# How I made my first fake rock (Bearded Dragon enclosure) PIC HEAVY!



## excession

Hello!

I’ve said to a few people that I would write a little guide to how I made my fake rock.

It’s a bit of a rubbish guide but has a lot of pics so you can see the stages that I went through.

Before I started I basically had no experience of putting something like this together and I have no artistic skills - but I had seen a few different rock builds on the RFUK forum and BeardedDragon.org and really wanted to have a go myself to see if it was as easy as people have said.

I think possibly my biggest bit of inspiration came from a user called Tabz on Beardeddragon.org when I saw his build here:

http://www.beardeddragon.org/bjive/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=66704&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=15#p517947

As you can see I pretty much used this as my template. I think mine is still no where as good as his, but like I said, I have no artistic skills! (P.S. I hope u don’t hate me for copying your idea Tabz, but your viv is genius!).

I took a while to draw what I wanted mine to look like, and again its really clear where I got most of my inspiration (I soon deviated from this pic but it still helped visualise what I wanted to make!)










Also I need to thank ‘Jonny357’ who wrote the following post:

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/habitat/284743-building-fake-rock-background-definative.html

Its brilliant and really helped me when putting together my shopping list. I adapted what worked for him and made it work for me pretty much.

You really should read though everything he has put in his excellent guide.

I also spent a good amount of time on Lizard care, and fake rock wall landscapes which not only has excellent ideas on how to make your fake rock, but has great instructional videos that really help.

OK so I got my shopping list and purchased:

1 Pack of heavy duty tiles (too heavy duty it turned out, they broke my tile cutter)
1 tube of No More Nails (had to go back and buy a second tube)
1 Gun for No More Nails
1 cheapo pack of brushes
1 pack of sand paper (didn’t really use this much in the end)
1 10kg bag of Grout (almost used it all!)
1 big tub of PVA
1 bottle of dark umbra acrylic paint
1 small tube of light umbra acrylic paint
2 cheap spray bottles (99pence ones from homebase)
3 sheets of polystyrene
1 tube of aquarium sealant (I need to go back and pick up another tube to fill around the thermostat hole)
1 tub of cocktail sticks
1 lighter

I also used 2 old kitchen knives. 

I spent a fair bit when you include the tiles and the aquarium sealant. I didn’t keep close tabs on it which is a good thing, as my OH would have possibly killed me.

Once I got this lot home I started work on the left corner of the build, the cave.

I started by thinking how it will fit in the viv and how much space it would take up (at this point I had not collected my viv from user loobylou211 on RFUK so had to play it safe with the measurements).

Once I had a good idea of what I wanted I started by cutting out the shape of the top of the cave area, then I built up the legs.

While I was in the initial stage I didn’t use any glue, I just used cocktail sticks to pin everything together.

A nice tip at this point is to number the layers, and draw lines on each sides, with arrows also. This way when you take the cocktail sticks out to glue it you have some guidelines as to how it goes back together.

I soon realised exactly how messy this was going to get, and I ended up having the hover handy, and giving it a fast blast after almost every cut! I think I have minor OCD tendencies and didn’t want a massive mess everywhere….

Cave being built:














































Once I had finished the cave I mounted it on the left hand wall.

I still didn’t have the vivarium, so left plenty of room to trim this back if needed (it was needed!).










Again I drew outlines on the back where the cave went as a guide for later. You cant really see it but under the ramp I had 3 support pillars, and a hole running through one into the cave. This was for the thermostat probe.

When I cut the sides I just angled the knife as much as possible to give a slopped cut. I also used a lighter to add some texture to the sides (although much of this was lost under the 4 layers of grout…).

Another good use of the lighter was to quickly run it over fresh cuts – it sealed the poly a little and stopped all those little balls falling off. I would say however that the fumes are rank! I ended up dashing outside with the lighter every now and then to give it a fast flash burn  

Back wall goes in 










In this next pic you can see how I have shuffled how the left and back wall sit together. 










You can also see in these pics my 1st attempt at a ramp going upwards to the next platform. I did away with this in the end as I thought it looked poor.










So far I had done all of the above without the actual vivarium.

I received the vivarium from user Loobylou211 on RFUK. She sells fantastic custom made vivariums! The one I ordered was 48 long x 22 deep x 20 high (inches). Id have gone from 24 deep but we just didn’t have the room.

