UPDATE - Finished DIY castle decor!! PICS!

Hi guys,


This is my FINISHED finished castle for my beardie, Soup.

I took my inspiration from Lizard Landscapes and then put my own little spin on it. For more of their amazing creations visit their website -www.lizard-landscapes.com

Please let me know your thoughts and if you want any tips or advice then drop a comment and I will try and help!

I need your advice as well, not sure whether or not to add some climber plants (fake) to the castle walls. What do you reckon??

I will put some more pictures up once the sealant is on and its all ready to go!

Thanks

I love your gate and the big S. You should make Soup a little paper crown for his new Kingdom lol
What are those two loops for? A bridge? Because that would be cool.

Do the plants, they always brighten things up.

I'm doing a castle theme too but making it old and falling down with plants overtaking it. I'm trying to fit a treasure room into the design.

That sounds great! I'm surprised my hasn't turned into a ruin tbh, not the best at arts and crafts

Yeah the loops are for wooden bridges. It will be clearer when its all set up. This is how it should look but this was before I started with the grout:



Yeah I agree, I think the plants will give it a bit of colour

Ive made some Game of Thrones style dragon eggs, but a crown may be a bit of a push, lol!

I really like this, I just wish I could do it for my dragon without stressing her out with drastic changes. I am afraid she would freak out and burn it down, lol!

Haha yeah I know what you mean!

I am just going to put one piece in at a time over the course of a few weeks so it doesn't completely disrupt the environment he's used to

Hi, please could you tell me you make these? And what was the overall cost.. thank you.

Hi there,

Yes I did make them - I can explain how if you would like?

Cost wise, I can't remember exactly but please see below:

Polystyrene Boards - £9
Grout -£10
Glue - £5
Sealant - £0.99
Sand - £6

Total - £30 or there about

Hope that helps

I'm just about to post the finished pictures as well!

The finished product:

That looks pretty awesome! If you could tell me the process that would be great. Thanks.

1. Design - Although I did go slightly off piste it was a huge help having some pre drawn designs with measurement specifications. It makes it much easier if you have it all planned out before you start.
2. Begin to shape and cut your polystyrene. The more you have the better, as it makes it much stronger.
3. Build each part separately, cutting and gluing as you go.
4. Once the polystyrene designs are made you will then need to start the grouting process.
5. I used a charcoal coloured grout to avoid having to paint the castle when I was done.
6. The first layer should be very watery so as to make sure that all the little nooks and crannies are filled in.
7. Increase the thickness of the grout every layer (About 4 layers) (Leave each layer to completely dry before starting the next one)
8. The last layer should be very thick, thick enough to allow some form of carving in order to add detail. (To add detail, leave the grout to dry for 20-30mins so that it holds its shape when you carve the design)
9. After the thick grout is dry you can then start the sealing process.
10. I used 100% non toxic pva glue and added water to make it a sealant.
11. Do about 5-6 layers of sealant and even more over any areas that will be exposed to direct heat.
12. As soon as you finish applying the final layer of sealant add coloured sand of your choosing. This gives it more texture and gives your beardie some traction.
13. Once dry, brush off the sand, and voila, its ready to go.

For more details visit www.lizard-landscapes.com

Would using filler that I use on cars be harmful to my beardie?

Have a look on the bottle. It has to be non toxic!

That's really cool, can I ask how big your enclosure is?...

Cheers.

Hey SoupDragon19!
I have a question about the sealing process. What ratio of glue to water did you use? I’ve been really inspired by the creative ideas I’ve seen on the forums, and decided to try it myself (Autumn’s Christmas present). I have (carved) my castle, and will be grouting it soon. I have sealant glue, but I’m not sure how to mix it. Did you use the whole bottle? Thanks,
SGS

(Btw, your castle is probably one of the most amazing custom builds for beardies. I’ll bet Soup is very happy in (his? Her?) new kingdom.

Scott123":zmabro9b said:

Would using filler that I use on cars be harmful to my beardie?

Click to expand...

Yes, bondo is toxic! Fiberglass not so much if you let it set for a few weeks, fumes are toxic!