Hey guys. I recently decided to have a go at making a custom foam background for a terrestrial tarantula enclosure. I've had a cracked ten gallon terrarium laying around for ages so it seemed like a good candidate for my first attempt. I also had a slightly damaged rock cave type reptile hide I picked up for a couple bucks from the pet store where I work. I used some silicone to fix the "cave" in place a couple inches above the bottom of the terrarium to allow for several inches of substrate underneath. Then I covered the back and sides of the terrarium with great stuff spray foam. I tried to create some nice texture and depth, but really had no idea what it was going to turn out like in the end. This is what i ended up with (please excuse the cellphone quality pics) :
After the foam had cured completely I used some grout to smooth out and fill in some gaps in the foam, as well as to add a nice rocky texture. I used brown grout so I would have a nice base coat of color as well. The grout was more difficult to work with than anticipated. I used my hands and a toothbrush to apply several coats of grout to the foam.
After the grout was dry, I used acrylic paints to add a little depth, dimension and color. I added three shades of brown for shadows, midtones, and highlights. I finished it off with touches of two shades of green to try to simulate a mossy look. I am by no means artistically gifted, but I am quite pleased with the way it turned out
I'll post some more pics when I get it all finished and cleaned up! I think I will put my L.p. in it
After the foam had cured completely I used some grout to smooth out and fill in some gaps in the foam, as well as to add a nice rocky texture. I used brown grout so I would have a nice base coat of color as well. The grout was more difficult to work with than anticipated. I used my hands and a toothbrush to apply several coats of grout to the foam.
After the grout was dry, I used acrylic paints to add a little depth, dimension and color. I added three shades of brown for shadows, midtones, and highlights. I finished it off with touches of two shades of green to try to simulate a mossy look. I am by no means artistically gifted, but I am quite pleased with the way it turned out
I'll post some more pics when I get it all finished and cleaned up! I think I will put my L.p. in it