Foam Landscape rocks.

[gundog]

My wife wants some large landscape rocks for our yard and it occurred to me that maybe I could make some on the SB. It would be cool to have a big old rock I could move by hand. I have never made anything from foam before and I am wondering how hard finishing it will be to make it look like a rock?

Mike

[Brady Watson]

Ebay is littered with rock molds, patterns etc. Make ONE small rock & finish it before you write checks you don't want to cash. Plastic ones from China are cheaper & more durable than you can make.

Time is precious. If I had to choose between making faux rocks or spending more time on the boat while UPS delivers plastic ones, I'm not sure I'd be able to choose between the two options. :D

-B

[gerryv]

Mike,
I saw one advertised a year or two ago that had a very well hidden door sized just right for slipping in a case of wobbly pop. It was insulated by virtue of being made of foam. I was going to buy one but lost the info :-(

[chiloquinruss]

Chicken wire, burlap, and a thin coat of cement!

Just like a model railroad but outdoors! Russ

[feinddj]

Styrofoam rocks are easy. You can make your own hot wire cutter or use a rasp to shape the foam. Coat it with a hardening surface like fiberglass, sculptocoat or the paint that they use for metal roof. There is an outfit in West Virginia that makes a waterbased paint that works well. If you need it to be a bit stronger use fiberglass screen wire. I have made props this way that have withstood actresses in heels walking on them. Paint and there you go.

You can buy styrofoam from the big box store in 2 inch sheets or from a roofing company in up to an 8 foot by 8 foot block.

David

[Brady Watson]

A bit labor intensive, isn't it? How much time would it take to cut the rocks out of foam, coat in fiberglass, sand, prime & paint?

-B

[kartracer63]

I'm with Brady here. Just buy them.

http://www.allmockrocks.com/

[gene]

not rocks , but what would be a good easy to apply hard coat for a sign cut from foam?

[gundog]

Those are expensive rocks I can buy real rocks for that price. It must be more work than I thought to make them. I could see paying that much for rocks if you are trying to hide something like a pond filter but we just want them for landscape use they will be stationary after they are placed. I have a tractor with a loader to move them they range from .02$ # to .08$ # for real ones big rocks can weight a ton or more,

Mike

[Brady Watson]

Mike,
The real ones are best for landscaping. Way better than any paint you could put on the fake ones! :p

The hollow ones are good for covering up a well head or other eye sore in the yard. I just put one over the well head last week. I'm pretty sure it was some polyurethane based material with rock dust in it to give it color & texture.

-B

[Brian Harnett]

Come up to my place you can have a few. My road is called rocky hill road for that reason along with the 13% grade

[Xray]

I'm with Brady here. Just buy them.

http://www.allmockrocks.com/

I'm pretty sure I'd venture into rock making before paying $700 for one !
You guys are missing the point, some guys like to DIY not only to save $$ but just for the hell of it. One project may lead to ideas for another, in fact it should, and you get experience doing something you haven't done before ,,, Something you are not going to get simply buying them.

I'd advise you check a prop forum to get ideas how to best go about it, surely could not be that complex of expensive.

[coryatjohn]

I'm pretty sure I'd venture into rock making before paying $700 for one !
You guys are missing the point, some guys like to DIY not only to save $$ but just for the hell of it. One project may lead to ideas for another, in fact it should, and you get experience doing something you haven't done before ,,, Something you are not going to get simply buying them.

I'd advise you check a prop forum to get ideas how to best go about it, surely could not be that complex of expensive.

How many things that we make with the SB could be bought for less from China? Lots of things. The point (at least for me) of the SB is to have fun, learn new things and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment when a job is well done.

[knight_toolworks]

Plus real rocks can deflect stray cars.

[myxpykalix]

I'd build several big ones out of foam and then dig big trenches to look like they were a bunch of meteorites that all landed in your front yard.

Then when people drove by be out in the yard and act like you are struggling to pick it up and when you do they freak out.:eek:

[Brady Watson]

Shop it out...I bought a 25" tall one for less than $100 shipped from Amazon a couple weeks ago. The same rock would probably cost me $700 in time to make...and I can think of WAY better ways to use my time.

