[koiczar]

Quote: Originally Posted by ootyboy I used Pond Armor on my current pond, and found that the company over promises and very much under delivers. Their coverage per package, is well below that they promise. Also, their support after the fact is horrid. Both of those guys that work there, Butch & Greg are not really pond builders. I know for a fact that Greg used to be a painter. They claim to know pond construction, and support their products. However, when there is a problem, as I had in my construction, they blame the applicator and claim their product is perfect and without fault. They buy this stuff in bulk from Epoxy dealers and mark it up a lot to sell to the pond industry. Next time I am using Mansoite -- a lot cheaper and carried by local dealers like TSE Koi.

ootyboy

Obviously, you live in the South Bay Area. Well, before we badmouth Butch and Greg, let me ask you, what was your pond constructed of? Did you shoot gunite or was it cinder block? Did you render it first to smooth out the coating so you could get the coverage they specify. We found out the hard way that it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT otherwise, you WILL NOT get the coverage they state. What method of application did you use? Brush, roller or spray application? There are major differences here as well.

I had some problems with delays getting the second and third batch of material we ended up needing. You stated that they buy the material from someone else and then mark it up - I don't think this is correct. When I called to place the second and third orders, the reason for a delay was they were MAKING IT! Evidently, some pool builder in Arizona was buying up everything he could get his hands on and their supply was exhausted.

I know that if we use this product again, and I'm sure we will, we will make sure the gunite is troweled to a very smooth finish, or rendered before applying this material. We use a Graco model 650 spray unit and it blows this stuff out beautifully. You better be prepared to run as you spray as the unit puts out .8gpm and with a wide rac spray tip of 24" you cover a lot of surface real fast! As far as adhesion, I'm initially impressed. This stuff is very strong and even takes a hell of a lot to sand it down, even with 40 grit grinder pads and a 7" grinder. Hardly scratches the surface when applied at 10-15 mils. Time will tell on how long it holds up, but my initial feeling is that it is far superior to products like CIM or Nelsonite of Hecht Rubber. I've seen all of these peel off within 2 - 5 years of service. The only other product we have used with very good success is PermaFlex. We will continue to use both of these products depending on the situation and construction methods needed/requested by the job and the customer.

Mike