DIY background

[julespython]

I am wanting to make a 3D background for my eastern water dragon enclosure an I was hoping someone could give me a list of all the stuff I'll need to make it an where I could get it from. Also some pictures of some backgrounds would help me get an idea of what to do.

Thanks

 

[user 16324]

most people start with styrofoam to make up the main structure of the background cause its light and you can easily cut it and shape it. you can get that heaps of places. i got some from a fruit and veg store cause they get broccoli in foam boxes. after that some people use expanda foam but it is quite hard to deal with once dried so i just used grout next. any kind of grout should be fine. then you can use acrylic paint i believe to paint whatever you want on it. after that since it is a water dragon you will want to seal it. i used 'pondtite' which works well but everyone has something different. grout you get from the hardware store and pondtite i got from an aquarium shop. i made a pool and waterfall for when my EWD was a juvenile.

 

[Treg92]

hey mate,

great to hear that you are getting ready to venture into the deep art of rockwall making!!!! Only kidding, it is pretty easy and fun, if you head over to the DIY Zone there are some pretty cool tutorials/ideas/photos people have put up.

basically, you need foam (polystyrene packing foam), you then stick it to your enclosure wall, shape it into rough rocky shapes, then cover it with layers of tile grout or render, do about 5-6 layers of this (mainly because dragons chew) then paint it and seal it with a waterproof sealer. bassically bunnings will be your heaven for this kind of stuff.

anyway, take photos as you go and post them, and read up on some other peoples work before you start

josh
here are some pics of one of mine

 

[J-A-X]

after you've trawled through all the fantastic posts on the DIY Zone, head over to the DIY group, we've got a tutorial over there about 'Foamwork for all' as well as all sorts of other suggestions
http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/groups/diy-enclosures-backgrounds-furniture-225/foamwork-430/

 

[julespython]

Thanks heaps guys