-B

[Xray]

How many things that we make with the SB could be bought for less from China? Lots of things. The point (at least for me) of the SB is to have fun, learn new things and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment when a job is well done.

My point exactly.
The buy it cheap from China mentality is what is slowly but surely draining western nations of talent & innovation, turning us into pure dull witted consumers rather than our historic role as producers.
I'm not saying there isn't a time & place to opt for convenience instead of DIY, and we are all forced to purchase Asian slave labor produced goods whether we like it or not ,,, But if everything is looked at from the standpoint of "I can get it cheaper from China already made", that sucks innovation from our souls, and as you say, destroys any sense of personal accomplishment, experience and enjoyment that you get from making something yourself.

Bottom line - If someone is inclined to pay $100's for a fake rock, knock yourself out, but discouraging others from trying to DIY in a forum full of craftsmen, innovators and creative thinkers seems a bit disingenuous to me.

[bleeth]

Why not open up the imagination a bit. Learning how to make your own decorative rock is a bit of a waste if it is "just" a rock, but supposing you take it a few steps further. From a rock, you can make what appears to be a pile of rocks in whatever shape you want and end up with a fountain, a bench, a support for a sign, a windmill, a clock, or any of a whole stack of very cool projects.
From the same method stated before (chicken wire, burlap, cement) you can add an internal frame and make a tree.
If anyone here has never looked over the work done by Dan Sawatsky using his mill and also steel frame, plaster screen, and concrete you should. A quick google will get you to his blog with his house, shop, and display projects. Although taken to the absolute max it has a wealth of ideas in it.

[Brady Watson]

but discouraging others from trying to DIY in a forum full of craftsmen, innovators and creative thinkers seems a bit disingenuous to me.

There is a difference between blindly discouraging someone & suggesting that they be realistic. It would be disingenuous of me if I watched one my fellow brothers waste their time & money on something vastly cheaper to buy than to make. I seriously doubt you are going to make one of these faux rocks for less than they cost to buy.

-B

[Xray]

There is a difference between blindly discouraging someone & suggesting that they be realistic. It would be disingenuous of me if I watched one my fellow brothers waste their time & money on something vastly cheaper to buy than to make. I seriously doubt you are going to make one of these faux rocks for less than they cost to buy.

-B

Well, what is a "waste of time" is subjective, what may be a complete waste to you might be a productive learning experience for someone else, well worth the time, expense and effort.. You are not the judge, neither am I, its up to each individual ,, And I'll repeat for the 3rd time, there are more factors at play in any project amongst men like us than simple economics.

These can be made dirt cheap from nothing more than a box, some chicken wire, mortar and some paint. The more elaborate ones with sprayed fiberglass and molds would be more on an investment ,,, Like most anything else, once you get over the learning hump and make the investment in materials, cost and effort go down and down. I would bet those $700 rocks don't cost more than $30 to make, including materials & labor, and 1 guy could make a dozen or more a day.
Someone starting from scratch, yeah obviously it would be considerably more than that, but learning new things is an investment in the future, no price can be put on that, and the inventive spirit should be encouraged.

[myxpykalix]

To make things even cheaper like foam rocks you could go to your local habitat store and they had some 2.25" thick 4x8 pieces of foam that i bought for $5.00/sheet and you could have made your boulders from that.
Rather then go to lowes and buy a sheet of plastic for $100.00+ go to the habitat store and buy a used screen door with the plastic window insert for $10-$20.00 and use it. I did that for a guy who wanted see thru cabinet doors down low in his kitchen but didn't want to use glass because of his little kids.

I love shopping in the habitat store because i find things that can be used for some completely different repurposing.:eek:

And I agree with Doug that for a lot of us it's more about the creative journey and the things we learn by doing. I guess that's why it's called a "hobby".

[bleeth]

I think buying the rock you did was the right decision for you,
although I rarely see you defending such an inconsequential personal decision so strongly. I hope that it is not a case of "thou dost protest too much".
Mike will do as he will do. Right or wrong (if there really is such a thing in this case) the consequences are pretty minor.
Hope all are having a relaxing Labor Day Weekend.

[Xray]

I'll bite ,,, What is a habitat store, never heard of it ?