I cant find white cement anywhere??

[heyfredyourhat]

What other options do i have for the DIY rocks?? I thought i read something about a mortar or grout?? Any help appreciated.

 

[sunkool]

You can use whit tile grout from pollyblend. If you cant find pollyblend look up the msds from whatever grout you use to find out if it is safe.

 

[45commando]

I don't know if you can use it in-tank,but Home Depot etc,should carry "white sanded thin set".It is used for laying tile & will be in the flooring section.HTH

 

[impur]

I feel your pain, i cannot find anything, ANYTHING in white. No grout, no mortar, no cement nothing in my town is white. I've been to all 3 Home Depots, 2 Jerrys home centers, 4 Tru values and called every contractor i could get a hold of. Nothing. My town has a population of 200k+ and not a single place sells a white type of cement.

But i drove 50 miles south and got some in a town of 19k. Go figure.

 

[heyfredyourhat]

I live in a very small town(3000ppl) so i am used to not getting what i am looking for. But usually when we go to the "big city" we can get whatever we need. But not this time for the white cement, a friend of mine checked at HD for me and the guy basically said good luck finding it.

I am making a trip this weekend so i will look for some white polyblend or what ever it is called

 

[hllywd]

Looking at HD was your first mistake!!! I'd expect nothing less than a blank stare.

I assume your looking for white cement powder, the stuff you need to add your own sand and aggregate to...

Look for a dedicated masonry supplier in your area that sells brick, concrete block, tile, stone, etc... Contractors don't buy this type of product from HD, Lowes, etc... Find a real masonry supply house and you'll find what you're looking for.

I'd steer clear of the grout and thinset ideas a lot of them will have modifiers added to keep them flexible after they cure or give them other desirable properties for their intended uses.

Tim

 

[bigtex52]

Not trying to be disagreeable Hllywd, but a lot of the acrylic modified cements, grouts and thinsets have been tried and proven over time to be safe and even desirable in some cases. The acrylic modified hydraulic cements are an even better choice. Greatly reduced curing times, far less alkali leaching and a much stronger product when cured.

Check out these threads:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1156212&perpage=25&pagenumber=1
and
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=993625

Pay particular attention to postings by mr.wilson. and sunkool They have done some awesome work using these materials.

HTH

 

[sunkool]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10465506#post10465506 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hllywd
Looking at HD was your first mistake!!! I'd expect nothing less than a blank stare.

I assume your looking for white cement powder, the stuff you need to add your own sand and aggregate to...

Look for a dedicated masonry supplier in your area that sells brick, concrete block, tile, stone, etc... Contractors don't buy this type of product from HD, Lowes, etc... Find a real masonry supply house and you'll find what you're looking for.

I'd steer clear of the grout and thinset ideas a lot of them will have modifiers added to keep them flexible after they cure or give them other desirable properties for their intended uses.

Tim

Polyblend MSDS

Iron Oxide Pigments
Titanium Dioxide
Portland Cement
Silca Sand, Quartz, Crystalline

Iron Oxide Pigments
Iron oxide materials yield pigments that are nontoxic, nonbleeding, weather resistant, and lightfast.

Titanium Dioxide

uede to make everything white from pvc to toothpaste

Portland Cement

already proven reef safe

Silca Sand, Quartz, Crystalline

same as above

 

[hllywd]

Two quick observations... and we're way off topic here...
But, if I were inclined to make some rocks I'm probably looking to save money. You can purchase a whole lot more cement aggregate and sand per C - note than grout. And, are you suggesting iron oxide and titanium dioxide are safe in big hunks in a captive reef over time? Maybe they are I don't know...? If they are, why not just use some white ceiling paint mixed in to lighten the color, those are very similar ingredients to a lot of latex paints...

Tim

 

[sunkool]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10468837#post10468837 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hllywd
Two quick observations... and we're way off topic here...
But, if I were inclined to make some rocks I'm probably looking to save money. You can purchase a whole lot more cement aggregate and sand per C - note than grout. And, are you suggesting iron oxide and titanium dioxide are safe in big hunks in a captive reef over time? Maybe they are I don't know...? If they are, why not just use some white ceiling paint mixed in to lighten the color, those are very similar ingredients to a lot of latex paints...

Tim

Iron Oxide Pigments and Titanium Dioxide are both in white portland cement also. Yes they are reef safe.
yes you can purchase more portland for your money than grout but he wants white, and said he can't find any white portland.
A bag of white pollyblend tile grout costs 8.79 at my local home depot for a 25lb bag. If I don't add any more sand to the mix then I would end up with 25lbs of dry rock. that works out to be 35 cents per lb. If you can find whit portland like I did @15.00 per 94 lb bag add 4 times the sand @4.00 per 50 = 32.00 you would have 494lbs of dry rock at 10 cents per lb.
Again yes it is cheaper but he cant find whit portland!

I have used both in my tank with no ill effects.

 

[sunkool]

here is a thread from last year.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1005663

I will post a updated pick of the rock later tonight.

 

[sunkool]

this is the same rock

 

[heyfredyourhat]

thanks for all the help guys. Well I am making rock not so much to save money but instead to get the shapes that I need to hide plumbing and what not. But it will help save some green backs too!