# eco earth onto silicone



## Heart4Darts (Oct 10, 2009)

So... my order of eco earth arrived today and I then realised I'll need to soak it to break it up. 
But my question is... will I need to dry it out before I can silicone the expanding foam and put the eco earth on top.
Not to sure if it'll be OK to put damp eco earth onto wet silicone.


----------



## Wolfenrook (Jul 2, 2010)

You will indeed need to dry it as it wont stick to the silicone properly otherwise. That's why I tended to use Gorilla Glue rather than silicone when I wanted to stick eco earth, peat or tree fern fiber onto stuff.

Ade


----------



## fatlad69 (Oct 22, 2009)

You can either grate the Ecco earth block to produce a fine dust to put on the silicone but that method is very time consuming. What I did from adise on this formum is put the ecco earth in the over to dry out. Just spread it in layers on a baking tray and check it regularly, it worked great.


----------



## frogman955 (Feb 7, 2010)

The eco earth I have here can be broken up by hand, with a little bit of effort.
Not all can though unfortunately.
If you can get a bit seperated then all you need to do is crush it up to get it back to as near soil like as you can.
Once thats done you can put it onto the silicone as it is.
If you do have to use water to break it apart then use as little as you can get away with so less effort is needed to dry it out.
Then leave it somewhere warm to get it dry.
Remember hot water from a kettle will soak into it far better, but watch your hands.
I`m with Ade on the GG as it is a lot easier to use, but it can be messy if your not carefull.

Mike


----------



## Heart4Darts (Oct 10, 2009)

I've done the expanding foam, just need to mix the eco earth up and then start the silicone. Blimey this is going to be a long process if I need the eco earth dry before chucking it over the silicone 
So... could I of just used gorilla glue over the expanding foam instead of the silicone?


----------



## Wolflore (Mar 3, 2010)

Yeah!


----------



## frogman955 (Feb 7, 2010)

Yes just use a paint brush to get it covered and then add the soil.
The brush will be a bucket job afterwards though.
Wear surgical rubber gloves or something to save getting your hands covered in glue as it can make a right mess if your not carefull :whistling2:.

Mike


----------



## Wolflore (Mar 3, 2010)

frogman955 said:


> Yes just use a paint brush to get it covered and then add the soil.
> The brush will be a bucket job afterwards though.
> Wear surgical rubber gloves or something to save getting your hands covered in glue as it can make a right mess if your not carefull :whistling2:.
> 
> Mike


And you have to keep pushing the EcoEarth down as Gorilla Glue itself expands about 3 or 4 times its volume.


----------



## Heart4Darts (Oct 10, 2009)

That was a waste of money buying the brown aquarium silicone then. I would of much rathered use the glue instead of the silicone. I can see the silicone being a nightmare to cover all the expanding foam. :bash:


----------



## fatlad69 (Oct 22, 2009)

Heart4Darts said:


> That was a waste of money buying the brown aquarium silicone then. I would of much rathered use the glue instead of the silicone. I can see the silicone being a nightmare to cover all the expanding foam. :bash:


It's not that bad just use a credit card. The advantage of silicone is if you get it anywhere you don't want such as parts of the glass it is fairly easy to remove.


----------



## Heart4Darts (Oct 10, 2009)

fatlad69 said:


> It's not that bad just use a credit card. The advantage of silicone is if you get it anywhere you don't want such as parts of the glass it is fairly easy to remove.


Silicone ain't something I can say I've used before, so I don't really know what the stuff is like, but I can see it being a right pain in the backside. I'm gonna Give the credit card a go and see how I get on. Should I just squirt the silicone onto the card them smooth it out over the expanding foam? Or pour it over the expanding foam first?


----------



## fatlad69 (Oct 22, 2009)

You will need a silicone gun, just cut the nozzel so it has a big hole a squirt it onto the foam. Then spread it out and press the ecco earth in but only work in smallish sections as it goes off quicker than you think.


----------



## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

And don't clean anything in the bath, afterward...


----------



## fatlad69 (Oct 22, 2009)

Ron Magpie said:


> And don't clean anything in the bath, afterward...


:lol2:


----------



## Heart4Darts (Oct 10, 2009)

Ron Magpie said:


> And don't clean anything in the bath, afterward...


Only thing going in the bath is myself mate :no1:


----------

