What paint product should I use to paint a pond's inside wall?

[kashgenius]

I have searched the internet and have come across liquid rubber and epoxy paint as the options? 

Which ones work best and are any of the products to tintable to a particular color? Is there a particular product that you would recommend? 

[MitchellMc]

Hi @kashgenius. Many thanks for your question, I'd be happy to answer it.

The product I would recommend is Crommelin pond sealer which is specifically designed to paint a pond's inside wall. It is a flexible water-based membrane, UV stable, fish and plant friendly, and used for waterproofing ponds. It is available in the colours sandstone, blue, clear and black. 

If you wanted a specific colour you could use an oxide mixed into a cement-based slurry to render the walls of the pond. You would then need to seal that with the Crommelins clear pond sealer for waterproofing purposes.

If you need further information about these products or had other questions, please let me know.

Mitchell

[kashgenius]

Thank you.

I have just discovered there are a few cracks and holes in the pond. What would be the best way to fill them up before I seal them with Crommelin?

Cheers,

Kash

[MitchellMc]

Hi @kashgenius.

What is the pond made from, does it already have a coating on it, and how big are the cracks and holes? Some pictures would really assist me, however with the details provided I should hopefully be able to give you an answer.

Mitchell

[kashgenius]

Hi Mitchell, thanks for the super quick response.

The pond walls are brick and the pond inner surface feels like hard plastic. Not able to describe the material as this is an established home. At certain places inside the pond, I stand on the surface and it moves up and down.

The biggest hole is upto 2 cm in diameter. And there are maybe 3-4 more small ones. The pond was coated with a green material (although I do not what it is) and it is cracking as well. I am attaching photos and a video with this post.

[MitchellMc · Accepted solution]

@kashgenius,

That appears to be a fiberglass shell with a very deteriorated coating. The holes can be repaired with a fibreglass repair kit and most small cracks can be just painted over. My concern is that coating is really deteriorated and anything that is flakey or may come off needs to be removed with a scraper. It would also be a good idea to sand the whole interior down with a 120grit sandpaper. Correct PPE must be worn including a respirator, gloves, goggles and preferably disposable over-alls.

Mitchell

[kashgenius]

Brilliant! Thanks a lot. Yes the paint has deteriorated so the plan is to scrap it off. Sand the surface and then re-seal with the Crommelin. Hopefully all should come out well. 

I had earlier intended to convert this pond into something but given the rain and the inability to help the water seep out, I decided I will keep the pond as is but renovate it a little.

Thanks a lot for your help.

[Eliza1]

Hi Mitchell

I have used a great product to rebuild this bird bath but have used Crommalin pond sealer and want to lighten the sandstone colour to match the rest of bird bath. 

Can I add white paint to lighten? If so what type of paint? Also if not can i paint another paint over this product to make it look not so yellow? I would love your advice.  Here are some pics..Thanks Eliza 

 

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Eliza1. It's terrific to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about Crommelin pond sealer.

Unfortunately, at this stage, you'd be looking at stripping back the sealer with acetone and a wire brush to reveal the original colour. You can then use a clear pond sealer over it. You only need to seal to the waterline to hold the water—no real need to seal up the ornate pedestal and over the edges of the bowl. Perhaps if you removed the excess sandstone sealer back to just above the waterline, the discrepancy in colour would be less noticeable.

After speaking with Crommelins technical support to confirm, there's no paint they can recommend to go over the sealer nor a type which you could mix in to lighten the colour. You could take the risk and mix in some white acrylic paint, but it could compromise the coating to some extent. If this was my project, that's what I'd be doing, as even if it fails, you'd still be no worse off than you are now as the coating would need to be removed. Please bear in mind that the exterior acrylic paint is not designed for this use. Chemicals in the paint could leech into the water, which could be of concern if birds are drinking from the fountain.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[Eliza1]

Hi Mitchell, Thanks so much for getting back to me..

The bath was cracked and unused Dunlop mortar to repair and I wanted to make sure that with the hot and cold weather that it doesn't crack again as it's my mum's and just a feature in her garden. 

I only used pond sealer as I was told so many different opinions when inquiring but mum doesn't keep water in it.

I thought if I mix a bit of white acrylic paint in it it should maybe take the yellow out?

But would it be ok to paint on the bowl or could it peel off having a bit of acrylic paint mixed in?

I appreciate your advice and thankyou 

Eliza