super durable stone texture

[kicknargel]

I'm bidding a themeing project for a restaurant. One room wants to have stone black walls (like a Mayan pyramid). Looking for about 3/4"-1" of relief. It has to hold up for years of restaurant wear-and-tear: people touching it, picking at it, spilling salsa on it, etc.

First thought was to carve foam and coat with PolyGem Zoopoxy, but I'd need 300 gallons at $55 each. Smooth-on spray hard coat is a bit less but still unaffordable. Second thought is to cut the blocks from particle board and coat with stucco or something for texture.

Any other thoughts/miracle products? Would Jaxsan 600 take the abuse?

 

[Van]

VSSSD. I don't know how much it is a gallon but it's cheaper than $55 and you can sculpt, shape form, knock down, whatever you want.

 

[kicknargel]

Ah, yes, the infamous VSSSD. Will it stand up to years of abuse?

 

[kicknargel]

Also, for the 2 cups of drywall mud, is that powder or premixed?

 

[jonliles]

Mud would be premixed. Joint compound powder would pull out to much moisture. Though if the mixture is too thin you could add little powder to thicken (like cornstarch to a gravey).

 

[Van]

Exactly what Jon said.

I've found that vsssd stands up very well over time as the primary component is the latex caulk. Another solution I have found is what is commonly reffered to as 'Lagging Compound' this can be used in place of the caulk. you just have to cut back on the amount of pain you add to thin 'cause lagging compund is thinner than caulk to begin with. As Always I suggest the use of , now. 3M's 30 nf as an adheasive for foam.

 

[jonliles]

Lagging compound. I hated working with that stuff in the Nav. Talk about a mess. AND it stank to high heaven.

 

[Van]

There are several companies who now produce non-toxic, latex based lagging compounds. much safer than the old school kind. They smell funny, but not nasty.

 

[mjw56]

Have you looked at any Dryvit products yet? Ive never used them but it dries hard like stucco and is used on building exteriors. I imagine it would hold up well in your application.

 

[mstaylor]

Dryvit would not be a good choice. It is a thin coat over starfoam and fiber mesh. It does not take a hit well at all.

 

[mjw56]

Yes, but i wasn't referring to the whole system, i was thinking just the topcoat would serve him fine, and the particleboard substrate would be plenty strong.

 

[mstaylor]

Dryvit is sorta weird, if the substrate is't really smooth, joints between pieces, it will read though the finish.

 

[Van]

one of the nice things about VSSSD is that the latex base allows for a bit of plasticity, while the thickness creates durability. Other than using straight lagging compound I've never found a finish quite like it.

 

[ToddH]

STO,stocorp.com. They make lots of really great products. It is relatively inexpensive. Easy to color. Waterproof and hard as rock. I usually find it a concrete suppliers or other industrial coating companies.

 

[ruinexplorer]

For an exhibit we did at the Arizona Museum of Natural History (couldn't find a picture of the exhibit), we created the entrance to an Aztec temple out of Homasote that we painted and then covered with Rosco Foamcoat to harden it. It dried hard as rock and has lasted years of school tour abuse (installed in 1998).

 

[kendal69]

This is what I've used. I've built decor with door skin and sprayed this on it.
Pleko