There is one foam substrate method that has potential to deliver a good-looking final product. If a quality two-part urethane foam is used and time is taken to carefully build up the structure you can get a decent result. Taking that foam structure and then covering it with fiberglass resin will allow you to make a durable structure that will resist damage from claws and general cleaning, provided the resin is laid down thick enough. The resin can also be tinted with the same powders or rock dust aggregates as you would use for concrete. A final touch up with an air brush and some acrylic paints can produce a result as good as the concrete and lathe approach. The key here though is that this is just involved as the concrete approach and will produce a realistic result, unlike the grout over foam method. The major advantage I see to this approach is producing features that can be lightweight and even removable whereas concrete structures pretty much have to be built-in. I plan on using the foam/resin method for creating some landscape features to go in some new cages I'm making. The same method has been used to make a lot of features that are part of many of our larger exhibits in the zoo I work at.
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Matt Campbell

Big animals, little animals, plants - right down to the sea itself. We need them, not just for their own sake, but because all this has to be here for everybody forever. Only one thing is certain: if we are to preserve our environment and save this priceless wildlife we need much, much more knowledge.
Harry Butler from 'In the Wild With Harry Butler' 1977

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