# another fake rock/desert enclosure



## sushigeezer (Jun 26, 2008)

my approach to whole thing, this is for my beardies!

step by step 

Luckily my coffee table is the same width as inside of my viv so I had a good model of the size i need/I can go for!

Polystyrene, extremely sharp knife (little butchers knife!) and some cocktail sticks to get everything together without glue (U might need to get some parts off to make little adjustments ) here we go: 

























































tomorrow I'm going to buy some grout so will let you know what's the final cost of the whole thing 
and of course will keep you updated!

let me know what you think


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## Gill (Oct 8, 2008)

Lookin good keep us posted :no1:


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## asm1006 (May 5, 2007)

looks great-awaiting next installment:whistling2::lol2:


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## Kellybee (Oct 13, 2006)

Thats wicked....

Out of interest, did you get millions of little bits of polystyrene stuck to you or does a mega sharp knife stop that from happening? I tried to do this last year and made a complete pig's ear of it...


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## reptiles_galore (Aug 13, 2008)

any update?
looking good so far


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## sushigeezer (Jun 26, 2008)

Kellybee said:


> Thats wicked....
> 
> Out of interest, did you get millions of little bits of polystyrene stuck to you or does a mega sharp knife stop that from happening? I tried to do this last year and made a complete pig's ear of it...


yeah.... sharp knife helps a bit but you need to clean up every few cuts so hoover is your best friend when you doing it.

Update:
2 layers of grout are on, waiting till it get proper dry then another two layers and some pva with sand 

I hope I will be done by tomorrow evening 

o I forgot, shopping list

polystyrene 8 sheets £8 (I've used only 4)

Wickes:
grout, PVA, dust sheets, brush - bill came to £30 but I'm sure It's possible to get it less than that.

apart of that I have 4 bags of reptisand but I had them for ages so not sure of the price, anyway will see how much sand I will use.

Cheers


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## Fuko (Oct 10, 2008)

would love to see some updated pics of your progress


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## sushigeezer (Jun 26, 2008)

messy... I'm trying to be as clean as possible since I'm doing it in my lounge


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## Ben.M (Mar 2, 2008)

Looks brilliant, reminds me of the flintstones:2thumb:, what did u use in pic 4 coz i'm sure you cant cut polystyrene that smooth, can you???


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## sushigeezer (Jun 26, 2008)

just knife and some patience : victory:


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## Ben.M (Mar 2, 2008)

sushigeezer said:


> just knife and *some patience* : victory:


 
Thats something i dont have:whistling2:, need to get a better knife anyway, mines about 10 years old, rusted but it really has done its job


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## sushigeezer (Jun 26, 2008)

1200£ set of knifes !  my mum gave it to my for my graduation in chef school 7 years ago. still perfect. Tip is to sharpen them nicely and dont put them in dishwasher - just hand wash


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## Ben.M (Mar 2, 2008)

sushigeezer said:


> 1200£ set of knifes !  my mum gave it to my for my graduation in chef school 7 years ago. still perfect. Tip is to sharpen them nicely and dont put them in dishwasher - just hand wash


 
Huh, well i'll probably get a £4 one from focus:lol2:


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## sushigeezer (Jun 26, 2008)

get yourself Victorinox knifes, they look cheap (and you will pay small money for them around 10-20£) but they best value for money you can get on UK market
Even waitrose have them


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## Ben.M (Mar 2, 2008)

I'll have a look the next time i go, i like the cheap little ones that you can snap the end of the knife off when it gets blunt and theres another one behind ready


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## deadbeta (Sep 5, 2008)

Looks great mate!

I will be attempting something similar for my beardie in the next week!

Hopefully getting a larger 4ft Viv this weekend! :no1:


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## sushigeezer (Jun 26, 2008)

i'm doing it for my 4x2x2 viv for my two BD it won't be huge since I want to leave some space for them 

2 layers of grout dry already - today last thick layer and then PVA with sand  will post some photos tonight


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## Jackal (May 21, 2007)

Looks awesome :2thumb:


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## butterfingersbimbo (Jan 26, 2008)

excellent :2thumb:


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## reptiles_galore (Aug 13, 2008)

pics


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## kaimarion (Dec 31, 2007)

Ben.M said:


> Looks brilliant, reminds me of the flintstones:2thumb:, what did u use in pic 4 coz i'm sure you cant cut polystyrene that smooth, can you???


You can use some thing called a hot knife or a hot-wire cutter to get smooth cuts  .


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## mofie86 (Oct 11, 2008)

this is wicked!!!

thinking bout doing something for my newts not sure what yet


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## sushigeezer (Jun 26, 2008)

fresh update:

PVA and sand is on, small corrections today (more sand and pva in some places) and the whole thing should be in the viv tomorrow 

BTW I've used reptisand - mixed yellow and red to get bit different colour.


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## Torres13 (Aug 30, 2007)

Its looking good, nice one


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## sushigeezer (Jun 26, 2008)

thanks mate, I just hope that little buggers will like it


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## sushigeezer (Jun 26, 2008)




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## ephiedoodle (Oct 22, 2008)

wow! i think it's great,good job.
might try it for my leos.


