It seems that it should be easy to fix and ecoFinish flake off, doesn’t it? It’s not quite that simple and here is an example based on a question we recently received.
I have installed two Plungie pools over the past two years (both on the same block) in Ohio.
After the 1st year there were a few hairline cracks and some minor failure on the floor finish. Both pools got repaired.
Though the floor patch came loose and created what you can see in the photo below.
Why isn’t EcoFinish Patching really easy?
It looks like the ecofinish isn’t getting a good grip down into the surface underneath – ecoFinish itself isn’t the water proof barrier so it’s a cosmetic issue – I wouldn’t add any other finishes or paints to the mix.
Since a the surface underneath is a plaster/pebble/marcite – how the ecoFinish adheres is subject to many variables, including if there were any “dense” spots in the mix, or if there were any areas that got more/less hydration than the rest of the surface as it cured subject to each mixed batch there are inherently irregularities in any plaster/pebble/marcite mix.
You can sand down the areas flaking and leave it exposed underneath. For the repair I’d think the surface needs to be roughed up/ acid washed and sanded to allow for good adhesion – and then a good layer of the epoxy 50/50 put on – that starts a chemical reaction and creates a good surface gripping into the layer below the surface. Once the next coat of epoxy is put on and then the ecoFinish flamed on it creates the bond with the surface underneath. If the surface wasn’t porous enough to accept it when first applied I’d suspect this is why it let go from the surface. Unfortunately a patch can’t really be “glued down” to hide the issue and the entire setup has to come out to do even a small repair (the compressor/ecoFinish machine etc.) making it a more complicated fix than a quick one unfortunately. Good news though, that far underwater it’s harder to see- and I know hard to live with when you know it’s there- but ultimately just a minor blemish until a fix can be done.
Hope this helps!