Got quite a lot done today...the GS was finished drying so i was able to finish shaping the smaller stream with my larger rocks...I love the ability to be able to shape and sand the GS to get the rocks in just the right look and am looking forward to experimenting more with it in the future...I was then able to apply the Sahara Tan grout to the remaining unfinished foam...in stream #2, i added a bit of sand from an outside sandbag after the grout had dried a bit...i then tamped it down a little with my finger and i think that it gave it a great look...
I know it doesnt look like much now but the pictures really dont do it justice...(i'm not great with a camera)...I still need to clean up some of the rocks and wood and then once the plants are in i think it will look very realistic...there are also a couple spots that i couldn't get the grout to stick to because of that little thing call gravity...I'm going to touch these spots up when I lay the setup on its back to apply the GS and coco fiber to the background...
...A couple things/tips i found out while working with the grout that i will change differently...1) I'm thinking I may and try to protect the rocks that I want exposed next time with some type of petroleum (sp?) jelly; not so much to protect it from the big chunks of grout but the tan residue that it leaves behind...its almost impossible to remove after it dries...I'm hoping that after the grout dries i can just wipe away the Pet. Jelly and the rocks will be clean...(2)...leaving the grout a little dry is great for getting it to stick to most vertical surfaces; however, I found that when applying in around rocks and objects it looks more natural to add a bit of water to it because it allows the grout to flow around the object...this technique was quite helpful when creating stream #2 because the grout sort of slid down the ravine I had carved out....
Comments good or bad would be much appreciated...