Creating cave scene.

[Dreamreaper]

Here is my cave. I used chicken wire and pulled it in different directions to create the shape and used weed control cloth as a backer then sprayed the foam.

[BruiseMuse]

So, Larry, where does one get a styrofoam sprayer, or can one hirea company?

I know the crew from the Branson Zoo/Branson Haunted Adventure do the spray installations. Their work is phenomenal.

[jakprintsHAUNT]

Another relatively cheap way to do it, though heavier and may not be quite as durable if customers have the chance of running full bore into it, is building the frame out of wood, then screwing up old scraps of carpet and coating it all in monster mud (paint and plaster mixture, add in some sawdust for extra texture) You do the mud in your darker color, then dry brush it with a lighter color and can look pretty good, even more so with creative lighting.

I did a giant stone cave entrance archway for a local play by doing this similar method with a wood and chicken wire frame, shaped the wire, then did monster mud with burlap almost like paper mache in technique. I opted for the burlap for the thinness as it had to be on wheels and moved on and off set. Once painted even in the bright stage lights it looked really good, and held up with no damage for an the entire 2 month run of the show.

Also, if going the spray route...especially if you are a bigger haunt, or want the freedom to work at your own pace and change as you go, and want to DIY it more... Smooth On makes a really nice Spray system that works on cartridges and can spray foam, silicone, plastics, and foam coatings. I think the initial system is around $800 and just needs a decent compressor to run it.


Mike "Pogo" Hach

[N2SPOOKINU]

I second the spray foam insulation truck. He made short work out of it and did a great job. We used wood framing and stretched spandex to it and stapled it in place. Then he came in and shot the insulation on it. It worked great for us and the spray foam guy was very reasonable.
We did our waterfall and forest the same way. We took it out this year with plans on moving it and putting it back in and expanding it this summer.
DONT FORGET TO DROP YOUR SPRINKLER HEADS DOWN INTO THE CAVE BEFORE HE SPRAYS IT!

Greg
Fearfest

[sophisticatedterror]

I used a local insulation company with the big spray trucks, (the ones that spray into attics etc.) It was just easier and faster for me..



Kale

[xxxdirk]

So, Larry, where does one get a styrofoam sprayer, or can one hirea company?

[HouseOfHorrors]

Terror on the fox has an amazing cave.... They did it with chicken wire and spray foam... Tattoo is doing a seminar at national haunters convention showing how they did it!

[drfrightner]

The way I would do it is a wood frame built from 2x2's build it the way you want it to look... then put chicken wire all over it and SHAPE it with the chicken wire. From there glue foam onto the chicken wire big chunks of foam... then carve it.

In the end you either can spray it with a gunite type of spray which would then make it feel like real stone or you can hard coat it... depending on what you want the final texture to be determines what you will or won't use. Clearly in the end you light and paint the tunnel. There are other ways to do it like make molds and pull them from resin or fiberglass or whatever but for us the simple haunt owners we have to do it the cheapest. I think the worst way would be vac form it won't look great but it would look okay.

Larry

[xxxdirk]

Have seen quite a few haunts with realistic cave sets and I was wondering what the best way to accomplish this is? Wood frame, chicken wire and then spray foam? I also heard some haunts built the set with wood and even stachtites and stagmites and then coated the whole thing with bed liner spray..... Any videos out there, or can anyone give any hints....?