# DIY fake rock enclosure help please



## baldr (Aug 25, 2012)

Hello! I just joined this forum. As my first act... I have a ton of questions..
I guess people who will post answers will know what I'm talking about (terms as sealant and stuff) so here it goes:

-The sealant: I live in Belgium and I can't find the labels I see on the internet, such as modpodge, anywhere. So I bought Knauf "hechtemulsie", Hechtemulsie 5 L. I have no idea if you can tell if this is a good substitute by looking at the picture... Can you?

-The grout: I see everyone always talking about cement grout. Can I use plaster instead of the cement grout? I have so much plaster in my garage, it would be alot easier and alot cheaper for me.

-Last of all: I am trying to copy this: Bearded Dragon . org • View topic - CUSTOM VIV FINALLY FINISHED!!!!. My vivarium is made entirely out of glass so I wouldn't be able to make the back wall in one solid piece because it wouldn't fit. Do you think it would be possible to make the back wall into two seperate pieces and build the cave and climbing things (except the bridge at the very top) seperately by adding some support pillars here and there? The seperate pieces can also not stick to the side walls as that would also be too big to get into the cage. So i might leave the side walls out all together.

Sorry for the long question but I am not at all a handy person and this is the first time I attempt anything even close to an artistic project of this scale...
Any help would be much appreciated!

Thank you,
Baldr


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Hi and welcome :2thumb: 

Not sure on the sealant, it's difficult to tell lol. I would avoid plaster, as it will crumble and I don't think the dust is safe for animals. You should be able to build it in seperate pieces without too much difficulty, provided you give it enough support so it doesn't collapse under the weight of your animal

Dave


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## baldr (Aug 25, 2012)

Thanks for answering!
Hmm I guess I should wait to continue the work until i've got the right grout then. I'll also look for clarification on the sealant issue, or buy a new one.
I built the foam part today with the help of a few friends. It looks so great I never thought I would be able to do it.
And I see you live in the UK. Mind telling me what grout and sealant you used? More chance they've got British labels in store than American ones.
Thank you 

ps: the little guy in your signature looks awesome!! What is it?


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## baldr (Aug 25, 2012)

Is this a good grout? UniBond Tile On Walls Advanced All Purpose Ready Mixed Waterproof Adhesive / Grout Standard Bucket - White: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

And which of these would be the best sealer? (price-quality based)
Mod Podge Hard Coat All-In-One Decoupage Sealer / Glue / Finish (8 fl. oz. ): Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home
Mod Podge Gloss All-In-One Decoupage Sealer / Glue / Finish (8 fl. oz. ): Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home
Original Mod Podge Matt 8 Oz: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Most of us are from the uk, its a uk based forum  The grout looks fine, basically any tile grout will do. Floor tile adhesive is what I prefer as it's more gritty and gives a rougher finish. I've never used mod podge, but it looks like something useful, i'll have to order some!

He's a Madagascar Giant Day Gecko, and easily one of my favorites out of all my collection.

Dave


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## WolverineX (Apr 23, 2011)

baldr said:


> Is this a good grout? UniBond Tile On Walls Advanced All Purpose Ready Mixed Waterproof Adhesive / Grout Standard Bucket - White: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools


Yes. You can add a little acrylic paint to it to colour it before applying to the polystyrene. It's easier to see where you have covered!



baldr said:


> And which of these would be the best sealer? (price-quality based)
> Mod Podge Hard Coat All-In-One Decoupage Sealer / Glue / Finish (8 fl. oz. ): Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home
> Mod Podge Gloss All-In-One Decoupage Sealer / Glue / Finish (8 fl. oz. ): Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home
> Original Mod Podge Matt 8 Oz: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home


I'd go with the last one - Original Mod Podge Matt 8 Oz: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home as it has a non glossy, matt finish. Shiny rocks just don't look right!