So I after a while messing about I got all the rocks in (This was really difficult at times, like a 3d puzzle!):










I was unsure if I would fit in all of my design and decided to cut it short, leaving out a number of platforms. The right perch was moved closer and the ramp done away with.










Here you can see the rocks without the sides. At this point all these sections where clued with No More Nails (applied liberally) as well as cocktail sticks to add to the strength.


----------



## excession

So I was at the point where I was ready to add my 1st layer of grout. As per the guides I had read I made the 1st coat very watery. It went on fast with a big brush.



















Unfortunately I then did 3 more coats of grout without taking any pictures. In some spots I used a spoon to add extra detail like some cracks.

Once the 4th layer was finished I had to get it all back in the viv to make sure it fit in ok (which it didn’t until I took a heavy file to some of the sides).

So it was time to paint! I used watered down acrylic paint with a cheapo 99 pence spray bottle to apply it. It went on so fast it was great!

I only did 2 coats and then I mixed up a lighter coat and used dry brushing to pick out all the detail. To do this mix the pain as desired and then put it on the brush. Then use a cloth to wipe the brush mostly dry. Then just skim the brush over the fake rock and the paint will only go on the bits that stick out. It’s a quick easy way to get a good effect, and it takes no skillz!

Once I had dry brushed the detail I then added one final coat of very watery dark acrylic as a kind of dark wash. I think this was possibly not even needed.

So all painted! Unfortunately again I took few pics of the painting process (was having too much fun) but here are the 2 I did take:










Here you can see the dry brush effect:










Then it was time to seal the lot so it lasted a long time (I really hope it lasts a long time…).

I used PVA mixed with about 1 part water 4 parts pva. The last layer was more like 1:2 because I just wanted it to be as resilient as possible. The PVA has seemed to have worked well. Despite going on very white it has dried clear and you wouldn’t know it was on there to look at it. Also it is not as shiny as I had expected.



















Helper here in this pic!:



















Once it was all dry it was time for the final assembly:





































In this last pic you can see the sand pit that we have added on the far right. We have made a lid for it so while our beardie is young we can close the sand off while there are crickets alive in there so he doesn’t eat any.

Also I have gone around the sides and the bottom of the entire build with aquarium sealant to ensure that Crickets cannot get inside the poly and cause havoc.

I am going to (on the strength of advice from forum goers) change the red spot for a normal spot. I also might need to move the spot so the temperature gradient is better,  but it is for the most part, finished.

The hardest bits: 
Fitting it all in afterwards 
Getting the thermostat probe in where I wanted it 

The worst bits: 
The smell of the aquarium sealant 
Smashing 3 tiles and breaking the tile cutter 

The best bits:
Fitting it all in 
My son going ‘WoooooW’

Now all we need is a beardie!

Hope you enjoyed the guide.


(sorry for any typos and spelling mistakes )


----------



## DaveAnscombe

*Awesome- ness*

Well done you ......Look's fab.....even for a first try 

TOP JOB

Dave


----------



## roostarr

this looks great! well done!


----------



## treesrfun

Great job on the build! Do you know where i can get lots of polystyrene free or cheap as this has inspired me to make my own!!


----------



## excession

treesrfun said:


> Great job on the build! Do you know where i can get lots of polystyrene free or cheap as this has inspired me to make my own!!


I got mine mostly from B&Q for a few pounds for a sheet


----------



## mandi1234

hey that looks really cool. youve done a great job, when did you put the aquarium saelant on..........? and was the last coat .....pva mixed with water. i have just done one also, but i used yatch varnish ( takes about 2 week to dry, but then it can still chuck out fumes under heat. so i am goIng to put it in a conservatory ( where it gets far too hot ) to get rid of the fumes before i put my leos in it, its going to take a while. have you been able to put your reps in straight away :2thumb:


----------



## excession

mandi1234 said:


> hey that looks really cool. youve done a great job, when did you put the aquarium saelant on..........? and was the last coat .....pva mixed with water. i have just done one also, but i used yatch varnish ( takes about 2 week to dry, but then it can still chuck out fumes under heat. so i am goIng to put it in a conservatory ( where it gets far too hot ) to get rid of the fumes before i put my leos in it, its going to take a while. have you been able to put your reps in straight away :2thumb:


 
The aquarium sealant was the last thing to do once it was placed in the viv. I just went arround the edges so there were no gaps for little crickits to get in.

The last coat of pva was still mixed with water but was much thicker. It still dried clear.

I have had it in a good few days now, I cant smell anything now.

