What can Pond
Shield be applied to?
Pond Shield can be
applied to concrete, cement,
shotcrete, gunnite, stone, tile
wood, steel, aluminum, rock, some
plastics, old coatings (as long as
they are prepared properly first)
fiberglass, and many more surfaces.
Can I coat my
pond liner with Pond Shield?
No. Pond Shield is designed to be
applied to any constructed surface
like those listed above.
Is Pond Shield
fish and plant safe?
Absolutely! Pond
Shield samples
are tested in
the mixed, uncured state to be sure
no harm will come to your aquatic
life.
How long
before I can put water an fish in my
pond?
The instructions will tell you to
wait for 72 hours. However, if you
inspect every bit of your coating
the next day and are sure that it is
dry and there are no tacky spots
anywhere, you can add water and
fish.
How does Pond
Shield compare to other products
available to me?
Pond Shield was specifically
designed around the flaws of
virtually every other coating
available in the pond industry. It
is competitively priced and costs
not much more than a rubber liner
per square foot but offers much more
stability. Pond Shield can be
applied by you, the home owner and
does not require a specialized crew
for installation. Pond Shield has
been referred to as "bullet proof",
"tough as nails" and "strongest
coating ever used" to quote a few.
While these are figurative forms of
speech, Pond Shield has been
designed strong and flexible to
provide you with many years of
virtually maintenance free service.
Can Pond
Shield be applied over other old
coatings?
Yes. However, you should take care
to properly prepare the surface
prior to applying Pond Shield. Be
sure to remove any old coating that
is coming off, but the best case
scenario is to remove all of the old
coating prior to application. It's
best not to rely on the failing bond
of the old coating. If you find that
some of the old coating is still
bonding sufficiently, then you
should sand the remainder with at
least 60-grit sandpaper to give the
material tooth.
How many coats
do I have to apply?
Well that depends. Pond Shield is
thick like grease and can be applied
in one 10mil coat. However, you may
find it a little too thick for your
liking the first time out. If this
is the case, you can thin Pond
Shield with Denatured Alcohol ONLY
(found in places like Home Depot or
Lowes) and by 3%-5% to start, but no
more than 10%. If you thin Pond
Shield out too much you run the risk
of washing the pigments (Pond Shield
will look semi transparent) and you
may have to apply additional coats
in order to achieve a 10mil thick
over-all thickness.
Can I apply a
second coat of Pond Shield over the
first?
Yes, but it is not necessary unless
you are trying to correct the first
coat application. Pond Shield is
designed to perform properly at a
finished thickness of 10mils.
Applying it thicker will not hurt,
but will cost more in regards to
materials. If you have to touch up
and area you can apply Pond Shield
over the top of itself with no extra
surface preparation within 24 hours
of the original application. After
that 24 hour period, you should
scuff the area being coating to give
the material tooth. Keep in mind
the 24 hour limit is a suggested
time frame. Varying environmental
conditions may require that you coat
over in less time without sanding.
I applied Pond
Shield and my pond still leaks. What
is wrong?
Simply put, you missed something.
After your initial coating is
applied, you need to go back and
inspect the entire surface are for
flaws in your application. Ares like
cracks, crevices, voids, concrete
showing through and any similar
areas need to be corrected before
you call the job finished. Once you
have successfully applied a 100%
coating to the interior of your
pond, it will not leak.
Can I use Pond
Shield to waterproof my water garden
planters?
Yes. Pond Shield has been designed
specifically for ponds and water
gardens, but does have a great deal
of other uses as well.
Do I have to
acid etch my concrete before I apply
Pond Shield?
Absolutely. There are two very
important reasons for acid etching.
First, the muriatic acid will remove
and calcium deposits that form as
concrete cures. These calcium
deposits will fall over time anyway
and you do not want to have your
coating bonded to them. Finally,
acid etching will neutralize the
alkaline properties in the surface
of the concrete, creating a much
better bond.
Can I just
spot coat a crack in my pond?
That is not advisable. If you give
Pond Shield the very best
circumstances in which to work,
you'll end up with a coating that
will give you years and years of
service. You should repair the crack
properly and then apply a complete
coating over the entire area that
will be submerged so that it will
work the way it was meant to work.
I am not
getting the square footage you
advertise on the kit. What is
wrong?
Most of the time this can be
attributed to the surface condition
of the concrete or other substrate
you are applying Pond Shield to.
Rough, uneven areas will eat up
material and cause you to be short
over-all. Other times it can be
related to improper mixing which
will result in the coating curing
too quickly and becoming unworkable
or not removing the coating from the
container it was mixed in. Being
exothermic, Pond Shield will set up
a lot faster if mixed incorrectly or
left in the same container you mixed
it in. It's best to pour it
directly into the pond where you
will begin work or into a large,
flat paint pan of some sort.
Finally, the use of incorrect tools
will make the application process
difficult too. We recommend
that you start with a rubber window
squeegee or plastic, flexible
spreader to apply the coating and
then move on to a short nap roller.
The end thickness of the coating is
much easier to achieve if you use
the proper tools. Please read
through all of the instructions that
came with the kit.
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