FAQs

(1) Are there other national manufacturers using a product similar to UltraGuard?
Yes, But not in the pool industry. Other products are not typically as dense with cross-linking polymers, and in most cases do not use a bond coat. Click Here for further details.Ultimately their application becomes porous and fails because they are only epoxy paints and not a true industrial coating that have 100% solids.

(2) The plaster on my pool floor is very rough. What can I do to make it smooth so my children will not hurt their feet? And also I have some pop-off and hollow areas.
Go to Home Depot and buy a bag of playground sand and a window screen, and buy a product called Acrylic Mortar Admix. This liquid that you buy in the concrete department cannot contain silicone. Buy an 18” squeegee. Buy 2 5-gallon buckets and 1 1-gallon bucket. Find a hardware store or lumberyard that sells white cement.

After screening the sand, use the 1-gallon bucket to mix 2 parts sand to1 part white cement. Box back and forth into empty 5-gallon bucket until thoroughly mixed.

Put 1 and ¼ gallons of acrylic modifier into a 5-gallon bucket. Then mix your concrete into the acrylic modifier to a consistency of a pancake mix. Pour this mix the entire width of your pool. Pull back with your squeegee over the highs and filling the lows. Next day sand down the ridges. You now have a very smooth floor that is ready for the UltraGuard bond coat.

(3) I have an old plaster pool that was painted with rubber paint. After 2 years it’s peeling, blistering and chalking. Do I have to sandblast my pool prior to using your UltraGuard?
You do not have to remove all of your paint and certainly not sandblast. Read Prepping your painted pool on the homepage, right hand side, at the bottom. Follow those instructions.

(4) I have been told any second coat on a previously painted pool will not last more than 1 to 2 years. Why is this?
What the pool paint and epoxy paint manufacturers don’t tell you. That is very true because all paints in time will chalk because of the clay fillers that they have in their product. The initial paint on your marcite plaster should last 3 to 4 years. During that 3 to 4 year period the paint starts to chalk. Pool paint manufacturers claim for a second coat you have to acid wash, power wash then you are ready for your next coat of paint. This is not true. Your original paint is still chalking, creating a barrier that will not permit the second coat to adhere. We will not sell our UltraGuard unless you prep your pool properly. We don’t want the track record that conventional paints have. When you apply our penetrating sealer bond coat it actually becomes part of the pool structure. Our top color coat has a chemical and physical adhesive bond strength of 2000 psi. You now have a no fail system.

Do it once, do it right!

(5) I have read an epoxy website for pool coatings that has a 5-year warranty. How does this differ from your 5-year warranty?
Warranties are always made in the favor of the manufacturer. They normally hold many loop holes and qualifications. One main reason for paint failure is chalking caused by the clay, silica and fillers they add to the resin. Their loophole excuse is usually that they say your water chemistry was off and calcium is causing the chalking not the paint.

If a failure of blistering or delamination occurs they will ask you to send samples of your paint. They will test your paint and prove you did not prep your pool properly. Their prepping instructions have always been inadequate. If we know the proper procedures of prep why don’t they? Why don’t they tell you about the calcium, morning dew or the temperature of your pool shell?

(6) I purchased your UltraGuard 3000 4-years ago. I would like to know when to recoat my pool. It looks fine at this time.
Our product is translucent because it does not contain clays or fillers with 100% solids. On your UltraGuard 3000 you originally had 7 mils thickness. Water wears down any product. When your UltraGuard gets down to approx. ½ a mil you will be able to see the previous undercoat. At this time all you have to do is lightly abrade or scuff the pool surface. You will not have to be concerned with chalking, blistering or any other product failures that you could have with other products.

(7) If we apply the UltraGuard and it fails what are the conditions of your warranty?
We first ask you to send a sample of your pool failure. We will then have our chemist test it to find out why it failed. We will send you a copy of this report to make sure you don’t make the same mistake again. You must give us your control number and we will send you more material to refinish your pool.

Click Here for a Typical Testing Report.

(8) I applied epoxy paint on my pool and it failed the 1st year. It came off in sheets on the walls of the pool not the floor. The manufacturer and contractor told me my water table was too high. Do you believe that this was the cause of our failure?
Before any coating is applied to any pool substrate a moisture test must be taken. Did you do a moisture test? I doubt the water table was the reason for failure. If it was only the top that failed then you probably needed a french drain around your pool.
Mr. Miller had a 5-year warranty from his contractor and the manufacturer in which they did not stand behind.

Click Here to read about Mr. Miller’s Similar Ordeal.