Not got my Beardie yet so it is still empty!

Got some new plants in the post today also to funk it up a little 

also...



excession said:


> I got mine mostly from B&Q for a few pounds for a sheet


At one point I got low on poly so I went to the local fish shop and they gave me a few boxes for free


----------



## Fozzy

wow looks really cool :no1: especially with that red light on :2thumb:


----------



## excession

Fozzy said:


> wow looks really cool :no1: especially with that red light on :2thumb:



I have swapped the red out now for a normal spot bulb after lots of recommendations that beardies do better under a normal spot.

Have had to move where it was also as I am having fun getting all the temps spot on at the moment


----------



## ginna

good one :flrt:


i like the cave thing


----------



## Becky Wheeler

Well done mate! Superb:2thumb:


----------



## reptilelover96

hi, sorry it looks great but what did you use the tiles for :blush:,
thanks sophie


excession said:


> So I was at the point where I was ready to add my 1st layer of grout. As per the guides I had read I made the 1st coat very watery. It went on fast with a big brush.
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> Unfortunately I then did 3 more coats of grout without taking any pictures. In some spots I used a spoon to add extra detail like some cracks.
> 
> Once the 4th layer was finished I had to get it all back in the viv to make sure it fit in ok (which it didn’t until I took a heavy file to some of the sides).
> 
> So it was time to paint! I used watered down acrylic paint with a cheapo 99 pence spray bottle to apply it. It went on so fast it was great!
> 
> I only did 2 coats and then I mixed up a lighter coat and used dry brushing to pick out all the detail. To do this mix the pain as desired and then put it on the brush. Then use a cloth to wipe the brush mostly dry. Then just skim the brush over the fake rock and the paint will only go on the bits that stick out. It’s a quick easy way to get a good effect, and it takes no skillz!
> 
> Once I had dry brushed the detail I then added one final coat of very watery dark acrylic as a kind of dark wash. I think this was possibly not even needed.
> 
> So all painted! Unfortunately again I took few pics of the painting process (was having too much fun) but here are the 2 I did take:
> 
> image
> 
> Here you can see the dry brush effect:
> 
> image
> 
> Then it was time to seal the lot so it lasted a long time (I really hope it lasts a long time…).
> 
> I used PVA mixed with about 1 part water 4 parts pva. The last layer was more like 1:2 because I just wanted it to be as resilient as possible. The PVA has seemed to have worked well. Despite going on very white it has dried clear and you wouldn’t know it was on there to look at it. Also it is not as shiny as I had expected.
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> Helper here in this pic!:
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> Once it was all dry it was time for the final assembly:
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> In this last pic you can see the sand pit that we have added on the far right. We have made a lid for it so while our beardie is young we can close the sand off while there are crickets alive in there so he doesn’t eat any.
> 
> Also I have gone around the sides and the bottom of the entire build with aquarium sealant to ensure that Crickets cannot get inside the poly and cause havoc.
> 
> I am going to (on the strength of advice from forum goers) change the red spot for a normal spot. I also might need to move the spot so the temperature gradient is better, but it is for the most part, finished.
> 
> The hardest bits:
> Fitting it all in afterwards
> Getting the thermostat probe in where I wanted it
> 
> The worst bits:
> The smell of the aquarium sealant
> Smashing 3 tiles and breaking the tile cutter
> 
> The best bits:
> Fitting it all in
> My son going ‘WoooooW’
> 
> Now all we need is a beardie!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the guide.
> 
> 
> (sorry for any typos and spelling mistakes )


----------



## excession

reptilelover96 said:


> hi, sorry it looks great but what did you use the tiles for :blush:,
> thanks sophie


tiles are instead of other substrates 

Nice and easy to keep clean!


----------



## SCOTT4545

That looks class! Im want to build somthing like that when my beardie goes in to a bigger viv. How long does the whole thing take?


----------



## excession

SCOTT4545 said:


> That looks class! Im want to build somthing like that when my beardie goes in to a bigger viv. How long does the whole thing take?


Thank you!

I think it took about two weeks, but I only had a few hours to spare most evenings.


----------



## fuzzzzbuzzzz

Thats awesome, you have inspired me to do something now. Going to try and make a wall or obstacle course for my leo's. I know this was a year ago, but was how many polystyrene sheets did you use for this project.

