I have done this I'm in the process of buildin g a 6 ft by 55 in 28in depth cage for my three bearded dragons. To anwser the question saftey.grout works the best if you coat in alot Im grouting right now and the process is long you have to start with a watery base like soup then a pancake mix next then get thicker as you go the last should be like pudding. The paint to used is a waterbased non toxic acrylic paint you can get from Joann fabrics after that you must and I mean must seal it with three to four coats then let in sit for a couple of days out side to get all fumes out