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Thread: Fibreglass disaster
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20-04-2019, 11:57 PM #1
Fibreglass disaster
So to cut a long story short I have had a go at fibreglass my pond and it’s turns in to a disaster. I have struggled to make it stick to the pu foam so has lots of bubbles in it and it just did dent want to wet out so there is a lot of white parts all over. I put on two 450 lares on the walls and run out of time to do the floor and still have the tissue coat to go on the question is what do I need to do to put it right
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21-04-2019, 12:01 AM #2
If I sand over it will I still be able to put the tissue coat on with the white fibreglass under it. Will the tissue coat still make it water proof if I get it to fully wet out
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21-04-2019, 08:16 AM #3
Hi Rich, not an expert by any means but learnt by watching my glasser and did do a few bits of glassing.
If you have bubbles they will need to be taken out as that is a weak spot with maybe a grinder.
The tissue will stick once the old is sanded back but the tissue is only to smoothe out the surface and wont make it more waterproof,basically it will be waterproof without the tissue as long as the 450 is laid properly.
I made a seive from glassing and didn't use tissue just sanded down and put on the flow coat.
Can you get a few pics of yours?John
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21-04-2019, 08:19 AM #4
Oh No, that's does sound a nightmare. The whiteness sounds like air is trapped and maybe its not adhered well enough. I fibreglassed my own pond and am experienced in fibreglass from other trades and you need to take your time. I would stop, save your tissue . Finish the floor using your rollers etc. When thats hard, go over the sides again making sure the previous surface has been rubbed down etc. Use a thicker matting like 650g and do one coat to be safe. Take your time, sheet by sheet and spread it over days if you want as long as you scratch the previous area where you overlap and continue on. When all of it is done , rub down any sharp protruding bits then go over with your tissue. When thats done, rub down any sharp protruding bits then go over with your gelcoat. Another layer on the sides may cost a little more but better to be safe than ripping it all out if there is a leak further down the line. The tissue doesn't necessarily seal the layer and provide strength, it's more an aesthetic look to make the fibrous matting look smoother for the final gelcoat.Its a fallacy that the fibreglass has to be all done in one go. Imagine if you were doing an Olympic swimming pool. As long as you do each section as you go along properly you can take your time. Hope that helps a bit. Good Luck
10000 UK Gallon ( 45 cubic Metres ) Block Fibreglass Pond with Large Waterfall
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21-04-2019, 09:44 AM #5
Fibreglass disaster
Thank you for your input so if I sand down the sides and go over with a 600 tissue has long has that is fully wet out I should be ok
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21-04-2019, 10:14 AM #6
Some pictures of the problem
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21-04-2019, 11:01 AM #7
im no fiberglasser but from what ive seen and heard from others its not as simple as cut and stick,if you did this yesterday im thinking it was too hot and you maybe used too much hardener,did you shade the area,hope you get it sorted mate,,,,andi
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21-04-2019, 11:03 AM #8
Yes covers all over in full shade
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21-04-2019, 11:05 AM #9
Do as per King of diamomds,just rub down the white bits to give a key,but those bubbles I would cut out and go over again,dont cut the matting just tear it so you dont see a join and feather the straight edges so you dont see any joints,put plenty of resin on first then Matt then more resin keep rolling it till soaked.
Doesn't look as bad,is a mess but doable take your time and get everything ready and plan before you mix any hardener.
Keep in touch.John
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21-04-2019, 01:52 PM #10
yeah it looks like its just not fully soaked through.
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21-04-2019, 11:34 PM #11
Not sure if we're all teaching you to suck eggs on Easter Day but when you fibreglass you need to use two types of rollers. All fibreglass suppliers sell them. The first is a woolley roller like a household emulsion roller. This needs to be soaked in the resin and using the roller, apply to the area you are going to cover say a square metre. Apply the sheet and it should stick onto the surface. Now go over the matting with the same roller, trying to soak it in. Not all matting is the same so some areas will soak in easier than others. Keep going over it.
Now use the second roller which you need to buy. This would typically be about 15 - 20 cm wide. It is a solid metal roller that has fine ridges. Its a bit like having a wooly roller without the wool. Using the hard roller , go back over the area making sure you roll in different direction and you're overlapping joints. The purpose of this is to squeeze any air pockets or air trapped plus helping to soak the matting through. I can see from your photos you may not have done this. When the matting is thoroughly soaked it changes colour from white to a dirtier see through shade. More like the colour of water. It isn't easy to see how good you have soaked the resin when you're doing it and it exaggerates when it dries which is what has happened to some of your areas I'm afraid. You may have thought you did it OK at the time.
That is why the you redo the whole area, you need to keep going over the same area over and over again. Its laborious and tiring but the fibreglass system allows you to do this at the rate you set so 1, 2, 3 sheets or more etc as you go.
I personally think you will struggle to cut the areas in white because you will find some resin has gone hard over those areas and new resin won't penetrate the matting hence you are thinking it hasn't stuck to those areas of the pond.
This is salvageable but I think you need to decide how you can live with it.
If you are a perfectionist with no budget then you should really cut those areas through or off if possible and reglass with two new sheets of matting etc before the final tissue coat & gelcoat.
However, if you can imagine you were making or buying a readymade fibreglass liner to drop into a dug hole then it wouldn't matter if the inside of the pond isn't stuck to to the matting in those white areas AS LONG as you do another sheet sealing the whole pond and further strengthening it. It must be glassed & sealed at the top edges so no water can work its way down between the original layers and foam / concrete.
Sorry for the longwinded lecture but I am confident you can do it just slowdown and do it at your own pace. No one gave me a prize for finishing it quickly, I took my time mainly because it was big. Happy to advise. It's not as scary as you imagine. All the best
PS buy a tub of styrene liquid so you can wash all the resin off your rollers etc as you go along. That will save buying multiple rollers.
Always sand between hard coats which denibs all spikes, flies etc and prepares for the next coat10000 UK Gallon ( 45 cubic Metres ) Block Fibreglass Pond with Large Waterfall
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22-04-2019, 05:55 AM #12
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22-04-2019, 06:14 AM #13
Yes thank you kod that has give me hope
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Running heater at low temp?
Covering the pond with polycarb should be enough to stop water temps dipping below 6C for the most...