(9) I painted my pool with a 2-part epoxy paint system 4 years ago. I can now see concrete and not paint in some areas. My pool has been cloudy for the past 2 years and I find it very difficult to maintain good water chemistry and fix this problem. What do you think caused this to happen?
When you mixed your epoxy A and B you may not have mixed it properly or there was moisture on the pool at time of application.

(10) Why is UltraGuard superior to other pool interior applications such as Paint, Plaster, and Fiberglass?

Click These Links to Find Out (PAINT) (PLASTER) (FIBERGLASS)

(11) I would like to know if you have a client referral list that can attest to the fact that your product is as good as you claim?
Positively! We believe that the decision has already been made for you because of our referrals.

Click Here for list of Commercial and Residential Referrals

(12) If UltraGuard is so good, why aren’t more contractors handling your product?
You are right. This has been the Best Kept Secret in the pool industry today.
Pool contractors today have no compassion for their customers. They know, what is being offered for pool interior restorations is a perpetual, chronic, application. UltraGuard has been the best kept secret in the pool industry because plastering and painting pools have always been a high volume, high profit business, with a life expectancy of only 2-6 years with no warranties.

UltraGuard is not a high volume installation. The materials used for our coatings are Hi-Tech, Cross-Linking Polymers. These materials are far more expensive then any other products being used in the pool coating industry today.

In just 2-3 days, the average person will find it far easier to install our product over other pool interior applications and save between $5,000-$10,000 depending on the size of your pool.

(13) It is nearly 10 years since I applied your UltraGuard 6000. How will I know when my pool needs to be recoated?
When the bond coat starts to show through your color topcoat it’s time to recoat. At that time lightly sand with a 35-40 grit sand paper with a small hand grinder. Clean pool. You are ready to recoat. At this time you will not have to be concerned about chalking, blistering or product failure.

(14) After seeing your video, I can understand why a Fiberglass installation could be very difficult. My neighbor told me that a company called Fiber-Tech offers a 25-year warranty with their installation. How credible are they?
Many of our new contractors were former Fiber-Tech dealers. Fiber-Tech and other companies using a 2 oz. fiberglass mat have a history of early failures. Many of their contractors have gone out of business or changed their names because of the failures they experienced.
Fiberglass should not be used as a DIY product.

Click Here and See Why. (video)

(15) After reading your website you are very critical of a fiberglass application. What makes your product superior, especially your Armor structural glass application?
Evidently you are on my home page, customer grievances (fiberglass failures). If you want an education on fiberglass resins and gel coats.

Click Here for the New World of Polymers

(16) My one-piece fiberglass drop in pool needs a new topcoat. I searched on the Internet for a source to buy a gel coat for my pool, but to my dismay, I could only find one source that was not a manufacturer or a wholesale distributor. None of these sources offered any warranties. Will the UltraGuard product work well on my pool surface and why is it better than a gel coat?
I am sure you found out there are over 130,000 listings on the Internet about fiberglass gel coats, and as you noted, no national manufacturer or distributor is willing to offer a quality gel coat as a redo on any old swimming pool. Your one-piece fiberglass pool, when first manufactured, had a thick gel coat placed on the mold first and then the fiberglass shell on top of that. By manufacturing a pool in this manner the gel coat could not extrotherminate (over heat), which gives it a greater life expectancy.

On a redo on an old fiberglass spa or pool the Vinyl Esters Gel Coats dry from the bottom up so they hydrate outward and crystallize. This leaves small holes in their coatings making them porous. This will eventually deteriorate, blister, oxidize and chalk over a period of time."

(17) I noticed you do not have any pictures of a one-piece fiberglass pool on your website. Can your UltraGuard be used on a one-piece fiberglass pool as a top color coat?
It is the only product that should be used on any pool interior, which will give any longevity. There are claims made today that gel coats have been improved over the years. This is not true for swimming pool application.

(18) My fiberglass Jacuzzi spa has small pinholes that are causing leakage and the top GelCoat has disappeared. Can UltraGuard correct these problems?
Positively. We recommend grinding the entire spa to remove the balance of the Gelcoat. Using our special structural putty, the pinholes are then filled in and lightly sanded after the curing period. You are now ready for the UltraGuard topcoats.

(19) Our pool is 30 years old. It has a Fiberglass wall and a Concrete floor and is leaking. HELP!
With the UltraGuard and structural putty system you are capable of taking this type of construction, which characteristically has the problems that you mention, to where upon completion of your project using our materials, we can assure you of a pool that is leak proof and the beautiful appearance of a brand new pool

(20) How long does it take to install the UltraGuard system?
With a team of 2-3 people, approximately 2-3 days to give you a beautiful and maintenance free installation.

