Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Rough and dirty part is all done now just to seal it with some Behr's No-VOC waterproofer sealer crap and tada!! Now, I was wondering about "painting" the waterfall. I should put the color on the concrete and let it soak in prior to me sealing it right? But the sealer says on the label that you can paint it after. Not sure this will work because the surface will no longer be porous as to not let color leach into the concrete. Thoughts? Chris, could use the might and widsom on this one! lol

Nice first effort. I would put the coloring into the concrete first then the sealer when you're sure you're done with all the tinting you're going to do.
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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

You are probably going to want to color it before any topical sealer, with either high-quality exterior latex paint, or an acid stain- masonary pigment(they type sold at home depot works fine-granular, not liquid). The cement, being porous and sponge-like, will suck up the color, whether it be a diluted latex paint, or mixed water/masonry pigment solution; incorporating it into the 'rock'. This usually leads to a more authentic look, as opposed to the coloring being painted on top, which will most likely just end up looking like a painted rock.

As I mentioned in a thread here a couple of weeks ago, it is easiest to start off with the lightest color first, and then progressively add darker shades and tints after that. It may take a while to get the hang of it, so don't get frustrated or deterred if things don't work out they way you want them to the first time around..

Good luck, and have fun! It looks great thus far! Cheers,

Bob
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Treemonitors.com

Hey bob, this might just be me over thinking the situation, but wouldn't the exterior latex, even watered down to the milky solution you recommend, create a non permiable barrier in the concrete, thus not allowing the topical sealer to fully do it's job?? Curious is all, I've got some scrap pieces I can test prior to doing it to the real thing.

yes, the latex paint does get sucked into the cement, and will 'seal' the cement to an extent, but it will not completely waterproof the structure, and thus a sealer would be needed- at least for the areas which are constantly in contact/exposed to water.

In areas not exposed to direct contact with standing(the basin) or running water(the pathway of the waterfall), the latex paint itself is all you need.

I hope this helps a bit, good luck! Make sure you post some photos of the completed project. Cheers,

Bob
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Treemonitors.com

Bob, have you heard anything about doing a vinegar wash to cancel out the base ph that the concret gives off for the first 30 days after it's cured?? SOme guys that build coy ponds for a living had told me about waiting 30 days or so to let the ph zero out... True or were they blowing smoke up my ass??

I have not tried this vinegar approach, as most of the waterfalls, outcroppings, and backgrounds that I build(that are made of cement) are too large for me to submerge in a vat of vinegar. I do not think sprayings or dousings of the cement with vinegar would be that effective in reducing its pH.

With the ponds and waterfalls that I've built, I would typically let the water run and cycle for a couple of weeks before introducing any livestock into the pond. I have never bothered to actually measure the pH of the water before and after; instead I just did this as a precautionary measure.

While I am sure that leaching of the cement will cause a decrease in pH; I am unable to answer whether this would be harmful or not, or how it would effect an animal exposed to this acidic water. I would imagine amphibians would be more sensitive to pH fluctuations than reptiles..

I suppose if you are not planning on sealing it, cycling it for a couple of weeks would probably a safer scenario... Better safe than sorry. I wish I could be of more help here, but I just never worried about it much myself; I just let the system cycle for a bit. Good luck!
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Treemonitors.com

Thats what I was thinking to, with me sealing it and as long as I let the seal cure/dry/set what ever seal does, it shouldn't allow for anything to leach into the water, I still planned on running it for like two weeks before I even attempted to put it in his enclosure. Thanks for the input Bob!!

Yes, the concrete leaching will cause the pH to change dramatically. In smaller concrete inserts that were built inside of glass aquaria, I've seen the constructors fill the entire aquarium with water and let it sit for several weeks, dumping and changing the water every couple days. I'm sure there are some ways to accelerate the leaching process but I would think running it for a few weeks and then sealing it would do the job.
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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

Matt, wouldn't leaving the water in constant contact with the unsealed concrete weaken it?? Or is two weeks nothing to really worry about ??

water will actually make the concrete cure faster (it doesnt fully cure for many years, but after a few days its good enough for us to use), when i used to work in a concrete testing lab, we dunked our test concrete cylinders in water until we broke them two weeks and a month later. so dont worry about getting water on unsealed concrete.
good luck
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scaledhabitats.com

That looks excellent! Are you going to send me one?
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