Regards
Gemma


----------



## excession

fuzzzzbuzzzz said:


> Thats awesome, you have inspired me to do something now. Going to try and make a wall or obstacle course for my leo's. I know this was a year ago, but was how many polystyrene sheets did you use for this project.
> 
> Regards
> Gemma


I have no artistic talent at all, so its really not that hard 

If i remember rightly i used about 3 sheets from B&Q


----------



## fuzzzzbuzzzz

excession said:


> I have no artistic talent at all, so its really not that hard
> 
> If i remember rightly i used about 3 sheets from B&Q


I doubt you would remember, but on the off chance, how much were they please a sheet?


----------



## excession

fuzzzzbuzzzz said:


> I doubt you would remember, but on the off chance, how much were they please a sheet?


I _think_ this  was what I used


----------



## fuzzzzbuzzzz

excession said:


> I _think_ this was what I used


Thanks. Just the thing I needed.


----------



## Pendragon

First time I've seen this build, nice job : victory:


Jay


----------



## excession

Pendragon said:


> First time I've seen this build, nice job : victory:
> 
> 
> Jay


Cheers Jay


----------



## Avpl

Looks awesome.

The bulb is over a hole.... is the basking area underneath the platform, or on top (around the hole)?

Also, dont the beardies just fly about on tiles? or have you put sand on top?


----------



## excession

Anthony Laing said:


> Looks awesome.
> 
> The bulb is over a hole.... is the basking area underneath the platform, or on top (around the hole)?
> 
> Also, dont the beardies just fly about on tiles? or have you put sand on top?



I have since moved the bulb.

Its now in an angled bracket that focuses it on the ramp above the cage. I will find a pic....

As for the tiles yes they are bare - he seems to quite like them!


----------



## Avpl

excession said:


> I have since moved the bulb.
> 
> Its now in an angled bracket that focuses it on the ramp above the cage. I will find a pic....
> 
> As for the tiles yes they are bare - he seems to quite like them!


Oh okay, cool. I just had a vision of two beardies competeting to who can slide the furthest:lol2:


----------



## excession

Anthony Laing said:


> Oh okay, cool. I just had a vision of two beardies competeting to who can slide the furthest:lol2:


:lol2: 



Here is how the bulb is now


----------



## BobNTed

Hiya, you've inspired me to try the same... any idea on how long the grout takes to dry before you can apply additional layers?

Has anyone tried putting sand or gravel on the pva layers for extra texture?


----------



## RedDragon619

WOW, looks the dogs :censor: lol

great job dude, my mrs wants to do somthing like that for are 2, may go get her the sheets this week lol


----------



## bwrcleo

B&Q don't sell Polystyrene any more (something to do with the fire risk!) but you can get a sheet 2400x600x25mm for £4.00 which I think pretty good


----------



## Becky Wheeler

bwrcleo said:


> B&Q don't sell Polystyrene any more (something to do with the fire risk!) but you can get a sheet 2400x600x25mm for £4.00 which I think pretty good


It's looking fantastic!! :notworthy:

Why don't you go to ebay to get the poly?? I always do and it's so much cheaper. I got mine from here...

10 *NEW* Polystyrene Packing Sheets - 600x400x25mm on eBay (end time 24-May-10 01:56:36 BST)


----------



## Dan P

I was just searching on google for custom vivariums and this one came up. Have to say that it looks totally and utterly awesome  Hats off to you :no1:


----------



## ex0tics

the tile was a great idea, what I've always used!
keeps nails trim and much more hygienic!

It's looking amazing, almost a bit jealous of this! :lol2:


----------



## James1986

that is so helpful me.............

I will start very soon!


----------



## s3kcy

build looks quality, gave me a few tips for mine too !


----------



## excession

Thanks for the nice comments.

Its really lasting well, a year and a half on and zero signs of wear and tear


----------



## rolandrau

Hi there,

Great looking vivarium!!!!!!!!!!! 

I have just finished building my own and used very very very similar steps to yours. I am pretty much done with the fake rock walls other than a clear non-slip tile varnish for cleaning purposes. 

I have a question though, although my paint is dry after putting lighting in the viv after a while i noticed that it smelt very much like pva (beardie is not in the viv at all). So i was wondering how long your viv took to stop smelling like paint and how long after completion did you actually go and get your beardie to put in the viv?

My other question is should i worry about the lighting burning the polystirene at all even though it has 2 THICK layers of grout on it? I'd rather not take any chances with our newest family memeber and wanna make sure the viv we have built for him is perfect for him to grow very OLD in 

Thanks in advance

Roland


----------

