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6/20/06

Rained off (Plunge pool pt2)

Sunny Spain. It seems that this new pool is eager to get filled up with water. Progress has been slow due to the heavens opening every time I pick up a paint brush or a drill.




Anyway, here it is so far.. The whole interior of the pool has been coated in plastic paint - and lots of it (€26 per bucket) The base has been cemented again and smoothed off around the edges to cover any gaps. Seats are simply two blocks cemented one on top of the other as is the step inside and outside.

To render the inside walls of the pool a very fine cement mix was made and applied using a plastic float, when the render began to set a generous splash of water was applied and smoothed off again - this is best done on a hot sunny day! The reason is that no matter how smooth you make the finish there will always be a certain amount of "pitting" in the render - water fills the tiny holes and sets due it being a slight mixture of cement anyway - the sun will do the rest

Add to this numerous coats of plastic paint which is quite thick anyway and you will soon have a surface to which water cannot penetrate.



The hose pipe at the bottom turned out to be a problem as the seal could not be guaranteed, to combat this a small hole was chipped around where the pipe sank into the base, again filled with a fine cement mix to create a concave shape around the pipe much like a soup bowl - this was then filled with silicone to make water tight.



Above. An old pallet was broken up and the latts saved, these were then screwed onto the side of the pool. Onto this wood we will (weather permitting) be fixing wild bamboo (available in the village next to the river - I call it Cambodia due to the snakes etc) This should fit in quite well with our pergola which is bamboo also and the rest of the Andalucian garden.


Fingers crossed we should be finished by the weekend.............

Todays cave temp: 24 degrees

6 comments:

DCveR said...

The thick walls seem just the size to hold an icebox filled with cold drinks... ;)

Passionate Dilettante said...

It looks gorgeous already.

Atila The Nun said...

I thought with the weather we have been having lately that him upstairs had been trying to fill it !!

Nice to see it taking shape let's hope the weather is kind enough to allow you to finish

Unknown said...

Pebbles: good luck with the pergola, I am sure it will be ready for the big day

Dc: Now then! a cracking idea - watch this space..

Mamaduck: Bamboo should be on this weekend, then we all go for a dip!

Spainblog: its been kind of kind today...39 degrees this afternoon, should make the water quite warm when we are finished, watch out for Dcver's drinks cooler idea.....

Cream said...

Looks like you had a wee bit of bad weather there!
I think that DC's idea is great... but make sure that the kids don't get to the drinks first.

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