Spray painting tile?

[RagginOut]

Ok so I'm going for a more natural look as far as decoration/items inside the tank are concerned. I've just finished putting the 2nd coat on the 55g and it's a solid flat black now.. though my lungs may be a bit black after all the blowback I was getting from the wind. I've got 4 12x12" tile pieces in there now but the problem (for me) here is that they are white with a slight grey/brown marble swirl. We're talking really slight here... enough so that you'd think it was dirty if you didn't look twice. My thought was to paint these tile pieces all black as well and then the entire environment would be black making the place feel like one huge box with a lot of large rock/driftwood inside.

A) Is this ok to do?

B) If it is ok to do, how long would it be wise to wait before putting geckos in to the new home? I'm looking at making an order in the next 2-2.5 weeks, or is that not long enough?

Thanks again.

 

[RagginOut]

This is what the tank currently looks like. The paint on the back/sides has just finished drying and I was able to move it to the back and out of the front yard(now that the sun has gone down).

Paint it or leave it as is? Imagine it with a good load of rocks and driftwood on it. I'll be picking up some various plants from either joanns and/or michael's and applying them to the various fixtures in the tank.

 

[musick]

If you are set on spray painting them, you must seal w/ a non-toxic acyrilic spray after painting because unprotected paint on a surface that smooth WILL chip and possibly be ingested by th geckos.

Food for thought - "paint" the tile tops w/ some elmers glue and sprinkle liberally w/ sand before it dries. Then seal w/ a non-toxic acyrilic spray. Can be wiped clean and would look a lot better than paint imo.

 

[Northstar Herp]

I would go to Home Depot and buy some tiles, or some other color I liked, then I wouldn't have to worry about whether or not I could paint it. But I would get a man made tile instead of granite, marble or slate. That's what I'd do...

The paint probably wouldnt stay on the tile, but I don't think it looks bad the way you have it.

 

[RagginOut]

I would go to Home Depot and buy some tiles, or some other color I liked, then I wouldn't have to worry about whether or not I could paint it. But I would get a man made tile instead of granite, marble or slate. That's what I'd do...

The paint probably wouldnt stay on the tile, but I don't think it looks bad the way you have it.

Only used the 12x12;s because I had them laying around extra. I'm more of a use what ya got kind of a guy. I've got about 40 of them left just sitting in the closet.. figured I'd find a use for a few of them at least

If you are set on spray painting them, you must seal w/ a non-toxic acyrilic spray after painting because unprotected paint on a surface that smooth WILL chip and possibly be ingested by th geckos.

Food for thought - "paint" the tile tops w/ some elmers glue and sprinkle liberally w/ sand before it dries. Then seal w/ a non-toxic acyrilic spray. Can be wiped clean and would look a lot better than paint imo.

Painting wasn't something I was really deadset on. I just thought it might look better to have the 'box' uniform in color so it didn't distract you when looking at the gecko's or other pieces of scenery in the tank, once completed.

I have some elmers spray adhesive/glue that we used for my oldest childs school project recently. I'm not sure if it'd be as safe as using basic elmers glue though? As for sand, I've got extra black 3m colorquartz that we used in the fish tanks.. i have extra of a S-grade and T-grade.

I'm definitely off the idea of painting them though. Getting a grainy like adhesive via the method you mention sounds much more ideal to me. If I didn't think sandpaper would rub them raw, I'd use that in place of the tile, lol.

 

[musick]

Painting wasn't something I was really deadset on. I just thought it might look better to have the 'box' uniform in color so it didn't distract you when looking at the gecko's or other pieces of scenery in the tank, once completed....

A contrast of colors is usually a good thing imo. Just dont go overboard. Think your clothing...monochromatic tends to be dull to my eyes. A bit of color will add some "Pop" to your tank! Heres what I did (currently minus the rocks):

I have some elmers spray adhesive/glue that we used for my oldest childs school project recently. I'm not sure if it'd be as safe as using basic elmers glue though? As for sand, I've got extra black 3m colorquartz that we used in the fish tanks.. i have extra of a S-grade and T-grade...

I would look up the MSDS of the spary. It might be fine, but I cant say for sure. Standard white Elmers on the other hand is 100% safe. It is even edible! At my local Target, it is $0.19 per bottle and can be thinned w/ H20. A dollar seems like a resonable cost to me to ensure safety via any possible off gassing the spray may leach out.

