My custom cage idea - opinions/advice?

[WendyK8]

I am ready to build my first custom cham cage and just wanted some advice before actually tackling this project (sry, no pics yet-plans written in chicken scratch on a notebook )
The cage will be 30" x 24" x 48", screen mesh on top and 3 sides, back wall will be faux rock wall (wanted something that looked good and was solid to hide wires etc that will run in the back) a linoleum floor w/ drain in the middle.
the cage will be on a base that will have a drawer for the drainage bucket and cabinet underneath for supplies. It will all be wood/screen
i found a website that had instructions on making rock walls w/ styrofoam and painting on grout - does that sound like a good idea? I have a TON of styrofoam coolers at work that we are looking to get rid of so this would be ideal if possible. also, what type of screen is most reccomended?
Thx in advance and sorry for the lack of visual aid

 

[Sticktongue]

Sounds like a good plan. lots of work, but a good plan! Make your screen out of aluminum screening. Crickets can chew out of the mesh screen. Also, make sure you measure your doors to make sure you can move the cage if/when needed.

 

[WendyK8]

Thanks, my dad will be helping me w/ this project for sure and he is great at this kind of thing. He has made me several custom peices of furniture in the past and always figures a way to make it easy to move (since he is usually helping me if Im moving) I want the screen small enough to keep insects in but big enough to easily see my friend as well, any suggestions on screen size? the aluminum is also heat resistant right?

 

[Sticktongue]

Thanks, my dad will be helping me w/ this project for sure and he is great at this kind of thing. He has made me several custom peices of furniture in the past and always figures a way to make it easy to move (since he is usually helping me if Im moving) I want the screen small enough to keep insects in but big enough to easily see my friend as well, any suggestions on screen size? the aluminum is also heat resistant right?

Yes it is.

Mine is very small holes. Which you'll need to keep smaller crickets in. I can see it pretty well. no complaints. Its holes are about the same size as the screens on your home windows

 

[EvilLost]

I am ready to build my first custom cham cage and just wanted some advice before actually tackling this project (sry, no pics yet-plans written in chicken scratch on a notebook )
The cage will be 30" x 24" x 48", screen mesh on top and 3 sides, back wall will be faux rock wall (wanted something that looked good and was solid to hide wires etc that will run in the back) a linoleum floor w/ drain in the middle.
the cage will be on a base that will have a drawer for the drainage bucket and cabinet underneath for supplies. It will all be wood/screen
i found a website that had instructions on making rock walls w/ styrofoam and painting on grout - does that sound like a good idea? I have a TON of styrofoam coolers at work that we are looking to get rid of so this would be ideal if possible. also, what type of screen is most reccomended?
Thx in advance and sorry for the lack of visual aid

The foam+grout method is very common in aquaria setups and dendro setups...

WORD OF WARNING:

There are many different ways to make the fake rock build.

Method 1: Carve a "general" shape in the foam (no detail) and put on increasing thickness layers of grout (WAIT AT LEAST 24 hours between each coat or it may crack after!). Start with a REALLY watery layer and just build up and by your 3rd layer it should be thick that you can carve details into it.

Method 2: Carve details into your foam. Make 1 watery coat of grout and apply. This method *MUST* be sealed in epoxy otherwise the ultra-thin cement coating will flake off!


Regardless of which method you do, there are important considerations!!!
-For best results, get PRECISION GROUT (i have personally tried concrete, cement, grout, you name it....the best mix is a cement+sand mix which is what precision grout basically is).

-Get "charcoal" cement coloring from the same aisle at HD/wherever. You use this (you can control how much you put in) to dye your grout a charcoal/dark grey color.

-With the coloring, make the first layer the DARKEST and make each layer on top a slightly LIGHTER color. After it has all dried...take a slightly rough piece of sandpaper to the entire thing. As you sand random bits of it, the light color sands away revealing the darker underneath for a very natural rock look.

-*MOST IMPORTANT* Cement takes SEVERAL WEEKS to fully cure. Until it is FULLY cured, any water that comes into contact with your cement will have its pH altered. There are 2 solutions to fix this problem as well:
#1) Wait 5-6 weeks after your last coat of grout before using it in your cage

#2) Coat the entire thing in epoxy (I use US Composites 635 Epoxy which is the cheapest I have found by far at ~$100 for a gallon, which covers 250-300sq ft)



EDIT: Given your description, if done "professionally" a simple wood sealer should suffice. But if you are new to these projects/etc, making the drawer with a drain and all that may be tricky as water manages to get all over the place. You can safeguard against this by using the same epoxy mentioned above to seal any wood you have as well (this is overkill for your entire cage, but you might want to consider it for the drainage area for extra protection).

You can see the result somewhat from the pic...my fake rock is about ~2'x2' on the midright of the setup. The rest of it I have made using a "fake dirt wall" technique. I will post better pictures of my fake rocks as soon as I can find my stupid camera...

 

[WendyK8]

Thanks! thats a pretty sweet set up, what did you use for a base for the rock wall and how did you initially secure the foam to it? would just any type of wood suffice and does it have to be additionally sealed? I mean, once the foam is on and grouted...and epoxied, that should about do it, right? Im planning on starting construction this week, but not getting my cham for at least another 6wks, so timing should work. Also, I plan to have the whole thing set up for a week or 2 w/ the misting system running to make sure all temps and humidity are just right and all other kinks worked out.