Review of "Ultraguard"

[windfix]

Prior to the ultraguard coat, I patched with mortar mixed with liquid acrylic (instead of water) - obtained from Home Depot.

2 years later now, and I had two 6-8" bubbles form, then break in the ultraguard. The plaster subsurface was still stuck to it, so a failure of the plaster - not the ultraguard. I used a tintable epoxy product called All-Fix to patch these holes: http://picasaweb.google.com/paul.mck...ardWithAllFix#

So far, a very good solution that nearly matched the color and is as close to invisible as you could hope for. This stuff is like putty and cures underwater.

[windfix]

Well, I got 5 years out of our ultraguard, but I was less impressed than I hoped to be - I expected 10 or more. Ken has now retired but still taking my calls to advise on the resurfacing. There was no offer of any response to Ultraguard's "guarantee" though. The epoxy wore or dissolved away, esp. in the shallow end and on the pool steps. I believe I may have caused this by letting the total alkalinity run unchecked, and creating corrosive water. Anyway, my mortar patches became visible. I had another 3-4 bubles form and break in the epoxy - likely caused by the plaster below. Anyway, I am using Ultraguard again. I will be grinding the hell out of the surface, making as many smoothing repairs as possible and then paying closer attention to my pool chemistry... an expensive and time-consuming lesson. I intend to double up the coating on the shallow end and triple-up on the steps; just in case.

[Marin]

Epoxy paint is a 5-10 year solution. Properly cared for, plaster is a 25+ year solution.

I do 5-10 epoxy paint coatings a year, here's my advice;
-Do not completely smooth the pool surface, especially steps. The coating is slick, so a little tread is a good thing.
-Follow the prep directions to a "T".
-Do not apply the coating when temps are above 90F or the surface will be in direct sun. It will blister the surface. Yes, I have painted jobs at night and I have used large tarps to create chade.
-Wear a respirator and have air movement. The air down in a pool is dead and can create a bad situation quickly. We use a 36" drum fan to circulate the air.
-Someone mentioned above they did touch up and it was a different shade. You need to do a complete coat in one application. Subtle differences in humidity will effect the sheen and shade. Plan for that.

I'm probably forgetting more than that, I'll reply again as it comes to me.