Grout alternative, is this safe?

[wandigo]

A friend showed me this giant bucket he had today that he used to resurface his deck. We decided to try brushing it over some styrofoam and surprisingly it dried and hardened up VERY quickly...It also has a real nice grainy texture to it as well. Would this be safe for my beardie after I put a few layers of sealant? It is much easier than putting multiple layers of grout because it goes on pretty thick and one layer seemed to do the trick.

 

[Claudiusx]

As long as it's properly sealed, there is no reason why it wouldn't be safe.

-Brandon

 

[halffrozen]

Why would we have to seal this stuff?

It looks like it is made for harsher environments than grout... just wondering.

I would think sealing it would take away from its look, and the overall texture of the pieces we are painting.. also make it slippery.. right?

 

[dragonscales]

Sealing it is for your dragons benefit not to make the item more durable. Since it is for outdoor use it would not harm animals that occasional come in contact with it but they are not going to be living on it like your dragon would be. Sealing it protect your dragon from any chemicals it could give off. I think most sealants will affect the texture of it and might give it a more glossy type finish.

 

[recessions]

If you aren't a fan of the gloss that sealing will produce, you can cover the structure in sand when the sealant is wet to produce a nice textured finish. It'll break up the gloss, too. Just make sure you brush off any loose sand when the sealant is completely dry.

 

[halffrozen]

That is a great advice...

I just still wonder if this needs to be sealed. It looks almost like it is kind of "self-seal-able"

 

[recessions]

That is a great advice...

I just still wonder if this needs to be sealed. It looks almost like it is kind of "self-seal-able"

So long as it's non-toxic (your beardie will be licking it like crazy) and you allow it to vent vapors, you'll be fine. Sealant is a good finishing step because it ensures the surface is non-toxic for our tonguing friends - that and protection against humidity, wear, etc.

I'm in the process of venting mine now to get rid of the smell. I've got one door wide open with a fan bumped up to the opening, and the other door opened about 2.5 inches to force the air out. Make sure you keep your light cycle going during this process, because heat causes the finish to give off more gas.

 

[dgreg171]

this looks really cool and something I'd like to try, but this is new to me... what kind of sealer would you recommend? also do you start with a solid piece of foam and shave it into shape or just piece it togther from scraps? any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[halffrozen]

I had used this stuff(comes in a smaller kit so you don't have to spend $80 on a 5 gallon bucket.. lol)

I put it directly onto my styrofoam it looks like it was going to come out pretty damn good... I also was hoping it would bridge some gaps I had in the structure... but it didn't.. at all. It is a VERY watery/paintish consistency... which I wasn't really looking for.

I ended up going with a small bag of grout from Lowes, worked so much better!

 

[Kryptek]

also if you are not a fan of glossy and want to seal it, add a small amount of powdered corn starch or baby powder to your sealant, it will flatten out the gloss in the finish.