Pool Paint?

Hey all, brand new member here- and brand new first-time pool owner! I've been looking through this site's forums, and love the knowledge base here!! You're all a very helpfull resource collectively! Thanks!!

So, I bought a house this past November here in the Denver CO area, and this spring I decided to completely gut and refinish the inground gunite pool. So far, I have removed all coping and tile, removed light and skimmer, removed hack-job decking pavers, ripped out the death-trap diving board, and have powerwashed and ground off about 75% of the pool paint down to a 'clean' white plaster substrate. The coping has been ordered, new tile purchased, and now researching paint. I'm gonna go Epoxy for sure, but not sure which brand is best for the price/this application?

The problem is that the pool paint industry is curiously/suspiciously mysterious, and it is nearly (actually) impossible to find non-commercially biased reviews of pool paints anywhere on the net. The only reviews I can find anywhere are from new users that just applied the paint (of course it looks great and hasn't peeled on them yet at this stage, duh!!), or on commercial sites that sell the stuff, so, I'm no genius, but something tells me these posts aren't quite objective/honest?

My question to this fine community of poolers: Has ANYONE out there had LONG-TERM experience with Epoxy pool paints and know from experience the longevity/issues of such products? I want to know about longevity/issues experienced using Epoxy high-build paints from someone who didn't apply the product just a matter of days or weeks ago... What brand is the best for the price? What can I expect for lifetime of the paint if I have prepped the @#$% out of the pool?

Proud to join the community! Any and all advice is much appreciated!!!!!!

Justin :)

I've seen some bad results with epoxies, some because of the paint; most because contractors didn't follow the instructions.

Over the past 25 years, I've personally applied Kelly Technical's Olympic Zeron paint, maybe a dozen times, all to pools over 100,000 gallons. Life expectancy -- IF you do it right -- is about 4-5 years, not the 5 - 7 they say. That is the ONLY paint I would use or recommend.

READ the instructions on Kelly's site carefully before buying. Make SURE you are ready to follow instructions completely. Don't even try to apply epoxy, if you are not.
http://www.kelleytech.com/olympic/ol...-bulletins.asp

The rule with epoxy is, "If you don't do it right, it sticks to EVERYWHERE you don't want it, and NOWHERE you do!" That's fairly accurate.

It's not hard but it does require meticulous prep.

Hi, Justin. I have no idea about Epoxy paint. Sorry! But somebody here probably can answer your question. I just wanted to pop in here and welcome you to the Pool Forum! We are glad to have you!

(You're gonna love having a pool!)