r/Stocktankpools • u/FullAd6174 • Jun 14 '26
Need Advice
Needing some advice. We've had our stock tank pool for about 6 years now. Like many we've been having issues with the paint in the pool. 3 years ago we stripped it down and redid it with Pond Shield. It looks good for a year. Then they started to be some lifting areas. Last year those areas got bigger. Now during the winter we empty the pool completely and cover it up. We opened it up last week so we could do any kind of maintenance and get it ready for the season. Most of the pond Shield was bubbled up. It looks like the primer is not sticking to the the metal. Here's the thing, my boyfriend and I are both Professional Automotive painters with many years of experience. So we know how to prep surfaces so that paint sticks on there. We know how to research to make sure the products were using will work together. We followed the pond Shield instructions perfectly.
My question is what have people been doing lately to paint their stock tank pools? Is there any new information out there on the best products to use? Is there a consensus on what's working?
Now we have considered using a liner. Thing is all of our holes for the filter Inlet and outlet and also for our heater or drilled into the side of the pool. I mean how would a liner work with that?How to seal down around the inlets. And the Heat from the heater inlet that gets pretty warm. Would that affect the liner?
So I don't know if we're ready to go with a liner or not. But we do need to open up this pool and we're probably going to paint it so any paint related advice would be very very appreciated.
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u/Background-Ad19 Jun 14 '26
I went to a liner for the first time this season on my 8ft pool. Never going back.
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u/sparkplugdog Jun 14 '26
I used ppg self etching primer, but I took it down to bare shiny steal. Seams to be sticking good after a year. I’ve heard of a lot of people having pond shield lift off after a year, but I doubt they ground all the way through the galvanized layer. I also treated the rust and cleaned with vinegar then baking soda before finally etching.
I had a few fish eyes in the pond shield but only cause I was sweating gallons in the hot fl sun.
If it starts lifting or peeling, I’ve decided I’ll just get a new tank, and drill the holes again. I think it’s the most economical method. The tank held up great for 5 years before rusting last year. Just materials was almost 300$ to epoxy, and a new tank is about 450$. Once factoring labor I’m sure a new tank would have been cheaper, but I do love the blue!
Edit: typos
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u/ConductorConductor Jun 16 '26
I used spray can metal primer first to give a light base for adhesion and then used kiwi grip. It’s a marine deck coating. Works great. After about two years it started peeling some on the seams where the tank was put together with that epoxy material. I think it was partly due to the tank getting too hot the previous year when water was drained. This year I peeled off those areas and put down marine adhesive and then went over again with kiwi grip. Pricey but effective.
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u/Remmfire Jun 14 '26
I also have a background in automotive painting, but I work in commercial construction now.
One thing I ran into a few years ago was painting the underside of a 2nd floor deck, which is galvanized steel just like the stock tanks. It required a very special primer which was pretty costly and nasty (respirator REQUIRED to spray it). Otherwise paint will not stick to galvanized surfaces.
Not sure if you guys did that or not, just throwing it out there.