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## reptiles_galore (Aug 13, 2008)

wow thats absolutly stunning mate


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## sushigeezer (Jun 26, 2008)

trust me guys, if such a lazy bastard like me can do it - anyone can! :2thumb:


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## redshazzy (Aug 14, 2008)

looks brill ,ive been looking every day for the finished pic ,


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## asm1006 (May 5, 2007)

Thats really looking great:2thumb:
Have to admit I keep checking the latest installment LOL


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## Cockys Royals (Jun 28, 2008)

Dammit wish I could make some myself but hardly got the patience. Good luck on ya mate well done save you some dosh, you gonna be selling any :lol2:


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## sushigeezer (Jun 26, 2008)

Cockys Corny said:


> Dammit wish I could make some myself but hardly got the patience. Good luck on ya mate well done save you some dosh, you gonna be selling any :lol2:


depends how much you want to pay for it


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## Cockys Royals (Jun 28, 2008)

sushigeezer said:


> depends how much you want to pay for it


OMGoodness :blush: how about in kind


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## Liam09 (Jul 25, 2008)

You're probs going to think I'm a idiot; but did you get a step my step guide from a website?


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## sushigeezer (Jun 26, 2008)

no, just some research and looking up on others people work mainly here


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## Liam09 (Jul 25, 2008)

Okay thanks, ive been thinking about making one myself - just a simpleone to start off with


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## bonez007 (Oct 25, 2008)

hey mate thats is great work, i made mine pretty basic

















i will be making some more soon tho, did you just past the glue then throw the sand on with no sealer on top of the sand?

again it looks real nice mate :2thumb:


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## sushigeezer (Jun 26, 2008)

yep, 

thick PVA all over it and cover it with sand.


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## Pleco07 (Aug 15, 2007)

That looks wicked mate. Ive filled a 50ltr rub with odd bits of polystyrene that ive been collecting to start a similar project. Maybe i shud actual start it soon :whistling2:


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## dax (Aug 11, 2008)

thats me on the sick! need time to prepare my palace for my babies!


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## gmorris194 (Oct 20, 2008)

OMG Thats an amazing job you have done:notworthy:

Puts my to shame, mine is pretty basic, question though, after you have glued everything together how you want want it do you just put the grout over over to make it stable hard and stable?


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## sushigeezer (Jun 26, 2008)

I didn't uswd any glue. Just cocktail sticks to put everything toghether, adjust some bits and grout all over it. first layer quite watery mix of grout to get it every where, than just plain grout which will give you some texture


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## goodwin1234 (Mar 23, 2008)

Looking great! Gonna try something similar for our beardies over the weekend. If it turns out half as good as yours i'll be happy :2thumb:


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## bothrops (Jan 7, 2007)

Great Job mate!

When I did mine I made it from the really thick pieces and went for chunky rather than intricate (and I think I overdid the grout - it ended up about an inch thick.) I would recomend a layer of matt varnish over the sand; you won't see a difference, but it'll make a world of difference when it comes to clearing an adult beardies waste from it!










Cheers

Andy


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## repkid (Nov 30, 2007)

Do you have to sterilise the PVA glue with anything?

I thought it would have been harmful to reps?


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## bothrops (Jan 7, 2007)

No PVA used in mine as its water soluble.

Use cocktail sticks to hold together, Cover in grout, dry, more grout, dry, more grout. When dry I used matt varnish over the grout and sprinkled with sand, let that dry and then gave another layer of sand. I repeated this about eight times (probably a little overkill!) then finished with a triple layer of matt varnish to seal the whole lot.


Cheers

Andy


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## repkid (Nov 30, 2007)

bothrops said:


> No PVA used in mine as its water soluble.
> 
> Use cocktail sticks to hold together, Cover in grout, dry, more grout, dry, more grout. When dry I used matt varnish over the grout and sprinkled with sand, let that dry and then gave another layer of sand. I repeated this about eight times (probably a little overkill!) then finished with a triple layer of matt varnish to seal the whole lot.
> 
> ...


 Alright thanks. I started making one today but all the polystyrine I have is wierd shapes so it's hard to make anything decent. It really looks bad lol, just got to hope that when the grout and sand is on it looks a touch better.


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## bothrops (Jan 7, 2007)

repkid said:


> Alright thanks. I started making one today but all the polystyrine I have is wierd shapes so it's hard to make anything decent. It really looks bad lol, just got to hope that when the grout and sand is on it looks a touch better.


Pics!

(always good to see a work in progress!)

Cheers

Andy


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## Jimi (Dec 10, 2008)

What did you glue the pieces together with?


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## faunafreak (Mar 6, 2008)

are they easy to clean?

because knowing my animals hey will only go to the loo on them.

Tom


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## Mirf (May 22, 2008)

Mine is. I used a glue gun to stick it all together, several layers of grout and then sand and varnish. Mine get dumped in the bath in a dilute bleach solution once a month, get a darn good scrub, with no problems at all.


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## cat001 (Mar 4, 2008)

Wow, thats amazing! I'm definately going to have to try this for my reps!


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## Wattzy21stCentury (Feb 20, 2011)

*wow*

:gasp: awesome (Y) :lol2:


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## ch4dg (Jul 24, 2008)

that looks ace, well done:2thumb:


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## dinostore (Feb 23, 2011)

Mirf said:


> Mine get dumped in the bath in a dilute bleach solution once a month, get a darn good scrub, with no problems at all.


what did you use to seal??

but it looks great:2thumb:


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## kandi43 (Feb 15, 2008)

looking good, me and my kids are having a go at something small, if turns out ok, maybe go for something a bit more arty, well done, for a lazy person (you said it), you have worked hard on that, i would have a rest and then maybe do another one.
Bonez007, i like yours too, :gasp::gasp:


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