Fake concrete looking stand:Brainstorming

[Covey]

Hello I am setting up a new 150G tank and I am building the stand. I guess I should say have built the stand. Here is the tanks main thread.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=811250

Thing is I am looking for something to skin the 2x4 frame in. From the pics you can see some of my apartment. It is a modern looking loft with exposed concrete and brick work. I think it would be cool if I could fiqure out a way to skin the stand and make it look like the concrete.

Do you have any ideas?

 

[Bug_Power]

easy...basically your going to stucco.. Plywood the frame, then put chicken wire over the plywood. The wire acts like rebar in the crete giving it strength. Skim the wood with create, push in tile, or fake gemstones to hearts content.

 

[Covey]

Just normal stucco would work? Do you think it would hold up to SW getting spilled on it every so often?

 

[Qwiv]

That is going to be a tough match. Casting a thin slab would not be impossible however, but it would be heavy. I can get you some phone numbers of some of my subcontractors that make concrete countertops for me. They could help you with a concrete mix design.

You caould also try the plaster idea above, but use a product called sac crete or patch crete. It looks more like concrete then plaster and doesn't require (2) coats. It is a bit of artestry to get it to look right. I have a guy who works for me that could do it, but I am a little far away from you.

I would try the first idea myself. Basically you would build an upsidedown form out of 1x4 or 1x6 (whatever the walls are spaced at) and pour in some concrete. You would need a custom mix as regular concrete would crack if poured that thin. Fibermesh would give it some crack resistance, bur I don't know it they use it. You would also need to vibrate it and spray the form with a form release product so you could get it out later. I would add embeds for attachement to the stand when complete. I would also wet cure the slab for strength.

Here are some contacts
Concrete Works 510-534-7141 Ask for Mark or Ryan
Concrete Concepts and Design 510-234-6486 Ask for Sohan
Buddy Rhodes Studio, Inc. 415-641-8070 Ask for Buddy

Hope they can help.

 

[Bug_Power]

coat the forms with wax or wax paper should keep it from sticking if you do forms. There is a high tensile strength concrete basically it's got fiberglass strands in it. One way is to do it similar to how we build our rock walls in the tank. Get the 2x4' light diffusers which have about 1/2 squares in them. Glue them to the wood, then crete it up. It give the structure some internal rigidity, yet will not rust like chicken wire. When Items rust, they swell causeing cracking.

 

[BlueCorn]

If you've got a Lowes in your area, look for "Granite Paint"

I used a beige color but you could go with a grey.

 

[Bug_Power]

all that texture can be done by a drywall texture machine. It's just sprayed on wet and not troweled.

 

[BlueCorn]

This is a paint that is rolled on. It makes it a much harder and more durable surface than painted drywall texture.

 

[Bug_Power]

a thick expoxy paint and a thick roller can do something similar, but wouldn't give an concrete appearance.

 

[BlueCorn]

That's why I was recommending that he look at the granite paint.

 

[Bug_Power]

I kinda like the stucco idea, they have been using stucco on houses by the sea for years!

 

[mikeadams1985]

you can try casting it in concrete.

get a flat, smooth bench.
get some strips of wood that are the depth u need.

Screw the wood to the bench forming the shape you need.

Mix up some concrete/cement/etc

pour it into the "mould" youve made, then using a flat piece of wood or a straight age, stroke across the top of it so its level with the "mould" this give u the required thickness and a smooth finish back and front.

then once set unscrew the mould countersink the slab, screw it to the frame and fill over the holes.

 

[moriartiholmes]

I did the same thing as beerguy, for my 10 gallon nano. I did it with a spay can paint instead of a roll on paint. It looks good, but the can did not cover as much as I would have liked.

 

[cougaraug]

I remeber my parents using a conrete-looking underlay when they were laying tile over plywood. If I remember right it was like cement reinforced with a nylon mesh. I haven't kept my eye out for it since then, so I don't know if anywhere carries it still.

 

[Qwiv]

I think he is looking to match the vertical lines in the concrete caused by the formwork used to build the poured in place walls. Nothing will match the color/texture of concrete better than concrete. It is impossible to match concrete to concrete so trying it with a different product is just nuts. I know, I have to do it all the time.

mikeadams1985 did a good job of explaining how to cast the concrete. Just remember you will need a high cement ratio concrete (not as high as the contractors I listed use as they mostly do smooth fineshes with a protland and sand mix, you want aggregate like in your walls aka not perfectly smooth) to cast a thin slab. You also need to vibrate the concrete very well so that when you release the forms, there isn't a bunch of voids on the bottom which will be the face of your tank stand.

Wax and Wax paper will not work as a form release in this installation as it will introduce its own texture to the concrete, when you are looking to match the existing concrete, that takes on the texture of the formwork used to build the building. You need a form release agent. Where ever you buy the concrete will have this stuff as well.

The material you are talking about cougaraug is fibermesh, or another brand name. The industry just calls it fibermesh. say hello to SLO for me. I am a Poly Grad myself in Construction Management and Structural Engineering.

If you are seriouse about doing this out of concrete, call the guys I listed above. They do amazing work and know what they are doing. We have done over a $100,000 of worth with these guys this year for a reason.
If you can't get any responce from them or they are not willing to help you, let me know.

They all have websites too:
concreteworks.com etc.

 

[Covey]

Thanks for the help guys. I think I might go with beerguys paint if I can find it. We do have Lowe's out here. Do you have a brand name for that stuff?

 

[BlueCorn]

Sorry - I don't have the can anymore. Just ask for it, they should know what you're talking about.