# Building a fake rock background



## kawasakigirl06 (Jul 20, 2010)

I thought id post what ive done so far.This is a fake rock background for my leopard gecko.Ive been making it up as i go along,and its so far so good.It took me all day to get where it is now.Its so time consuming,but will be worth it in the end.Im hoping ill get it done by next weekend,so my gecko can go back inside :2thumb: I brought a polystyrene sheet and some tile grout to build the background,and also used wooden bbq skewers to help support everything (you can see those helping to support the steps)

Here is a couple of photos of what i did today,will add more pictures as i go.


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## reptilelover96 (Feb 17, 2010)

looking good :2thumb: keep us updated


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## kawasakigirl06 (Jul 20, 2010)

Thanks,i will do .There is so much more detail to add,its mind numbing :lol2:


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## kawasakigirl06 (Jul 20, 2010)

So last night before i went to bed,i added a space for the water and mealworm bowls,wich you can see at the back










and then i started adding detail to the rock,before my eyes finally gave up and i had to go to bed lol


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## kathizzy (Mar 31, 2007)

lookin good, it will look fab when its finished and im sure your leo will love it. How did you get the big rocks to stay on the back walls, is it just no more nails glue stuff?, and did you use the bbq sticks to help them stay on the walls, hope you know what i mean lol. Looking forward to see the finished viv:no1:


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## kawasakigirl06 (Jul 20, 2010)

kathizzy said:


> lookin good, it will look fab when its finished and im sure your leo will love it. How did you get the big rocks to stay on the back walls, is it just no more nails glue stuff?, and did you use the bbq sticks to help them stay on the walls, hope you know what i mean lol. Looking forward to see the finished viv:no1:


Thanks! :2thumb: the big rocks are held up with no nails,i used the bbq skewers to help support them too : victory:


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## kawasakigirl06 (Jul 20, 2010)

Ok,so ive just spent 2 hours grouting mg: and havent finnished it yet,becuase i need my hubby to help me flip the viv on its side so i can get behind the stairs lol.

Here is a couple more pics.Im very pleased with my lizard i made too :no1:



















Next stage will be another layer of grout mixed with some paint


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## RebelRaven (Mar 1, 2011)

I was thinking about doing this for my leos as well after spending hours last night looking through the ones Becky Wheeler did :mrgreen:

Yours is looking really good so far! Your leo's going to have loads of fun climbing up and down those steps xD


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## kawasakigirl06 (Jul 20, 2010)

RebelRaven said:


> I was thinking about doing this for my leos as well after spending hours last night looking through the ones Becky Wheeler did :mrgreen:
> 
> Yours is looking really good so far! Your leo's going to have loads of fun climbing up and down those steps xD


 
Thanks  Becky Wheeler is the reason i started mine.She inspired me!


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## brxy7 (Aug 13, 2010)

nice one
looking forward to the finished article.: victory:


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## kawasakigirl06 (Jul 20, 2010)

A quick picture.Its starting to look ''tidyer'' now lol. Cant wait to start the painting.: victory:


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## kawasakigirl06 (Jul 20, 2010)

Todays update.Last night i decided to add in a 3d broken brick wall,wich i think has turned out really good.I have done the last layer of grouting today,and mixed in some paint so you can start to see the detailing.The colours i used wont be the final colours though.They will be more oranges and yellows :2thumb:


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## quizicalkat (Jul 7, 2007)

Wow! that's coming together really nicely! :notworthy:


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## Swain86 (Jan 23, 2011)

Looking good


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## kawasakigirl06 (Jul 20, 2010)

Ok,so here is how it looks right now.I mixed up the final wall paint colour with a watered down grout mix,and painted it on.It will have another coat of just paint afterwards,along with some fine detailing work,then it will be just about done :no1:


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## brxy7 (Aug 13, 2010)

thats defo coming along nicely,im thinking this for carpet pythons.:2thumb:
nice one.


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## ch4dg (Jul 24, 2008)

looks awesome,well done : victory:


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## HDreptiles (Apr 30, 2011)

Is that stuff you can get at the hardware store in big sheets? What kind of tile grout? What did you use to glue it? And can you give me a link to your inspiration? Sorry for so many questions. That looks really good and I want to try something like that for my leo's and maybe my beardie.


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## kawasakigirl06 (Jul 20, 2010)

HDreptiles said:


> Is that stuff you can get at the hardware store in big sheets? What kind of tile grout? What did you use to glue it? And can you give me a link to your inspiration? Sorry for so many questions. That looks really good and I want to try something like that for my leo's and maybe my beardie.


 
Yeah i got a big sheet of it from a hardware store,didnt cost much.I just used a normal tile grout..tub says all purpose mold resistant tile grout,ready mixed if that helps.I just watered it down slightly before using it to make it go further.I used liquid nails and wooden bbq skewers to hold everything in place..As far as inspiration goes,i looked at other peoples ideas on here Fake rock wall advanced level And Becky Wheeler YouTube - Part 1 Grand canyon vivarium background Makes some fantastic ones : victory:


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## kawasakigirl06 (Jul 20, 2010)

Ok,Here is how its looking after its first paint job.It needs going over in places though,but i ran out of paint :lol: The platforms and steps will look a bit like the wall colour when done,because the next job will be a layer of sand over it :2thumb:


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## MofuTofu (Mar 22, 2011)

hello there, i really like your background and i was wondering what was the grey stuff that you put on your background first?? is it just grey paint? I am thinking of making a fake rock background and it is my first time.. i want to know what colours should i use to make it more rock like.


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## tintheripper (Mar 16, 2010)

ive made same sort of stuff in my vivs found floor tyle growt wrks really well goes rock solid


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## tintheripper (Mar 16, 2010)

when i made mine i used 3 coats of floor tile growt to cover it then used normal decaratin paint to paint it all and shade it then pva glue or clear varnish to seal it all in


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## ch4dg (Jul 24, 2008)

MofuTofu said:


> i want to know what colours should i use to make it more rock like.


 these might help you get started...

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/habitat/528429-how-do-dry-brushing-technique.html

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/habitat/526177-crestie-fake-rock-background-tutorial.html


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## kawasakigirl06 (Jul 20, 2010)

MofuTofu said:


> hello there, i really like your background and i was wondering what was the grey stuff that you put on your background first?? is it just grey paint? I am thinking of making a fake rock background and it is my first time.. i want to know what colours should i use to make it more rock like.


It was a mix of grout with some black paint in :lol2: You could try mixing black and whites together to get different shades of grey,and layer up the different colours on the rocks : victory:


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## HDreptiles (Apr 30, 2011)

Thank you for the responses and links. I love that background. I think that is going to be first on the list of upgrades for my herps.


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## kawasakigirl06 (Jul 20, 2010)

Yay! Yay! Yay! So its all finnished :no1:

Moved my gecko back in just now :2thumb: Here is some pictures











Checking out the stairs : victory:




















So i asked him what he thought of my handy work..This is the answer i got :-










:lol2:


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## HDreptiles (Apr 30, 2011)

Very nice. This is definitely going to be one of my next projects. And your gecko looks like it is smiling. Lol.


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## Swain86 (Jan 23, 2011)

:lol2: i liked the picture of your leo 
i also like your build


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## kirstie rose (Mar 8, 2009)

MofuTofu said:


> hello there, i really like your background and i was wondering what was the grey stuff that you put on your background first?? is it just grey paint? I am thinking of making a fake rock background and it is my first time.. i want to know what colours should i use to make it more rock like.


Awesome!!! Well done. Now come do mine :lol2: xx


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