DIY hide help!

[starr9]

Ok so id like to make some hides for my stimmie (she is 1yr approx 70cm long and i am yet to get a weight!) and I have a few q's as I have NO idea at all about how to go about it! This will be my 1st EVER DIY!!
I have read other threads but Im not sure on some things so any help would be AMAZING!!
Ok so im going to use expanda foam over egg carton top (as she has one in her enclosure atmo and loves it!) for the one hide and/or foam for another. I will be making 2-3 depending how I go!

1. Do I need to re-enforce the egg carton top with anything to make it strong if she decides to get on top of it?? (I have never seen her on top of it only hiding under it but what happens when im not looking who knows!!!)

2. After making the hide shape and allowing the expanda foam set for 2 days (is this long enough?) what should the 1st coat be?! Do I seal it with something?! what should I use? how many layers?! is it different for expanda foam compaired to foam?

3. Making the hide look as natural as I can I was going to paint it with a non toxic Acrylic paint. How many layers do I do? What is the approx drying time between coast?

4. What is the final top coat that i should use to make it safe to wipe down to keep it clean?? How many layers? what is the approx drying time between coast?

5. How long after Ive completed the final product should I w8 till I can put it in her enclousre?!?

6. One of the hides will be on top of her heat tile. It will get to 35deg approx. will my finish product be ok with the heat?

As you can tell I have zero ideas on painting, sealing etc and I dont want to go out and spend heaps of $$ and get it wrong!!! The most important thing for me is making sure i get the right stuff for the job and for my girl!!!
Thank you for any help/advice!!!!!!!

 

[kal777]

all i did for my hide was a can of expander foam, no egg cartons or anything and just spray the whole can so it makes a massive round blob. then leave it for 24 hours and use a bread knife to cut it and carve it into the shape you want. then i just got 3-4 colours of acrylic and a $10 bag of grout and mixed a cup of grout and added one of the colours of paint to the mix (your aiming for a gravy like consistency). then paint it over the expander foam and inside the hide. leave for 4-6 hours and do another coat with a different colour and leave for 4-6 hours, do this for 6 or so coats or until its pretty hard. then for the final coat of grout make a thicker mix of it and leave to dry for a good day. then you can either coat with straight acrylic paint or get some pondtite and paint with that. ive dont the acrylic coat and it leaves a nice hard coating over the grout but it wont be water proof, the pondtite would make a more water tight seal.

 

[dangles]

get a plastic tub the size u want, then covr in expanda foam. shape as needed then grout/render . Paint then seal and all done. Having the inside plastic lined is good for when the smear crap throughout the inside of their hide

 

[billzey]

Pondtite sticks better to straight grout rather than painted grout. I colour the last thick layer of grout the colour I want the hide to end up and then just use a tiny bit of another shade of acrylic paint on a sponge on the edges to make it look realistic. Then seal it.

 

[starr9]

Thank you all for your help!!! I will put pics up when i can!!!!