Help!: laying tiles on to wet concrete

[mikethesmoke]

Hi guys I am hoping you will be able to help me out. I have built a concrete block raised pond and I am intending to tyle it with smashed up tiles creating a mosaic effect.
These will obviously be underwater and I am running out of dosh quick. Someone told me a cheap and effective way of creating a waterproof seal is to lay the tiles into wet cement and then grout them with waterproof unibond grout.
Will this work or does anyone have any cheaper alternatives to creating this effect?
I'm a decorator by trade so this is a bit above my head.
Thanks for ant help
MIKETHESMOKE

[kngjason]

seal the concrete you could tank it. just paint it on , due to how ponds develop, the tiles on the bottom wont be visable in a year or so anyhow lol.
although they call it waterproof grout, in fact all that means is the grout wont break down in water, but water is allowed to pass through it. that said your water loss would be small ponds always need topping up anyhow

[whitebeam]

If you have pond life (as in fish) I would be making inquirers to a aquatic supplier to check for the right products.

[mikethesmoke]

seal the concrete you could tank it. just paint it on , due to how ponds develop, the tiles on the bottom wont be visable in a year or so anyhow lol.
although they call it waterproof grout, in fact all that means is the grout wont break down in water, but water is allowed to pass through it. that said your water loss would be small ponds always need topping up anyhow

Tank it? and paint it on sorry can you explain a bit.
Thanks
Mike

[timeless john]

Mike the smoke.
Whitebeam has the answer! Check it all out with an aquatic centre.
Unibond waterproof grout in a pond!
Just buy a pond liner - it must be cheaper and save all the hassle of making a mosaic - unless your related to Salvadore Dhali.
As far as tanking is concerned it would cost more than you want to invest IMO.
John.

[kilty55]

agreed,any aquatic life could be put at risk from using these products,to be honest if the pond is deep after a while you wont see the bottom anyway due to natural discolouration in the water from plants/fish etc

[kngjason]

Sorry mike maybe i should of explaned better. Tanking is just away of sealing a substrate, making it waterproof. you can buy it for many applications including ponds. here's a link were i got mine. it will explain better. far cheaper depending on the size of pond more attractive as you can have different colours. totally safe for all pond life and unlike a membrane if you find a leak or tear just repaint abc. good luck. Antel A1 Pond Paint - Pond Paint | Pond Sealant | Pond Liner | Pond Paints | Koi Friendly

[Dave]

Can that coating be tiled too jason..?...say using an epoxy adhesive/grout..

[kngjason]

yeah you could, but to be fair you wouldnt bother. not on the bottom of the pond any how as when the pond matures it wont be seen. if you want the mosaics to be a visual piece maybe just tile the top half of walls and the lip. least you could see it and would be easier to clean.imo

[Dave]

Thats what i think the thread OP has in mind...