I used a similar tile adhesive/grout, added 3 layers thinned with water, painted it all up and while the third coat of sealer (in your case the Mod Podge) was still wet sprinkled on a bit of reptile viv sand for texture.
It's still 'work in progress' but it's getting there!
http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/habitat/876282-bearded-dragons-fake-rock-vivarium.html


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## baldr (Aug 25, 2012)

rfUK... should've noticed that 

Thanks for the help. Before ordering though, I'm gonna look some grout up in my local DIY store, as ordering large things from the UK will cost quite alot.
But I'm still not sure of this as I had never heard of the word grout, and online dictionnaries are not very exact. Is grout just cement? I saw online that it's a mixture of cement and sand, but the guy from lizard-landscapes.com, who obviously knows what he's doing, says he uses non sanden grout. So that's just cement then?

And as a sealant I could just use liquid glue and thin it out with water or not?

Thank you


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## baldr (Aug 25, 2012)

Wow that looks awesome Wolverine!
I'll buy the ones you mentioned if I don't find anything I can be sure of in our DIY store then. Thanks!


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## WolverineX (Apr 23, 2011)

baldr said:


> And as a sealant I could just use liquid glue and thin it out with water or not?


By liquid glue do you mean the Mod Podge? It depends how thick it is, I would try not to thin it. To be honest I would go for an acrylic varnish as a final sealer coat, this is widely used...
polyvine - advanced decorating products that really work

Again this is from the UK, but also available on Ebay.

The cement/grout is more or less the same thing. Used to have to buy a cement (or adhesive) to stick the tiles to the wall, then a grout to push into the gaps between the tiles. The grout is smoother to get a better finish, so an adhesive/grout is just a multipurpose thing.
Thanks for your comment!


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## ch4dg (Jul 24, 2008)

baldr said:


> -The sealant: I live in Belgium and I can't find the labels I see on the internet, such as modpodge, anywhere. So I bought Knauf "hechtemulsie", Hechtemulsie 5 L. I have no idea if you can tell if this is a good substitute by looking at the picture... Can you?
> thats perfect: victory:
> 
> 
> ...


hope that helps: victory:


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## baldr (Aug 25, 2012)

Thanks for the accurate answers! That was really helpful.
So, one last check up so I know I'm doing it right.
-I DON'T need modpodge, what I have (the link i showed) is a good substitute.
yes?

I think I know what the translation for grout is now, so I'm going to go get some this afternoon.

Thanks alot for the help you three! Really appreciate it.

And here's a pic of the little guy you helped.


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## ch4dg (Jul 24, 2008)

baldr said:


> Thanks for the accurate answers! That was really helpful.
> no problem: victory:
> 
> 
> ...


he looks awesome, wicked colours:2thumb:


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## baldr (Aug 25, 2012)

First coat of grout is on! Can't wait until it's finished!
I'll post a pic when it is.


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## baldr (Aug 25, 2012)

Okay I'm almost done. I finally painted it. I know it took quite a long time, I'm a slow worker.
Anyway, I'm going to put on the sealant today and I was wondering if you (ch4dg if you still see this) are absolutely sure the sealant I posted is fine to use? Because a friend of mine told me I should use some kind of glazing (not sure if glazing is the right translation though). He knows alot about construction but not about detailed things like these fake rocks so I don't know if I should believe him.

Thank you


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

baldr said:


> Okay I'm almost done. I finally painted it. I know it took quite a long time, I'm a slow worker.
> Anyway, I'm going to put on the sealant today and I was wondering if you (ch4dg if you still see this) are absolutely sure the sealant I posted is fine to use? Because a friend of mine told me I should use some kind of glazing (not sure if glazing is the right translation though). He knows alot about construction but not about detailed things like these fake rocks so I don't know if I should believe him.
> 
> Thank you


This varnish that was suggested? 

polyvine - advanced decorating products that really work

It's fine, although it may not stand up to the claws of your beardie forever, but as it's a dry viv there's not really a big problem with that anyways.

Dave


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## baldr (Aug 25, 2012)

I meant the sealant with the link to a dutch product.
But your answer also helped. I will get some kind of varnish instead of this bonding emulsion glue or whatever you call it in English. Thanks


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## baldr (Aug 25, 2012)

had a lot of speedbumps along the way but it's finally finished!
I'll post pics after I let it cure for a week.
Thanks to all who helped


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## baldr (Aug 25, 2012)




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