w the freeze/thaw cycle in dc, w the hot summers, it was never gonna last long.

The pool was originally built with an asphalt and tile bottom, but that surface was replaced with concrete during the 2009 restoration. Only the rim and walkways around the pool are made of granite. That said, it's apparent that they didn't prepare the surface properly. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Memorial_Reflecting_Pool

as far as priming. But concrete is also porous, so the paint is affected from behind.

It is impossible to know what they were actually coating it with (whatever they say I wouldn't believe a word they said). Even if it was something like an epoxy coating, they way they can be seen applying whatever it was is not correct. It takes a lot of time, several stages and significant waiting times. They were just going through the motions for the reality TV show cameras.

That puzzled me. I'm not a pool expert but have done up a couple of boats and worked on some big outdoor sculpture projects, so have a keen interest in finishes.

If it was a two-part epoxy finish, there is no way it could be dry and CURED and ready for refilling in a day or two. The immediate growth of algae makes me think that the surface was totally inedaquate for the job.

Polished granite is beautiful. Painting it is desecration, IMHO.

Old bit of folk wisdom says never paint over wood, stone or brick.

Maybe that’s the plan. Self licking grift.

The cheapest paint that they could find. They should've used at least epoxy paint.

The installer used Rhino Linings Pipeliner 5000, which is a polyurea/polyurethane hybrid coating intended for use INSIDE large potable water pipes, water tanks and other water containers. This is actually some awesome shit. It seals cracks. It is very flexible even after it cures. It'll withstand 200 psi.

Textured polyurethane finishes ( Rhino Linings Pipeliner 5000) can be magnets for algae, which can be difficult to scrub out of a non-smooth, rubbery coating. Furthermore, harsh shock treatments (such as high levels of hydrogen peroxide) required to clear blooms can accelerate the breakdown of the lining.

Sound about exactly what this 'awesome shit' is doing.

…in that picture, it had to be a urethane-type coating (polyurethane/polyurea). Thanks for sharing the info. The hardeners in those coatings are usually highly toxic. I’ve used them a bit at work and I have to get into a Tyvek suit similar to what is depicted in the photo. You simply cannot get exposed to the hardeners at all—yes, people have died from this. (The symptoms manifest as a bee-sting type of allergic reaction).

That stuff probably works great as a truck bed liner, but as a below-waterline coating, not so much. One wonders if the Trump people even bothered to consult any experts before starting the job!

We've heard for years that Trump knows more about anything than anybody. I'm sure big men came to him with tears in their eyes to tell him how in awe they were of his limitless knowledge of everything.

Sounds like wrong usage and they did not prepare the surface.

exactly the opposite of a sunlit open air location that algae would thrive in.

That, and them dumping untold gallons of hydrogen peroxide in the pool, as if that was going to be some kind of solution to the algae problem...and these are the same scientific illiterates who now want what little is left of American science to answer to the president.

. . . but this work was done by Trump’s “pool guy.” I mean, what more could we want??

but I do have experience painting many different types of surfaces and the problems with them.

the pool being painted.

that it would last 50-100 years.
It didn’t last 100 hours.

and I don't know which is worse - the amount of shit coming out of his mouth or the number of Magats willing to eat it.

Multi-MILLIONS OF DOLLARS in NO-BID CONTRACTS FOR THESE AND SIMILAR SHENANIGANS ARE:

(a) bestowed upon former donors who may rapidly establish "businesses" to perform services;

(b) fleecing the public coffers and exploiting the American taxpayer for contrived reasons;

(c) likely a laundering operation whereby the public monies are then funneled back to the GOP and Trump Organization by way of tax-deductible donations

OR am I just cynical?

In this case, I'd say it's just realism.