quyllur
Hatchling Member
Hi everyone,
I finally finished this project, so I thought I'd throw up a step-by-step.
The first step was putting together the layers of styrofoam. I wanted it to look kind of like sandstone so I opted to create layers per the below rather than carving out of a solid block. I had several goals in creating this shape. First, I wanted to add height and climbing opportunities for Fitz. Second I wanted to create some options for places for him to go to retreat/sleep/brumate. Third, I wanted a place to put his water and veggie dishes where they wouldn't be subject to constantly filling with dirt when he runs around/digs. Fourth, I wanted to make a basking spot that would get him more in range of his UVB lighting.
The far left in the middle layer is where his dishes go, the little squarish spots are inset so that the dishes can sit inside them and not get moved around. The top rightish area is the basking spot. The whole bottom contains lots of options for him to dig under and make himself a private spot.
I used regular styrofoam from hardware store and wood glue to put it together. I used an exacto-knife to cut the styrofoam layers and basically took one piece and put it on top of the next and cut soft curves in roughly the same shape as the previous piece, so as to to make some gradual-ish changes.
The next step was to soften the edges to make it look more natural. I used regular coarse grit sandpaper and it worked really well. Just make sure you do it an area that is easy to clean as it gets everywhere!
I probably could've gone further with the sandpaper and made the edges look even softer/more natural. Also pictured are the rest of the supplies. I got white unsanded grout (and the styrofoam of course) from Lowes. The paint brushes, acrylic paint, and mixing dishes were all from the dollar store.
The next step was to apply the grout. I mixed it in small portions as I wasn't sure how much I would need for the first layer. I also didn't add any colour to the first layer as it won't show once complete. The grout did not really want to stick to the smooth flat surfaces very well, so I would suggest roughing them up with the sandpaper if you are working on something similar.
This is the second to last coat of grout. On each coat I added varying amounts of brown and yellow paint to the grout mix to see what each looked like when dry. On this final coat I tried to create layers of different colours, more yellow, more brown etc. On the final coat I also added some red. Ultimately I wish I had added some black and made the whole thing a few shades darker than where I ended up, as I now feel that it is too pink/too light against the rest of the decor in my vivarium. But live and learn.
I also coated the bottom three layers of the project in mod podge (satin) to provide some protection from being up against the dirt in my vivarium. I am not overly worried about moisture on the rest of it as my dragon likes to poop in the dirt at the front of his enclosure. Also, the mod podge makes it fairly slick, and I wanted him to be able to climb comfortably, although adding some sand to it might help if you want to seal your entire structure.
The final product in place in the vivarium
I finally finished this project, so I thought I'd throw up a step-by-step.
The first step was putting together the layers of styrofoam. I wanted it to look kind of like sandstone so I opted to create layers per the below rather than carving out of a solid block. I had several goals in creating this shape. First, I wanted to add height and climbing opportunities for Fitz. Second I wanted to create some options for places for him to go to retreat/sleep/brumate. Third, I wanted a place to put his water and veggie dishes where they wouldn't be subject to constantly filling with dirt when he runs around/digs. Fourth, I wanted to make a basking spot that would get him more in range of his UVB lighting.
The far left in the middle layer is where his dishes go, the little squarish spots are inset so that the dishes can sit inside them and not get moved around. The top rightish area is the basking spot. The whole bottom contains lots of options for him to dig under and make himself a private spot.
I used regular styrofoam from hardware store and wood glue to put it together. I used an exacto-knife to cut the styrofoam layers and basically took one piece and put it on top of the next and cut soft curves in roughly the same shape as the previous piece, so as to to make some gradual-ish changes.
The next step was to soften the edges to make it look more natural. I used regular coarse grit sandpaper and it worked really well. Just make sure you do it an area that is easy to clean as it gets everywhere!
I probably could've gone further with the sandpaper and made the edges look even softer/more natural. Also pictured are the rest of the supplies. I got white unsanded grout (and the styrofoam of course) from Lowes. The paint brushes, acrylic paint, and mixing dishes were all from the dollar store.
The next step was to apply the grout. I mixed it in small portions as I wasn't sure how much I would need for the first layer. I also didn't add any colour to the first layer as it won't show once complete. The grout did not really want to stick to the smooth flat surfaces very well, so I would suggest roughing them up with the sandpaper if you are working on something similar.
This is the second to last coat of grout. On each coat I added varying amounts of brown and yellow paint to the grout mix to see what each looked like when dry. On this final coat I tried to create layers of different colours, more yellow, more brown etc. On the final coat I also added some red. Ultimately I wish I had added some black and made the whole thing a few shades darker than where I ended up, as I now feel that it is too pink/too light against the rest of the decor in my vivarium. But live and learn.
I also coated the bottom three layers of the project in mod podge (satin) to provide some protection from being up against the dirt in my vivarium. I am not overly worried about moisture on the rest of it as my dragon likes to poop in the dirt at the front of his enclosure. Also, the mod podge makes it fairly slick, and I wanted him to be able to climb comfortably, although adding some sand to it might help if you want to seal your entire structure.
The final product in place in the vivarium
