Pond bonder and sealer

vicwatson · 17-11-2020 11:06am #1

Pond in the garden and it looks as if the concrete was put on straight against the earth, not a bad job of this, it's structurally sound but was only painted and now has moss etc coming through it.

Is there some type of bonding or sealing paint that could be used to stop seepage/moss appearing? Or would the likes of Mapei shower bond work?

The Continental Op · 17-11-2020 11:47am

Not suggesting this supplier they just came up in a google search for Bentonite Clay https://www.clearwater.ie/bentonite/ but the page gives a brief explanation of its use.

vicwatson · 17-11-2020 3:20pm

The Continental Op wrote: »

Not suggesting this supplier they just came up in a google search for Bentonite Clay https://www.clearwater.ie/bentonite/ but the page gives a brief explanation of its use.

Looks like it's for a new build pond or pool, tks

vicwatson · 01-02-2021 6:06pm

Anyone recommend some brands for tanking/rubberised paint - would that work here?

vicwatson · 17-02-2021 11:00am

???

...Ghost... · 18-02-2021 1:03am

Are you sure it's moss? Most likely it's algae. Without seeing the pond it's hard to advise. The size of the pond and intended purpose matters too. If you upload some pictures I will try to help out. I've a 5000 litre concrete pond out my back I built a few years ago, so I have some idea on the subject.

...Ghost... · 24-02-2021 2:11am

vicwatson wrote: »

???

PM me if you need help with this. Not likely i'll check back here otherwise.

vicwatson · 24-02-2021 12:03pm

...Ghost... wrote: »

PM me if you need help with this. Not likely i'll check back here otherwise.

I will thanks very much

...Ghost... · 24-02-2021 1:36pm

PM removed for poster privacy

OK, so my understanding is you are trying to prevent seepage from a sunken pond size drain basin to the rest of the garden. The structure does indeed look solid.

You can take 2 approaches. Both approaches start with you power-washing, keying and power-washing again. Try to get some of that paint layer off but don't break your heart doing it. You should then apply a pond sealer product (I used G4 pond sealer and it worked well) to the entire basin including the 4" grey blocks around the basin. Doing this is necessary prep work and helps prevents leaks forming during the second phase. After you have done that you can:

Option 1
Apply good quality UV stabilised and rubberised pond paint. Choose a light colour to keep it cool during the hot months.

Option 2
Fibreglass it. This will be the longest lasting method. It's easy enough to do, though more involved than just painting. You can choose any colour for a top coat once the first resin layer has cured. Can all be done in a day. Be sure to bring the matting up over the edge of the basin and you can cap this with stone. Plenty of videos of glassing online. There is a place in NI which I found to be a fair bit cheaper than ROI for supplies.

The extra work for glassing is worth it, because the fibreglass forms a structure in the basin and is less likely to crack like the paint would. If you walk on the area, choose a thick matting. Cracking would be a concern here, because you are not sealing a pond, you are sealing something that will empty most of the time and will have water in it occasionally. Pond paint is likely to degrade quickly and would require maintenance probably yearly under your use case.

Note: all surfaces exposed to water should be sealed. This includes the pit under the access grate which houses the pump. You might get away with the pond sealer alone, but if possible, try to include this in phase 2 aswell.

vicwatson · 24-02-2021 3:00pm

...Ghost... wrote: »

I've taken most of your message for context for other boardsies.

OK, so my understanding is you are trying to prevent seepage from a sunken pond size drain basin to the rest of the garden. The structure does indeed look solid.

You can take 2 approaches. Both approaches start with you power-washing, keying and power-washing again. Try to get some of that paint layer off but don't break your heart doing it. You should then apply a pond sealer product (I used G4 pond sealer and it worked well) to the entire basin including the 4" grey blocks around the basin. Doing this is necessary prep work and helps prevents leaks forming during the second phase. After you have done that you can:

Option 1
Apply good quality UV stabilised and rubberised pond paint. Choose a light colour to keep it cool during the hot months.

Option 2
Fibreglass it. This will be the longest lasting method. It's easy enough to do, though more involved than just painting. You can choose any colour for a top coat once the first resin layer has cured. Can all be done in a day. Be sure to bring the matting up over the edge of the basin and you can cap this with stone. Plenty of videos of glassing online. There is a place in NI which I found to be a fair bit cheaper than ROI for supplies.

The extra work for glassing is worth it, because the fibreglass forms a structure in the basin and is less likely to crack like the paint would. If you walk on the area, choose a thick matting. Cracking would be a concern here, because you are not sealing a pond, you are sealing something that will empty most of the time and will have water in it occasionally. Pond paint is likely to degrade quickly and would require maintenance probably yearly under your use case.

Note: all surfaces exposed to water should be sealed. This includes the pit under the access grate which houses the pump. You might get away with the pond sealer alone, but if possible, try to include this in phase 2 aswell.

Thanks for all that info, plenty to mull over.

rje66 · 28-02-2021 9:33am

vicwatson wrote: »

Anyone recommend some brands for tanking/rubberised paint - would that work here?

There is a Sika product. Off the top of my head I can't rem which one exactly. Go to their website for a gander. I used it in my water feature and no problems yet.

jayo99 · 26-08-2022 1:13pm

Is there a silka (or any manufacturer) product which can be added to concrete while mixing it, instead of being applied when it dries?

Looking at building a concrete pond and am not a fan of the paint-on sealers.

rje66 · 27-08-2022 8:45am

Yes. Build the blocks ,then plaster it with the sika product added to the render mix, did this bout 5 years ago, no leaks yet. Also there is I think a sika product that you make up a slurry type mix and paint it on over the render. Chadwicks stock the sika stuff, but you are better talking yo the guys in sika directly. They are in ballymun, but you have to buy through sika. Their products are very hood.

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10-10-20 · 27-08-2022 10:28am

Anything that you use should be pond/fish-safe and not just standard waterproofing. Many of the commercial products aren't tested to be pond-safe, so it's difficult to know whether curing byproducts will continue to leach out over time and harm any aquatic organisms. One of the best sources for this type of pond material is in the UK unfortunately, so buyer-beware.

Pond bonder and sealer

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