It will likely be safe. Shellac is another safe option (and used to coat wooden toys for children), but it drys a bit on the glossy side for my tastes. Not as realistic imo.

Again, as long as the sand is sealed, the colorquartz should be fine since it is not in direct contact w/ the gecko. Chances are, if its safe in a fish tank, it should be fine for a gecko.

I would still seal it though.

Only problem for me is colorquartz sounds like it is colored in some way. Colored sand tends not to look natural. I bought 25 pounds of sand at Homedepot for ~$3.00 and it is what is pictured above.

I like natural. YMMV.

Na Zdrowie!

 

[RagginOut]

colorquartz is actually quartz that is basically blasted in to granules as small as sand. Here is a little bit of their description:

Durabilty of Colorquartz Crystals

3M created Colorquartz Crystals by melding the strength of nature with the power of technology. Quartz, one of nature’s hardest minerals, is bonded with an exterior ceramic coating. This coating – which contains inorganic pigments – gives each Colorquartz Crystal its brilliant color and durability.

The color resists bleeding or fading, even when exposed to harsh sunlight, strong pool chemicals, and acid washings. The durable crystals, dispersed throughout your pool finish, withstand chemical wear and mechanical abrasion.

As was stated it's perfectly safe with fish as they scoop it in their mouths and sift through it regularly as well as move it around when spawning. I can only assume it'd be fine with gecko's as well, given it still has the possible dangers as sand if used loosely in regards to impaction. I'll either look for the msds of the elmers spray adhesive or call and ask for an email of it if I cannot find it online.

Actually just pulled up the msds here. Elmers Adhesive Spray MSDS. As best I can tell the adhesive itself is nontoxic just as the glue itself is. The only concern comes from the aerosol properties which are a nonissue after being left to cure outside for a few weeks.

Would love some more thoughts on to this adhesive spray. Would be an entirely easier and less messy way of doing things if it does indeed prove to be just as safe as the basic glue.

edit:

As for the unnatural look of 'colored' sand... this is an incredibly solid black much like dried lava on the islands. The reasoning I was 'thinking' of doing a black box effect for the geckos is that in a fish tank, by making it a boxed in feeling, the fish a) feel more secure since it's an enclosed space and come out more often and b) the dark colors in contrast with the fish colors allowed for the colors to pop much more and make the fish look far better than they did when left in an open tank with no background of any sort. If gecko's don't experience that same kind of benefit, then I don't see a reason to look in to making the base tile any other color but what it already is.

 

[citchki]

contrast of colors should available for that.
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[chechatonga]

Hmm. You can still paint tiles if you want but i would recommend my method. It has worked with me on similar projects.
First of all you will have to buy a non toxic acrylic paint(sold at stores like walmart,meijer,etc.). Then you need to purchase a non-toxic sealer(I use a product called Mod podge, it can be purchased at most hobby stores).These items should only cost around 10 dollars.
Once you have that done water down the sealer a bit and apply a coat to the tile. Then the paint should be applied.
If you want to make a 2 toned paint job then i would buy a lighter accent color that compliments your base color. Apply the accent color with a sponge or textured tool.
After paint is done drying apply a second coat of sealer. You can add more and more coats if you would like but i prefer to use 5 total.
On the second to last coat of sealer you can sprinkle sand over wet coat. Once dry a final coat of sealer will finish the project off.
This is a safe process and i would recommend over spray paint any day.

 

[RagginOut]

Hmm. You can still paint tiles if you want but i would recommend my method. It has worked with me on similar projects.
First of all you will have to buy a non toxic acrylic paint(sold at stores like walmart,meijer,etc.). Then you need to purchase a non-toxic sealer(I use a product called Mod podge, it can be purchased at most hobby stores).These items should only cost around 10 dollars.
Once you have that done water down the sealer a bit and apply a coat to the tile. Then the paint should be applied.
If you want to make a 2 toned paint job then i would buy a lighter accent color that compliments your base color. Apply the accent color with a sponge or textured tool.
After paint is done drying apply a second coat of sealer. You can add more and more coats if you would like but i prefer to use 5 total.
On the second to last coat of sealer you can sprinkle sand over wet coat. Once dry a final coat of sealer will finish the project off.
This is a safe process and i would recommend over spray paint any day.

awesome.. this is something like I was looking for. I'll look in to some of these this weekend for sure.



:main_thumbsup: thanks