Pond Armor SKUFGREENQTR NonToxic Pond Shield Epoxy Paint, 1.5Quart, Forest Green

I have a large fountain in my garden that had only a skim coat of cement the mason thought would seal it. It didn't. Water soaked through the concrete constantly. So I tried Pond Armor--it's excellent and I highly recommend it.It went on very nicely and after two coats I have a beautiful surface that looks and feels like glass. Follow the instructions carefully and use gloves at all times. You'll need containers for mixing, mixing sticks and to provide your own alcohol to mix in--it's not complicated once you line it up, and it applies nicely, though it's very sticky as you'd expect.If you are (very) adventurous, you can mix colors. This is what I did (three blue and one green to get a dark aqua) and achieved the perfect color. I also reached out to the company for advice a few times by email and they responded quickly and thoroughly answered my questions.If you are doing a large area, consider buying one box (there are two cans per box that you mix together) and completing two coats to see how much you need. My base concrete didn't absorb much and I got twice the coverage the company says to expect, so I ended up returning some unused boxes.

So Far: For this first time user, the square footage coverage estimates came to be 1/4th of that as suggested by Pond Armor. 1.5 quarts was supposed to cover 60-70 square feet, using the two-coat rough surface method. I was only able to cover 34.5 square feet with one coat on hardwood.My comments thus far are limited to application of the product and not product performance as I still need another 1.5 quarts to finish the job. At this juncture, I give the product three stars solely due to coverage estimates being off by a large margin. I suspect Pond Armor's estimates may be more accurate for a Pond Armor employee with a lot of practice under their belt.First Round:Please consider my first commentary as a preliminary review of Pond Shield ("PS"). The reason being, is that I have only applied the first layer to 12 square feet of the total 34.5 square foot surface which comprises a large vivarium. I wanted to jump the gun and give a little feedback incrementally as I progressed as this is the first time I have ever used a two part epoxy paint. I have used the putty type 2 part epoxy in bonding corals to live rock as well as making small bonsai slabs for group plantings. The take away from those experiences is that IME putty epoxy can be temperamental in which it cures lightening fast unexpectedly at times for reasons that may be perplexing. In contrast, PS's cure time and consistency is purposefully manipulated with denatured alcohol, which the user supplies.So far I have found that: (1) make very small batches and learn the characteristics of the blend, consistency, application and timing, (2) get a box of latex gloves, a stack of disposal cups (20 oz range), a few dozen implements to stir paint, and 6-12 brushes.You will be throwing all of these items away after each batch is applied. The smell is negligible. Application is tedious due to the thick consistency.Second Round:I have exhausted 1.5 quarts of forest green in covering 34.5 square feet of hardwood with a single coat. Unfortunately, I will be needing another 1.5 quarts to finish the job. I am sure that the first coat exceeded the recommended depth in areas, however the product is quite thick and unwieldy when mixed per the directions for first coat applications. Mind you that I was applying this product indoors to hardwood that had been prepped with 60 grit and wiped clean. Even in the best of working environments, I still didn't even come close to obtaining the suggested coverage for 1.5 quarts.I can only imagine that someone with greater experience than I, would likely achieve greater coverage with a thinner and more uniform layer. The sort of precision only comes with practice. Considering that maybe 80% of us will likely do this once or twice in our lives, i feel the coverage estimates are very, very optimistic and therefore inaccurate for most DIY consumers. I even planned for this contingency and still came up short. Had I known It was going to take me 4 times the amount of product to get the job done, then I can say I would have probably taken a different route. Now I am committed and have to pick up another 1.5 quarts, which doesn't thrill me.(Note: The thought of applying this to an concrete pond is even more concerning as the rougher surface wouldn't be nearly as receptive to manipulating the product in order to achieve the uniform recommended depth.)Third Round - Upon receiving my second quart and a half of Forest Green, i decided to try out the alternative method of application, which involved spreading the epoxy with a paint scraper as opposed to a paint brush. After sanding the floor of the vivarium with 60 grit sandpaper and wiping up the dust with a damp microfiber cloth I began applying a small batch of epoxy with a paint scraper. Being that this was the second coat, the application of epoxy with the scraper was remarkably easier to spread and manage. I was beginning to enjoy this project way more than I did when applying the first coat and started to see the extent of the product's potential..I am adding a star, for a total of four stars. Working with epoxy for the first time entails a steep learning curve .More to come....

I used this product to paint our water fountain that went south this spring. Great product. If you want a faster set up time, just add more resin to the paint. It does set up as stated on the package (1/2 hour maybe) and the end result is beautiful. Part A is a bit messy and I would highly recommend wearing latex gloves when using this product. The only product I had that would clean spots off my hands was paint brush cleaner. I also painted a terracotta bird bath basin with it. To my surprise there is less algae forming in both the fountain and the bird bath. Great product.

I needed something non-toxic to water proof the bottom of a wooden habitat for a Redfoot tortoise. Two coats were more than enough. Must work fast, though. And no fumes! For an epoxy, I was very surprised.

This is hard to use. It is so thick that it will wear you out quickly. I bought the 1.5 quart size and the recommend mixing only half at one time. I mixed only a quarter and am so glad I did. I just finished using that amount as it was starting to cure. Three suggestions if you decide to do this. First, latex gloves! Ask me why I say that :). Next, have plenty of lacquer thinner on hand for cleanup. That is the only thing I found that would cut it. Lastly, have a supply of disposable bristle brushes.The end justifies the means, but I won't be doing this again anytime soon.