Building a pond is not something to be taken lightly. Indeed, there are all types of ponds with different techniques: clay, concrete, concreteity, preformed ponds or simply covered with a tarpaulin ... but the pond that holds our attention is made of polyester resin.
Why choose a polyester pond?
Creating a polyester pond is undoubtedly the best way to create a durable and solid piece of water. In addition to offering a long life to your pond, polyester requires little maintenance and offers great flexibility in the realization of shapes, only your imagination will be limited. It is also easy to repair and refurbish, and colorfast, all for a relatively low price.
Can I make a polyester pond myself?
Creating a polyester pond is not an easy task. Sometimes it's better to call in a professional than to go into a project head first. However, with a minimum of manual skills, it is possible to create your own water feature.
What are the different possibilities to create a pond?
First, you need to determine the shape of your pond and calculate its dimensions. The ideal is to have a deeper area at 1m20 so that in winter, your fish are safe.
There are 4 methods for preparing the soil:
1. The bitumen paper method: for walls with an angle of more than 45°.
- Less expensive and suitable for covering large areas.
- Place the paper at 20 - 30 cm on the edge and hold it with grass or stone clods.
- Glue the joints with insulating tape and apply the polyester coating starting with the sides and then the floor. Once the substrate is ready, start the polyester and glass mat coating.
- Place the glass mat strip over the resin layer and apply a new polyester layer.
- Remove air from the glass mat with an air roller. It is important to fray the edges of the glass mat to prevent the seams from showing when covering the 1st strip of glass mat with the 2nd layer of glass mat.
- Trim any protruding edges and sandpaper.
- Apply a layer of pre-coat. (10% polyester dye and 2% MEC hardener).
- Let dry for 3 to 7 days before filling the pond with water.
2. The concrete method: for round polyester ponds
- A layer of 2 - 3 cm is sufficient for the floor. Due to the alkaline nature of the cement, it should be allowed to dry for 8 days before applying the polyester liner.
- Apply a coat of PU primer, wait 1 to 4 hours maximum. Then apply the polyester coating.
3. The concrete block method for a polyester and fiberglass pond with vertical walls
- First pour a screed on the floor and mason the walls. For small areas: 5 cm screed and 12 cm walls. For large areas: 10 cm screed and 24 cm block walls.
- Cap the walls and round the corners to a radius of 2 cm. Due to the alkaline content of the concrete, a minimum of 28 days is required before applying the polyester coating.
- After 28 days, apply a coat of PU primer by brush or roller and wait a minimum of 1 hour and a maximum of 4 hours. Then apply the polyester coating.
4. The chipboard method: for walls with an angle of inclination of more than 45
This inexpensive method also allows for very large surface areas to be covered. Because of the counter pressure of the floor, the walls will have an angle of inclination of about 15°.
You will then have to nail boards to the joints.
- Round the corners with putty or with corner battens.
- Apply 2 coats of pu primer. Wait 1 hour minimum and 4 hours. Then apply the polyester coating.
What should I pay particular attention to?
- The application must be done at temperatures between 10 and 33°C. The higher the temperature, the shorter the application time. You can adjust the application time by adding more or less MEC hardener (1.5%).
- Please read the hazard warnings on the labels carefully.
- The hardener is a peroxide that can cause allergies.
- Check your local regulations for disposal of chemical waste.
- After curing, these products are neutral and therefore respect the fauna and flora.
- Cobalt is used to accelerate the resins, it should never be mixed directly with the MEC hardener: this causes a chemical reaction!
Your garden pond is now finished, all you have to do is place your selection of fauna and flora in it, and relax when the time comes!
