Waterproof Cement Pond Coating Comparison
Compare the most important features of the popular waterproof pond coatings on the market. This is helpful to make a clear decision on which product to purchase. Don’t forget to read the objective reviews of these products following this cross reference.
| Product | Mil Height | Rating | Kit Amt | Kit Cost | $/sq ft | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adhesion Promoter? | Is a Sealer | DIY | Membrane | % Solids | Tensile | Elongation |
| Polyurea Hybrid | 60-100 | N/A | N/A | $15.00 | ||
| N | Y | Y | N | 100% | < 2000 psi | 50%-300% |
| Pond Armor | 20-30 | 1.5 Gallon | $319.80 | $2.65 | ||
| N | Y | Y | N | 100% | 1100psi | 4% |
| Hecht Rubber | 30 | 1 gallon | $215.00 | $4.00 | ||
| Y | N | Y | Y | 40% | 680 psi | 180% |
| Seal Tite | 30-120 | 1 gallon | $139.28 | $2.60 | ||
| N | Y | Y | Y | 100% | < 2200 psi | 80% |
| RubberizeIt! | 60-100 | 5 gallon | $345.99 | $5.17 | ||
| Y | N | Y | Y | 40% | 89.5 psi | 270% |
| CIM 1000 | 60-120 | 5 gallon | $500.00 | $3.74 | ||
| N | N | N | Y | 89% | 800 psi | 300% |
Defining the Variables
The following factors are all used in determining the number of stars a product receives. This was based on a few application factors as follows:
- overall cost
- ease of use
- strength of coating
- Is the coating a membrane?
Is Sealer
Some coatings require a sealer PRIOR to application because chemicals can leach out of the substrate and cause delamination and cracking. EPDM/neoprene rubber coatings and some polyurethanes require a separate sealer to keep this from happening. The problem is that these sealer/primers add a significant amount of cost to the product. So, it’s easy to see that coatings that act as a sealer/primer will be more affordable without sacrificing quality.
Adhesion Promoter
If you read about rubberized coatings that are used in coating concrete or metal you’ll see that it is highly recommended to use an appropriate adhesion promoter to resist bubbling and peeling after the application. Again this adds significantly to the labor and product cost. So, even though these rubber-type coatings are very attractive, there are drawbacks that make these coatings problematic.
DIY
If you are looking to handle a coating job yourself and you are not a contractor, this is an important factor. Polyurea requires expensive equipment as well as proper training and licensing to apply in most areas. That makes DIY impossible.
Membrane
The advantage of a membrane coating is that it stretches enough to not crack when the underlying substrate moves, expands or cracks itself (within certain constraints). These types of coatings are superior to others in regards to long term function and performance when strained by environmental factors (freezing, thawing, high water table, etc).
% solids
The solids percentage is literally the amount of solids to VOC’s / solvents / water. So, when the chemical reaction that makes a coating harden or cure is complete, there is a loss of volume/weight of materials. Therefore, if you have a gallon of material that is 40% solids, you can calculate the coverage of that material with the formula :
(Total Liquid (in gallons) * %solids * 1604) / mil height = total sq footage at the mil height
So, let’s compare a high solvent content coating and a no solvent coating:
(1 * .4 * 1604) / 30 = 21.4 sq ft @ 30 mils
1 gallon of 100% solids @ 30 mils is:
(1 * 1 * 1604)/30 = 53 sq ft @ 30 mils
As you can see, this is more than double the coverage rate which significantly decreases the cost / sq ft of a no solids coating to the original price. So, if you want to use money to understand it we can take the cost of the 2 items per gallon and use this formula:
$200 / ((1 * .4 * 1604) / 30) = $ 9.35/ sq ft @ 30 mils
versus
$300 for one gallon of 100% solids for 30 mils of coatings
$300 / ((1 * 1 * 1604) / 30) = $5.61 / sq ft @ 30 mils
This makes the rubber type solutions here very expensive compared to 100% solids coatings. Seal Tite Membrane Coating?= 100% SOLIDS.
Tensile Strength
Tensile strength measures the force required to pull something such as rope, wire, or a structural beam to the point where it breaks. The tensile strength of a material is the maximum amount of tensile stress that it can take before failure, for example breaking. Seal Tite = 3,800 tensile average (range is 2060 to 6,500 PSI dependent on mix ratio)
Elongation
Elongation is the measurement of how far a sample of material can be stretched and still return to it’s original form. This can be technically described by :
“the increase in the gauge-length of a test specimen after fracture divided by its original gauge-length. Higher elongation mean higher ductility.”
For example :
specimen length = 1 cm
specimen length with tension applied breaks at 3 cm
elongation = 3/1 = 300% elongation. Seal Tite = 218% elongation average with proportionate range as it’s tensile PSI.
Seal Tite by “Spray-Lining & Coatings” uses Polyurea formulated from PPG. This was in the labeling & spec sheets as derived from Duracoat, a PPG Polyurea product with usage in ponds or water scape sealing or construction. I noticed this bc my customizing shop uses PPG auto paint. My lead painter also applies spray-on truck bed liner on pickup truck beds. We use Duracoat from our PPG rep who is unsure if this truck bed liner is the same product. Both do look, smell & behave almost identical except the Seal Tite is “softer”.
I own a 17,000 gallon koi pond with cascaded drains leading into it. I’m not an SLC employee. I read MSDS of Seal Tite and truck bed lining from SLC. Their pond coating and liner has more elongation; their spray-on lining for trucks has higher tensile psi and elasticity. Specs & MSDS info is under “our products” in this website.