Pool Solutions DIY Pool Paint

A GUIDE FOR DIY ENTHUSIASTS

ALWAYS READ THE INSTRUCTIONS - A FEW TIMES !

We sell DIY packages country-wide with excellent feedback and a 99.9% success rate. In fact, the two or three complaints we had over the years were all due to circumstances like rain, or a clever handymen following his own methods etc. Stay humble, follow our step-by-step instructions although it might feel like baby steps, and you will be successful!

The success of the DIY job will depend solely on your commitment to thoroughly read our application instructions. Over a period of 10 years, we have perfected our methods to minimize the chances of failure.

You can download the complete instructions from our downloads section, or you can request that we email it to you - click here

A Few Pointers - in Short

Please note that this is not the full application notes, just a few important points to keep your mind busy:

Always use an electric drill equipped with a paint mixing tip. Round sticks just don't get job done properly.
Mix the A and B components separately first (especially the [A]-parts). Measure small quantities i.e. 4 Liters (3l A + 1l B) and thoroughly mix for at least 3 minutes.
Very important: please mix the Primer A and Primer B components together and Topcoat A and Topcoat B components together. If you mix Topcoat A with Primer A .... well, anything can happen. We had clients who told us that our product is not working; "The epoxy is still wet after 14 days!". We normally ask them how much of each component they have left over and guess what? The figures don't add up. Removing that sticky stuff is something we don't whish for anyone, not even our enemies.
Okay, you have mixed 4 liters of primer epoxy - now start painting! Don't go to the toilet or drink coffee now, or you might end up with a smoking bucket quickly changing into a something hard and solid ... however, if it does happen to you, remove the hardened, molded form from the bucket. Use the object as a door-stopper, or a small children's chair, at least you will be the only person with such an amazing thing!

Painting is the easy part, anyone can do it. You can test this fact, just stop next to road where the job seekers are gathering in your area and ask if anyone of them can paint a swimming pool, in a blink of an eye, you will have twenty "professional" painters inside your vehicle and maybe even few on the roof! See... anyone can paint...

Remember, keep an eye on the sky, you don't want to be interrupted in the middle of the job by a rain storm. Mixing wet epoxy with water can become messy. If in doubt, wait till the next day. Visit www.weathersa.co.za for a sometimes totally misleading weather forecast. Get someone to watch the weather radar at http://metsys.weathersa.co.za/index.html# (Real time Radar Products) which can give you a radar image indication of any nearing monsters in your area.

Another good weather site that can give you the forecast for different hours of the day iis: http://www.wunderground.com/, (search for your area).

Primer 1 (sealing layer)

For this first day of painting you will have to get out of bed preferably before 12H00 PM. Begin early, you will have to apply two coatings on the same day. The earlier the better, for in case some rainy weather appears in the afternoon.

After grinding the pool surface with grinders and P16 Fibre disks to obtain a clean, dry surface, a primer epoxy is applied with Mowhair rollers to penetrate, saturate and seal the surface to a depth of 1mm to 2mm of the marble plaster or cement plaster substrate.
You will have to regularly inspect the pool after application and watch out for spots that are absorbed to the extend that dry spots may appear. Re-coat these spots while the epoxy is still wet.
The first primer is left until it becomes tacky, proceed with the first top-coat before it dries and becomes hard and glossy. (In winter times this might take 2 hours due to slower reaction times of the epoxy liquids, in summer 30 min -1 hour)
While still damp, this first top-coat epoxy layer is applied.
The first primer coat will use up +/- 75% of your primer liquids supplied due to the absorption into the substrate.

The next day, proceed with the second and final top-coats.

First Top-coat

This is the interesting part. Whoever is going to do this will need to walk on slippery or sticky primer. If the primer is still quite wet, you might see a view splits and other acrobatic balancing acts. Keep the video camera at hand! If the primer has become very sticky, watch them walk on tacky glue. You will need shoes with smooth soles to walk onto the wet and sticky primer coat. Use gum boots of which the soles have been grinded smooth, or bind plastic bags around the feet.

It is important not to start too late with the topcoat. Once the primer has completely dried, proper bonding between the layers are compromised. Dry epoxy layers must always be sanded before applying the next coat.
The first top coat and the still sticky primer will "fuse", creating a very solid layer of epoxy.
Don't apply too thick, especially in the winter to prevent sagging overnight.
Check for any spots that were skipped and touch up with top coat epoxy.
Leave to dry overnight.

Second Top-coat

The dried and glossy "middle coat" MUST be sanded thoroughly to remove "blushing" and to break the gloss for a better mechanical bond.
Apply a more thickly coat this time. An ideal spread-rate is 12-14 sq.m per liter.
Start in the deep end and work your way to the shallow end and the steps. Oh, I'm sorry, I should have told you this in the beginning so you don't paint yourself into a corner in the deep end. Well, if you are reading this it means you are not stuck in the sticky primer somewhere in the deep end.
Remember to check for contamination around the pool on the paving an even on the inside edge of the coping stone. I have seen some "professional" painters hanging unto the edge with a hand full of epoxy while painting the walls with the other hand. Remove all contamination immediately with mentholated spirits or thinners. Keep the spirits in hand while watching them paint, spirits tend to disappear when left alone and the workers becomes less proficient.

Third Top-coat

By this time you should be an experienced weather man. This is your final finishing coat and you don't want it ruined by rain. Select the best of the best of the "professional" painters you might have hired. Repeat the procedures as with the second top-coat.

This is just an overview. Download the instruction manual for the full details.

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