We built an indoor water feature using ½” plywood, 2’W x 6’L x 14”D. We researched the various offerings for sealants and selected Charcoal Pond Armor. At this point, unlike we normally would do (we’re IT junkies!!), we didn’t look at reviews much. The surface area was about 34sq ft and we bought a 1.5qt kit.
We decided that, as the feature was plywood, it is considered smooth and were going to apply one thicker coat. The problem was, what if we missed bits, or it leaked? We’d have none left over. Then we started reading some negative reviews about the product, how it didn’t cover well, was hard to work with, went off really fast, etc. We were a bit put off now, and the project sat for weeks. Finally, I rang Pond Armor and spoke with Butch. He was fantastic and allayed our fears, but suggested that we apply 3 thinner coats rather than the one heavy one. He recommended we thin them like the first rough surface coat for every coat which we did.
It mixed very easily (even though, not following the onsite tip, we mixed part A with B and the alcohol all at once), and was very simple to roll on. It did start to “tack up” reasonably fast, but no faster than what the instructions advised it would. Within 2-4 hours it was ready for the next coat (air temp inside the house was around 79-80F with little humidity – we live in Phoenix). Prior to the 3rd coat, we used a 500 watt lamp to check the finish. I cannot stress how important this inspection is (and, yes, it says to in the instructions, but who reads those??!!). We saw many little areas that needed brushwork prior to rolling the final coat.
Now we are waiting on the 24 hours cure time to be up so we can fill it. We have an outdoor water feature planned in the future. We’ll definitely use Pond Armor again!
Ian S. – Phoenix, AZ
