Pond Armor - Non Toxic Epoxy and Polyurea Pond Liners and Sealers

POND SHIELD^Ž-FSP APPLICATION

Applying Pond Shield^Ž-FSP is simple. You might be thinking to yourself that you've never sprayed anything before in your life. That may be true, but the Pond Shield^Ž-FSP application system is relatively easy learn. All the instructions you need to successfully spray a Pond Shield^Ž-FSP Polyurea liner into your pond are included with your materials and applicator gun. Below we'll show you the general steps to spraying in a Polyurea pond liner using Pond Shield^Ž-FSP.

SURFACE PREPARATION

It's important to prepare the area that you plan to install your liner into. The dirt should be packed sufficiently so that it will not give way as you walk around on the finished liner. There will be a certain amount of loose dirt on the surface of the ground but you should remove any debris such as sharp rocks that can later possibly damage the liner. If needed, a felt barrier can be installed prior to your new Pond Shield^Ž-FSP liner being installed. This will aid in protecting the underside of the liner from anything you may have missed. While Pond Shield^Ž-FSP is strong and does resist tearing far better than any ordinary rubber or plastic liner, it can still be damaged by sharp objects that are allowed to constantly work on it over a long period of time. It's just a smart policy to avoid putting your new liner into that situation.

If you are going to use any sort of stone work as part of the underlying structure, be sure to finish it properly. In this example, the it is recommended to use concrete to finish off the sides of the interlocking block. Small pieces of wood, such as plywood are suitable to be used as forms for this purpose. Simply set the forms and pour some hand mixed quick set concrete on either side of the interlocking blocks. Use a trowel to smooth out the concrete as much as possible. This way, when you lay your new Pond Shield^Ž-FSP liner into place, there will not be a void behind it in these areas. It is wise to correct any areas such as these so that you do not end up with any voids. These voids, if left to exist, will cause a weak area in your new liner that can be damaged if stepped on.

Rocks in areas such as those indicated above, should be removed and used later to hold your new liner in place. Be sure to cut your geotextile fabric long enough to be used in this fashion. We recommend at least 18 inches past and useable are of the liner. Once you place the rock back into position and on top of the liner, you can trim the back side so that it looks more natural.

GEOTEXTILE FABRIC

The first thing you know is that coatings cannot be sprayed right onto dirt without making a mess. This is why when you plan to spray your pond liner in, you use a geotextile fabric as the medium you spray onto. We currently recommend and supply a geotextile fabric for this purpose that is widely used and accepted within the Polyurea industry.

FITTING THE GEOTEXTILE FABRIC

Fitting the fabric is a pretty simple process. The main thing you need to keep in mind is that the Pond Shield^Ž-FSP liner system allows you to create the liner as form fit as you desire. For instance the geotextile fabric shown here can be cut into several more pieces so that a tighter fit finish is achieved or it can be used as is. The choice is yours.

Keep in mind that when you are cutting your geotextile fabric to fit, you'll want to make sure the pieces overlap by at least 6 inches and that anywhere the liner comes out of the pond it is trimmed at least 18 inches larger than needed. All of these can be adjusted as the process continues, but it is much better to have more material than you need and trim it later than not enough when you need it.

While you are fitting the geotextile fabric, it might help to place a few rocks in place to hold previously cut pieces in place. If you look closely at the picture to the right, the overlap from the piece on the top tier is much longer than needed. This will remain as such until the piece is sprayed and put back into place. Just prior to spraying the seam, the material can be trimmed to the length you desire.

SPRAYING THE GEOTEXTILE FABRIC

Hang the geotextile fabric so that it is securely fastened in place. We recommend that you attach small clamps to the bottom of the material as well so as to keep it from moving as you apply Pond Shield^Ž-FSP. You should consider taking measures to protect the surrounding area from over spray. Use tarps and drop cloths to cover anything you do not wish to get the coating on. We advise picking a time of day that has little to no wind to help you minimize the amount of overspray produced.

Once you have loaded a Pond Shield^Ž-FSP static mixer and cartridge into the gun, you'll be ready to spray. Adjust the atomizing and piston controls on the gun and point it straight up to eject the air from the top of the cartridge. Do this for about 3 seconds. This will ensure that you are dispensing equal amounts of both parts A and B properly. Without releasing the trigger, move to the geotextile fabric you have set up.

The main thing you need to keep in mind is that you are not painting. You are applying a coating. What this means is that you are not just applying a color to the fabric. You need to apply enough Pond Shield^Ž-FSP to properly cover the fabric and not leave any pin holes or missed spots. Doing otherwise would defeat the purpose of the liner. If you do find any pinholes at the time you inspect the fabric, you can touch them up with additional Pond Shield^Ž-FSP. Pin holes can be found by using the ambient light behind the coated fabric as an aid. You only have about an hour or so before the coating no longer accepts additional material. If this time frame has passed, you'll have to use Pond Shield^Ž-FSP primer to reactive the surface of the coating so that it accepts a touch up coat. You can also use SikaFlex 1A which is an industrial strength, flexible caulk that we supply to touch up small areas. Afterwards, these areas should be primed and coated with Pond Shield^Ž-FSP.

PLACING THE NEW LINER

After the geotextile pieces have been sprayed it is time to put them back into place and prepare to be seamed. The seaming process is what makes a Pond Shield^Ž-FSP liner unique. With rubber or plastic liners, there is always a chance that the adhesive used to seam can fail over time. After seaming two pieces with Pond Shield^Ž-FSP, the geotextile fabric becomes one cohesive unit.

You basically, will be spraying the back 6 inches of the top piece of fabric and the front 6 inches of the bottom piece of fabric where both overlap. This is best achieved with the help of an assistant who can hold the overlap up for you to spray and then set it in place. This part of the spraying technique is best accomplished with the atomization air and piston speed of the applicator gun turned down. This way, you'll apply a wet enough layer for your assistant to work with.

Once the seam has been put back into place, you can finish the surface. Keep the atomizing air pressure and piston speed turned down slightly and apply an even coat over the separation of the seam, until it disappears. You may have to spray a section and then move onto a different section to allow time for the material to set up. This way you can get a good build of Pond Shield^Ž-FSP without the coating running.

FINISHING UP

When you're done, just take the empty cartridges and throw them away. You can now finish your pond by putting your rock into place and trimming the excess fabric where needed. You should avoid walking on your new liner for at least a few hours. Even though Pond Shield^Ž-FSP sets up within fifteen to thirty seconds, the coating will still be soft and can be damaged prior to fully curing. You should inspect your Pond Shield^Ž-FSP coating for flaws such as pin holes before you finally fill your pond with water. The inspection phase is the most important stage of your project as this is the time you can correct anything that might cause your new liner to fail. If you find and flaws you can successfully spot repair your new coating by following the instructions provided. We recommend that you let your new liner cure for at least twenty four hours prior to filling it with water.

Note: you should always use proper protective clothing and take proper safety precautions for any installation.

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Search for relevant information within our web site.

Look in the summer issue of Ponds Magazine and Water Garden News which feature great information on Pond Shield^Ž. You'll also see pictures of one of our own retailer/installers Ben Case from Down to Earth Designs applying Pond Shield^Ž on a local project of his.