(21) How does the product bond with existing Concrete or Plaster Marcite Pools?
After the pool has been prepared, an exclusive penetrating 2000-PSI bond coat is applied, which becomes an integrated part of the old pool structural membrane. This application prevents future Hydrostatic Pressure that causes pop-offs and delaminations.

Click Here for Further Details

(22) How thick is the UltraGuard application?
Unlike conventional paint or epoxy paint, which is at best 2 mils thick and will shrink when applied, UltraGuard bond coat and one topcoat are applied approximately 8 mils thick. The Armor color stone is approximately 16 mils thick. Both UltraGuard and Armor color stone, at time of cure, will expand 15 to 20%. Our contractors offer a 10-year warranty on the Armor color stone.

Click Here for Info on Armor Color Stone

(23) How does UltraGuard coatings provide protection against stains and discoloration?
Our exclusive non-porous topcoats make our product virtually maintenance free from stains and discoloration.

(24) My pool has had a major algae problem over the years. With your UlraGuard system, how will this be prevented in the future?
Unlike other applications, UltraGuard is truly non-porous where algae cannot in-bed itself into the surface.

Click Here for Further Details

(25) My pool has structural cracks, which causes it to leak. Can UltraGuard correct this problem?
Glad you asked. Nationally, every pool service company uses a 2-part epoxy to repair cracks. Unfortunately, new cracking occurs shortly thereafter next to where the repairs were made. With the UltraGuard "T" repair system, cracking will never reoccur.

Click Here for Further Details

(26) What type of maintenance and chemical usage can I expect with the UltraGuard system?
You should maintain your pool the same as you did with your previously painted or plaster finish. You will find that overall maintenance and chemical usage for you pool will be far less than your previous coating.

(27) How does freezing affect the UltraGuard product?
Our product works extremely well with the expansion coefficient of concrete under freezing conditions. Our penetrating bond coat, which has a 2000-PSI adhesive strength, actually becomes the integral part of the substrate, which now can be used in freeze/thaw climates.

(28) What happens to the tile at the top of my swimming pool?
You have 3 choices depending upon your needs:

1. If the tile is intact, our application starts below the tile line.

2. Remove the existing tiles and apply the UltraGuard applications starting below the coping.

3. Have your tile replaced by a local service company.

(29) I have broken and cracked steps inside the pool. What can I do to repair them?
Our structural putty product can be used to mold and restore the step areas.

(30) Is the UltraGuard application slippery, especially on the step area?
Major Hotel chains and Government facilities are applying UltraGuard knowing there is no liability concerns, but we do recommend a textured finish and a non-slip solution for the steps.

(31) Can the weather conditions have an affect on applying UltraGuard?
Yes. The outdoor temperature must be a minimal 55 degrees and the pool must be completely dry.

(32) Why do pool service companies always recommend white instead of colors?
This is because dark colors streak and fade. This applies to all resurfacing methods. The darker the color, the faster the degradation. We do no offer or recommend a white surface. It will in time, 4-5 years, start to turn yellow. This is true of all epoxies. We recommend the light blue, which will give you a very natural look. We do not recommend black because it will look like a lagoon in a short period of time. If you want a dark rich color we recommend charcoal.

(33) Is there any product that will remove a rust stain such as from a bobby pin?
Our coating is definitely stain resistant, but, when you have a rust stain, we recommend a product called "Jacks Magic".

Click Here for Further Details

(34) Our pool is 30 years old. It has a Fiberglass wall and a Concrete floor and is leaking. HELP!
With the UltraGuard and structural putty system you are capable of taking this type of construction, which characteristically has the problems that you mention, to where upon completion of your project using our materials, we can assure you of a pool that is leak proof and the beautiful appearance of a brand new pool.

(35) I understand there are Epoxy Paints that claim to contain the latest improvements and are warranted for 5 years. How do they compare to UltraGuard.
These are paints and not industrial coatings. They have at best 2 mils thickness on a perfectly smooth surface and do not use a bond coat. Please read their warranties carefully. You will find they are only responsible to you for the product replacement, not the labor and preparation cost required to recoat your pool.

It is a well known fact in the industry that epoxy paints exposed to sunlight, or continued emersion, even in mild acids, will cause failures such as blistering, chalking, and product delamination.

Conventional epoxy paints are not made to be a topcoat. They do not contain the hi-tech fillers, cross-linking polymers, and the bond coat that is necessary, it cannot be offered as a fail proof system.

The UltraGuard system meets government and industrial specifications needed for coatings that are exposed to chlorine, gasoline, acids, and many other chemicals. Our coatings have been known to last 35-40 years in industrial applications.

Unlike epoxy paints that take at least 7 to 8 days curing time, the pool must remain empty; our exclusive UltraGuard product can be filled the day following the last application.