Do it yourself tips for replicating Coral Reef with the use of Rapid Set Mortar and Styrene as the mold or form.

To start simply gather enough styrene chunks a little bigger in size than what you want your finished coral replications to be.  To begin creating the coral texture you can either use a torch and carefully heat areas of the foam in a random manner or use a chemical such as Xylene or Acetone and spray it randomly out of a hand held squirt bottle.  Spray small amounts at a time to avoid running into the risk of the chemical burning all the way through the foam.  I get the best effects by Spraying Xylene onto the styrafoam then as the crevices become deep enough throughout I will than generously broadcast play sand or silica sand over the entire area. You will need enough sand to be able to press down with hands for the purpose of drying out the remaining chemical plus drown out the fakeness of the foam.  Allow the foam to dry then turn over to remove the majority of sand.  Paint over entire surface with two good coats of water based paint and allow to dry.  Just prior of pouring Rapid Set Mortar, spray entire coral reef form with W-D 40 or A cooking spray to create a release agent for making the form come off easier.  After pouring, if you find any small pieces of foam you can clean it up by using a small torch or just pressure wash it off.  Mix your Rapid Set according to bag instructions, then pour into your newly made forms.  You will be able to paint within a hour if mixed properly. The fastest painting method will be to spray a solid back ground color using rattle can paint then use a sea sponge to achieve color variations.  Any water based or acrylic paint will be fine for sea sponging.