Waterproof Application

This process of applying the waterproofing to the inside of the spa deserves it's own blog update, mostly because I used so many expletives (even a few new ones) that I literally embarrassed an Australian Sailor (sorry, Mike!).

The products are all made by Sani-Tred, and they are guaranteed forever, which is why I selected them. They are expensive but seem like the best product to waterproof the concrete block and are flexible enough to not fail over time.

The picture shows the products and tools I used. Along with the rubber gloves and various cut up milk cartons were the actual products. The Permaflex base coat requires a separate catalyst/activator that is mixed with the Permaflex to create a prime coat that penetrates the concrete block and provides a surface for the next product to molecularly weld to. The problem with this product is the application process. First of all, it needs to be at least 70 degrees out or the product is too thick to apply. Then it needs to be thinned with Xylene. Good smelling stuff. I rolled the product onto the concrete block, but the product does not absorb into the block without being worked in with a brush, even after being thinned. So it was basically like hand painting the entire inside of the spa-three times! At least I didn't ever paint myself into a corner!

All of the tiles need to be primed with the Permaflex, so I set up the ping pong table and covered it with tile, three times. It's a lot of tile!

If the application of any of the products occurs over the course of a day, you need to clean a film that develops with TSP and Xylene before you can apply the next product in order to assure a proper bond. This I did at least 3 times.

The Liquid Rubber Base (LRB) is applied over the Permaflex, and also has to be mixed with a thickening activator, which is just a nasty process that creates an equally nasty product that smells, is very sticky and sets up quickly. Fun stuff.

This product is used in all of the joints, especially where the walls and the floor meet, and to fill cracks. The instructions suggest shoveling the mixture into a Ziploc bag with a cut out corner in order to apply a consistent bead into the various corners. Yeah right! What a frickin' mess! I made a wooden squeegee with the corner cut out to try and smooth out the corners after my Ziploc emptied product everywhere (including on me), which would have worked better if the consistency of the LRB were thicker. Another long frustrating process that I just worked through until it was acceptable.

One more "Topcoat" of Permaflex and I am ready to place some tile.

Tiling the waterfall front

After I practiced my tiling skills on the back of the waterfall, I began working on the front. My goal was to continue the diamond pattern on the front like I had done on the back, and create a cohesive look where the waterfall manifold did not disrupt the pattern.

The challenge was to cut the tiles to create the illusion that the pattern continued, and to calculate where the pattern had to start in order for it to end at the top without using tiny pieces that would look out of place and unplanned.

These tiles did not need to be applied over the waterproofing like the tiles on the inside of the spa, but in order to start this wall above the water line I needed to create a straight line that I could build from. I cut a 1" x 2" and wedged it between the two sides as I placed the tiles and built the pattern up from there.

I made paper dolls (Not really, just seeing if you were paying attention). But I did cut patterns out of paper for each piece and dry placed it on the wall before I cut the tiles. I drew around each piece before I made thin set and made it official-there is no going back after the tile is placed in thin set! You can see the pencil marks if you look closely.

I finished this wall before the Memorial Day Weekend. I thought it turned out pretty cool!

The time I have spent since has been on preparing the inside of the spa for the waterproofing application.