? still trying to work that bit out.


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## ch4dg (Jul 24, 2008)

smiling paul said:


> one question tho, what type and brand of paint do you use? still trying to work that bit out.


i use a spray paint for the base then acylics for the drybrush effects


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## smiling paul (Sep 12, 2011)

ch4dg said:


> i use a spray paint for the base then acylics for the drybrush effects
> image


do you seal it? if so do you use the clear or matt varnish like others do?

thanks for your reply :2thumb:


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## Woodeh (Dec 19, 2011)

*Backgrounds*

How do u make a good rocky effect for backgrounds? 

Thanks Daniel


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## smiling paul (Sep 12, 2011)

Woodeh said:


> How do u make a good rocky effect for backgrounds?
> 
> Thanks Daniel



a very very quick method is Polystyrene shaped to how you want it, then covered in a thin layer of tile grout, then covered in a few more layers off grout, then painted : victory: (there is alot more to it than this though)

there are loads of how-to's in the habitat section on this forum. if you take a look through there you get to see what others have done. thats what i'm doing because i'm half way through making my own at the moment. this afternoon/tonight i'm gonna give dry brushing a try : victory:


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## Woodeh (Dec 19, 2011)

The pics on this thread are my 1st go at dry brushing what u think? Post some pics of ur project so far?


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## smiling paul (Sep 12, 2011)

smiling paul said:


> a very very quick method is Polystyrene shaped to how you want it, then covered in a thin layer of tile grout, then covered in a few more layers off grout, then painted : victory: (there is alot more to it than this though)
> 
> there are loads of how-to's in the habitat section on this forum. if you take a look through there you get to see what others have done. thats what i'm doing because i'm half way through making my own at the moment. this afternoon/tonight i'm gonna give dry brushing a try : victory:


sorry i meant to put a very very quick DESCRIPTION OF A method is polystyrene shaped ... ... ... ... and so on :bash:
the method isnt quick as it takes ages waiting for stuff to dry between coats


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