DIY background sealing

[cichness]

i did a diy background out of styro and cement.

i want to know what i should seal it with, since i hear that after awhile the cement will crumble or something..... and since i will have to scrub it every know and then for algae removal.....

and what ever i use should be resilient because i will prolly have to sand it or something so its not glossy....

any input?

 

[5am]

wait we have to seal it?? i did a background with styrofoam and painted layers of cement on top... i bought the grainy cement and have noticed pieces coming off like you said (crumbling). i have read on another thread... the member didnt seal it after cement...

 

[joey02]

epoxy or fibreglass resin and hardener works great sea;ing and giving it more durability. Certain cements and concret can crumble or become brittle once cured if its a thin coat. I made a few backgrounds in the same way you did and had the same problem a couple times. I found that cement worked far better than concret though.

heres what i came up with latley for a background. i eliminated cement and styrofoam altogeter in the final outcome....

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=211530

 

[joey02]

epoxy or fibreglass resin and hardener works great sea;ing and giving it more durability. Certain cements and concret can crumble or become brittle once cured if its a thin coat. I made a few backgrounds in the same way you did and had the same problem a couple times. I found that cement worked far better than concret though.

heres what i came up with latley for a background. i eliminated cement and styrofoam altogeter in the final outcome....

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=211530

 

[cichness]

yours did turn out looking nice, i just dont think i could do that myself.

would epoxy or fiberglass resin hold up to a sanding so it doesnt shine in the light?

any input is helpfull

 

[joey02]

Yes, both can be sanded. I fine grain sandpaper works best with just a light sanding is all that is needed.

The one i made was very easy to make. It was just time consuming. But faster than it takes to make a cement one.

 

[cichness]

last question i have atm - since im going to seal it, do i need to do the soaking and constant changing of water to fight the PH changes from the cement?

 

[joey02]

last question i have atm - since im going to seal it, do i need to do the soaking and constant changing of water to fight the PH changes from the cement?

No, just make sure its cured. Sealing it will stop it from changing the PH. whether you seal it in epoxy or fibreglass resin, both will also give it more strength as well.

 

[cichness]

awesome, thanks joey. lots of help. now to hit the web for some sort of resin, any suggestions while im still surfing mfk?