Brand names of grout/cement? BECAUSE I'M FREAKING NERVOUS

[blondebrowncoat]

I've finally began my massive project to custom-build a habitat for my leopard gecko. I've been researching it for months but after a trip to the hardware store I'm back to being indecisive and nervous about materials.:shock:

I already have the Styrofoam and paint parts down and I'm pretty confident on the safety of both. However it's what goes in-between that has me nervous. I saw a really awesome build where they used underlayment concrete to coat their Styrofoam. It looks AMAZING but when I found it at the store the entire bag was basically covered in warnings saying you shouldn't expose yourself to the product for prolonged periods of time. The grout I found was the same way. It's obvious many people have built these viv's successfully, but I'm really afraid of getting the wrong stuff an poisoning my guy. None of the posts have brand names or details about the curing process. Home Depot guys look at me like I'm an idiot when I ask about toxicity for animals...

So, you guys who have built custom backdrops and hides, what brands worked for you? What lasts the longest and won't kill my guy? What did it take to cure it? What about mastic?

PLEASE HELP I'm so tired of reading and I'm ready to build! Please don't tell me to search the forms because I've read just about every article the search tool will find. If you know of a good post with brand names please link me to it!!! Thank you!!!!

 

[JessJohnson87]

I found this on another forum
Custom Building Products Polyblend #105 Earth 25 lb. Sanded Grout-PBG10525 - The Home Depot

Not sure if you looked at that. I know about the looks, I get them all the time when I ask for specific things and people look at me funny when I tell them it's for my geckos or their food. Most recently it's been with plants for my crested gecko viv.

Also have you checked out Lizard care, and fake rock wall landscapes ?

Mapei Keracolor U 10 lb. Unsanded Grout-85010 - The Home Depot This one to.

For drying: I would give it 24 hours, depending on the thickness of the grout, to dry and then add another layer of grout. Once it's dry and gassed off(I would wait a week and smell it everyday) you can paint it with non-toxic acrylic paint(give that a day or two to gas off) and then seal it with Mod Podge and sprinkle sand on there to give it texture while the mod podge is still wet.

 

[blondebrowncoat]

Fantastic links, thank you! I'm thinking I need to order online. All the local store had was mildew and mold resistant, which I've heard is a no-no. Thanks for the curing time, too. I have a horrible sense of smell so I was afraid to count on that. I'll recruit some help to double check after a week

 

[JessJohnson87]

Yes mold and mildew resistant anything is a big no-no, I've heard it has arsenic in it or something. Those are my safe bets with dry and gas off times. I think I let my crested tank gas off for 10 days after I put silicone and all the peat on the background before I started planting and even then I was paranoid that my plants would die, but they actually purified the air inside the tank and helped with the smell. A month later and it smells like a tropical rain forest(well it smells like it does around here when it rains and is humid).

 

[Moxie]

I made a large foam cutout for my 10g tank and covered it with concrete. Some things to note.
Don't use the anti mildew ones.
Get a coarser grit if you can so Leo's can climb it easier.
Wear gloves with the foam cement mix, the foam with scratch you and lye really burns for a while.
Make sure the concrete is thick.
Don't place foam near lights, it will melt
Wash thoroughly after it cures 24/48 hours to make sure no lue remains
Not 100% sure what your doing so I just kinda covered the basics

 

[JIMI]

I have a large rock ornament in my enclosure made of the Polyblend sanded grout that Jess linked above. I've had it in there for about a year and a half now and it's worked out pretty well for me! I used about 3 coats, with each batch a little thicker than the last. The only thing I wish I did was add some extra sand after painting for a better look. The sanded grout is already rough enough for my leo to get some good grip while climbing (he has never slipped off), but I think the sand would have made it appear more naturalistic.

 

[Moxie]

Yea grout is courser than concrete, I used concrete for the lighter coloring for heat reasons ( it is a giant backboard that takes up half the tank with tunnels and stuff for baby geckos so they feel safer burrowing out of sight ) and because I hear it's a lot more durable when used in large amounts but idk about that. Concrete can get pretty smooth.

 

[blondebrowncoat]

Moxie - do you remember what cement you used?

I'm definitely going for a more natural look so I'll be pressing sand, pebbles, etc into one of the sealant coats, which should help for traction. Thanks for the tip on the lights melting the styrofoam, I hadn't even thought about that.

I'm not making a backdrop, since my leopard can't cling to the side. I want as much horizontal space as possible. Instead I'm going for a few different "floors" The tank is 36x18x18 so there will be a lot of custom climbs and hides. I'm building a series of tunnels out of pvc with hide boxes, with the foam/concrete-or-grout fixture fitting over it.

I just want to make sure whatever material I use doesn't crumble away the first time I shift the fixture. Thank you guys so much for your feedback

 

[Moxie]

Concrete won't cumble that easily. I don't remember it was a long time back that I did it but none of the concretes should be toxic once cured. Make sure you use a larger pebble so you don't have to worry about them falling off as easy I'm not sure about the sand but I suppose you could mix it in when the cement is wet giving it nice tones and lines, make sure you dip the pieces for the best coverage, and use a spoon to scrape extras out of holes or hides.

 

[Moxie]

Another thing you can do if you really want, make the concrete thick like half an inch (multiple dips over a few days) and melt the foam out with a spray. I forget what sprays work but break cleaner eats it away very good and turns it into a goop then once the foam is all out wash it a few times and make sure it doesn't smell like break cleaner ( a couple hour soak in soapy water) but that will take a bit more work.

 

[JessJohnson87]

Nail polish will work, it has just enough acetone in it to melt polystyrene.

 

[blondebrowncoat]

That is an awesome idea!!!! I'm really wanting to go for a sandstone look so I bet I could dye and dip to get really cool layers.

 

[blondebrowncoat]

Also, I'm doing a little test. I found some wood putty at Walmart. It's non-toxic, sculptable, sandable, paintable and lightweight. I'm doing some tests right now to see how hardy it will be after being exposed to heat. It could be a neat alternative to grout/cement. Idk though, it may look...kinda bad. I'll post a new post if the results are good.

 

[JessJohnson87]

Awesome! I'm going to go bio with my LG at some point, was going to make hides out of polystyrene and grout when I do get to that point. Would love to see how that holds up, may be easier than doing the grout and such.