Going to be building a new habitat- Glue or Adhesive?

My bearded dragon is quickly outgrowing its 20 gallon tank and I am going to begin construction on its permanent 40 Gallon habitat.I'm not sure, though, of a few things. After reading about the risks of sand, I was considering placing tiles on the floor of my tank. Is there a particular kind to use? I was also thinking about using grout to keep them in permanently, as to not have to remove them to clean. Is the grout safe for bearded dragons? My final question is regarding the fake rock backdrop. Is there any way to make it removable (so I can clean the tiles)? My background will likely cover the sides as well and include a basking spot/cave. I hope to show my progress here once I begin. Thank you for your time in reading this, as I'm not the most experienced keeper on the boards.

If you use tiles you can leave them I grouted so cleanup is easier - just remove the tile. Grout is safe though, but if it's porous it can collect crud.

Fake rocks can be as permanent or removable as you make them. Just plan accordingly when you design it. The grout and foam method should be suitable for either a removable or permanent structure.

If you are building the enclosure have you considered building larger? You may loose a considerable amount of space to your rock wall and furnishing, the more space you can provide the better. There are pretty easy to follow plans for the "crossfire" - it's a 48x24x24 size.

Good luck with your build!

Thanks, Taterbug, for your reply. I have considered going bigger but right now I do not have much space to do so. The false rocks, however, will not be large. Perhaps I will build the crossfire in the future.
As for tile, is porcelain okay? I found a brand called "Roman Stone" I liked. As I'm not seeing many porcelain tiles on the internet I thought I'd ask.

Pachyrhinosaurus":1j77g12f said:

Thanks, Taterbug, for your reply. I have considered going bigger but right now I do not have much space to do so. The false rocks, however, will not be large. Perhaps I will build the crossfire in the future.
As for tile, is porcelain okay? I found a brand called "Roman Stone" I liked. As I'm not seeing many porcelain tiles on the internet I thought I'd ask.

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Totally understand, it's a lot of space to loose in a room.

You can use pretty much any kind of tile you just need to make sure it's textured. Dragons don't have good grip on smooth surfaces so he may feel insecure or even slip and slide around if it's too smooth. The more "natural" type of stone usually has better texture.

Thank you. I chose that kind because it was well-textured and looked like rock.

Pachyrhinosaurus":vwzpvxj8 said:

Thank you. I chose that kind because it was well-textured and looked like rock.

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Sounds perfect!

I'm nearly finished with the foam and I was wondering what form of glue or adhesive to use? The only thing I've used which works with foam is Gorilla Glue, but I wasn't sure about fumes, etc. My rock formation will be coated in grout. Thanks.

I usually use low temp hot glue (it does sometimes melt the foam, so practice on scraps)

Folks use gorilla glue in dart frog enclosures so I would think once it's fully set it's safe.

I've also used white glue - not a strong bond but works ok.

Pachyrhinosaurus":2bl8kphu said:

I'm nearly finished with the foam and I was wondering what form of glue or adhesive to use? The only thing I've used which works with foam is Gorilla Glue, but I wasn't sure about fumes, etc. My rock formation will be coated in grout. Thanks.

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Don't know how far you've gotten at this point Gorilla Glue is a good option for areas where you want the glue to expand and fill in areas -- if you want to keep surfaces flat and even, you have clamp the pieces against the expanding glue. Tite-bond wood glue works well -- the 2 (3?) different types work equally well, but are different in terms of setting time and weather resistance (not as much an issue in a beardie habitat).

Thank you both for the replies. I used Gorilla Glue for adhesive and Great stuff for gaps. I just finished the grout and move-in day is tomorrow. I will show pictures when everything is ready.