# Grout and Sealing



## Nath514 (Jul 8, 2012)

Hey Everyone more questions for you.

I am building a waterfall by carving it out of greatstuff to avoid using styrofoam and any bad health benifits associated with it. I am going to grout the water way and have a few questions.

1. What type of grout works best, sanded or unsanded
2. Is there a good brand at home depot or lowes that is safe to use
3. I place on lightly painting the grout but how do I seal it


Thanks Everyone


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## diggenem (Sep 2, 2011)

I don't believe you have to seal it you have to cure it using distilled vinegar.

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## J Teezy (Jan 25, 2012)

after you grout and paint, you can then seal it with Shields All.

This is what i do when making rock walls

after i have done all the foam work

1. Cover with grout using several coats
2. Paint with acrylics
3. Seal it with Shields All
4. Seal with silicone

Grout is tricky if you have never used it for this kind of thing. Next time i do a rock wall i'm ditching the grout and go with the foam coat stuff from hotwirefoamfactory.com


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## Nath514 (Jul 8, 2012)

J Teezy said:


> after you grout and paint, you can then seal it with Shields All.
> 
> This is what i do when making rock walls
> 
> ...


When you seal it with silicone what kind of silicon is it, can't be the same stuff I am using for the background the think GE kind, is it more of a paint? Also does the shields all leave it shiny?


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## Nath514 (Jul 8, 2012)

Has anyone else used the foam coat, how does it look compared to grout. Also what type of grout are you using sanded or not sanded.


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## J Teezy (Jan 25, 2012)

shields all does leave it with a little shine. Silicone will make it look like its wet. The way you can combat this is by sprinkling sand on the shields and silicone before they dry. I sprinkled black sand my 10 gallon rock wall and an no sand on the 29 gallon.

i use GE Silicone I window and door.

with the foam coat you can buy the grit additive they sell to give it rock like texture and look. They also have an exterior foam coat which probably does about the same thing


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## Nath514 (Jul 8, 2012)

Is the silicon just for extra protection or is the foam coat really not enough


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## J Teezy (Jan 25, 2012)

well, you are wanting to just use foam coat and then be done? That would probably look not very natural. You could do:

foam coat then silicone + coco fiber

or

paint the foam coat then seal it with Shields All or skip the shields all and use silicone. If it were me and i was painting it i would paint > shields all > then silicone. I use silicone just for extra safety as eventhough shields all is water resistant it makes me feel better using it


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## Nath514 (Jul 8, 2012)

I just think of silicon as very thick and hard to paint on, so I would loose a lot of the detail in the rock that I am trying to simulate.


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## Nath514 (Jul 8, 2012)

I watched a video of the shields all + silicon method and it looks pretty good. 

Is there anywhere else to purchase shields all than hytech where you have to buy a gallon. If not is there a similar product where smaller quantities can be purchased?

Thanks


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## jacobi (Dec 15, 2010)

Drylok is waterproof, easy to paint on, and doesn't have a shiny texture. I just recently started using it and its great.


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## Nath514 (Jul 8, 2012)

I'll have to take a look at that, anyone else used it with suscess!


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## Duff (Aug 4, 2011)

I've used Foam coat and loved it. here's a picture of a tree stump I played around with. I did cover the foam coat with epoxy based on what the vendor emailed me. Granted I mine is partially underwater but is was super easy to work with and a little went a long way. I have also used it on other projects that is not fish, water or plant related and loved using it for other projects. I did not buy their texture product as I had sand left over from a yard project and it worked out great. Dave also mentioned they have a new product coming out that will be water safe but I've not seen it posted for sale yet, I keep checking back every couple of weeks in hopes, but nothing so far. You can also email them - super friendly and helpful with all my questions. 










The photo above does not have the sand added to the foam coat, it's jsut foam coat over GS, then I painted the foam coat and last was the epoxy. It is a little shiney but not overly when you see it in person. The foam coat does have a texture to it, sort of like grout. 
__________
From: david <[email protected]>
To:
Sent: Wed, May 9, 2012 3:26:23 PM
Subject: Re: Hot Wire Foam Factory: Someone asked a question about product

Hi Christie,
Attached is the MSDS.

The All Purpose will eventually dissolve underwater. Scroll down on this page to find out about fish safe coating for our Foam Coat:
Hot Wire Foam Factory - Gluing, Protecting and Coating FAQs

We will soon have a fish safe Stain/Sealant that works with our Exterior Foam Coat. It's an amazing system that was used at Sea World San Diego.

Best regards,
Dave

On 5/8/2012 7:18 PM, [email protected] wrote:
>
> Someone asked a question about #025 - Foam Coat - All Purpose (3 lbs):
> Message:
> Hi, Would this product be aquarium safe (safe for fish, shrimp snails) once dry/cured? If I added your grit to it, would that also be aquarium safe? Would you also me able to send me the MSDS for this product? Thank you in advance! 
____________


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

This reads like the next best new thing for the vivs...but I'd love to get Pumilo's and Ed's opinions, as well as people who make these vivariums like Grimm and so many others, as to their experiences and the safety of the products.


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## Nath514 (Jul 8, 2012)

Ill have to keep an eye out for that new product looks pretty cool.

At the moment I am thinking of going the drylok route because I have seen a lot of praise for it. My new question is do I do grout then dyed drylok then silicon or is the drylok enough without the silicon.

Also is drylok clear, I might want to due a more complicated paint job rather than one flat color, so is it possible to see paint through the drylok or would I need to do grout then drylok then paint then silicon?

Is the grout needed at all?

Thanks everyone I almost have all the questions I have answered so that I can start construction.


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## Duff (Aug 4, 2011)

Judy, Good call on other opinions. my disclaimer - I don't have frogs in the tank I have that stump in but the stump is covered in Polygem which is safe. I personally liked the foam coat because you can carve it and add fine detail which I was unable to do with grout. 

Nath - with the grout, it's my understanding that you do not need to seal it, rather you let is soak to adjsut the PH to acceptable levels, which can take some time to do. Although sealing it would avoid that issue. You can get clear Dryloc but it's vary hard to come by. The most common is white or grey... then tint with acrylics. 

This is a good thread to review:
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/21034-how-were-these-constructed-2.html


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

unfortunately when you try to click on the images, they are no longer available. Having seen them before, it is too bad they can't be seen...they are amazing. Would love to know where to get the clear Drylock...


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## Duff (Aug 4, 2011)

Clear:
Amazon.com: United Gilsonite Lab 22113 Drylok Latex Clear Natural Look Sealer: Patio, Lawn & Garden

Correct me if I am wrong... Please  

on the link to the "How were these constructed" you have to go about half way through and the links start working. It's got HX's awesome build/stump in it.


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## Nath514 (Jul 8, 2012)

Is this the right stuff?

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## BethInAK (Jul 12, 2011)

Nath514 said:


> Is this the right stuff?
> 
> Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2


Yep~~ thats it


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## Nath514 (Jul 8, 2012)

Thanks

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