Post #313284 by pariartspaul on Sun, Jun 17, 2007 9:19 AM

Paint Issues!

Well, I made a huge mistake with the paint. I just got the acrylic pool paint on Friday and went for it. I pressure hosed the pond 3 times, dried it, and then let it dry until it was white again. I sprayed on one coat of the paint (spray gun with compressor) and let it dry. I went into the pond to spray the 2nd coat and the 1st coat started to come up in sheets wherever I walked!! Uh-o!

So then I thought, well, maybe I should roll it on - maybe the spray is too thin. So I did. I slathered the whole two gallons on with a roller and let it dry. Well it gave it a black shiney, slippery finish. After it dried one day, I went in again barefoot to work on some of the color work.... well guess what - spots came up in sheets wherever I walked. Okay, so I stopped that! But I noticed that if my feet were wet, the paint wouldn't lift... it wouldn't stick to my feet. But it was slippery as hell.

If I had it to do over again I would have STAINED the concrete with regular house paing instead of using pool paint. I don't know what the hell I was thinking. On the fake lava rock concrete planter I did a few years ago, I used housepaint and washed it on (as opposed to putting it on thick). The color seeped into the concrete beautifully and gave it a natural looking finish. It's lasted over two years already outside with hosings, rain and everything. Actually it gets better looking the more it ages.
I think this pool paint looks like crap! It looked more like a tar-pit than lava rock.. very plastic looking. Oh well, too late now, I'm stuck with it.
Anyway, they say to wait three days before filling the pond with water. Tomorrow will be three days. The paint seems to be sticking okay now, but my worse fear is that it will come off in sheets under once its under water. I'm so upset about it! Oh well, live and learn. Stay tuned to see what happens when I fill it... next week!