Why the paint is peeling off the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool--experts explain

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool's makeover was supposed to inspire patriotism, but chunks of material peeling off the pool's surface have instead garnered more puzzlement and speculation.

-snip-

When applying coats of polyurea, workers need to make sure they paint on a new coat within 24 hours, or less, of the last layer, depending on the specific type of the substance being used. That ensures the polyurea layers adhere to one another and form a solid mass, blocking water from seeping through. And different methods of application can result in stronger or weaker molecular bonds. Given the renovation's short timeline—around eight weeks—it's possible the material wasn't applied adequately to prevent damage. The bottom of the pool may also have been affected by the presence of heavy equipment and trucks—and a presidential motorcade that drove through at one point—while the coating was being prepared and applied.

The decision to use polyurea in the first place will also require investigation, Auerhahn notes. "The material that you're adhering that polyurea coating to is questionable," he says. "They were adhering it to granite."

The precise material in question, Rhino Linings' Pipeliner 5000, can bond to "virtually all substrates," according to the company's commercial data sheet, but granite is not specifically listed. Rhino Linings was not the contractor that applied the coating to the Reflecting Pool. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/why-paint-peeling-off-lincoln-193000369.html

[wcmagumba]

1. Everything t-rump touches comes unglued...

[Ritabert]

4. Reverse Midas touch.

[harumph]

2. I think the reflecting pool is concrete bottom not granite?

On edit: yes I checked - all sources say the pool bottom is made of concrete. If that's true, the "experts" on yahoo are mistaken.

[underpants]

3. Science huh? A sloppy rush job. Atlantic Industrial has done $8.7M of business with Virginia this fiscal year

Per their website, they do many projects with VDOT (Transportation).

https://logi.cgieva.com/External/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=Public.Reports.Report9001_VendorDetail&rdAgReset=True&ReportEntity=&lnkVendCustCd=VS0000215096&LinkHref=True

[maxrandb]

5. Sorry, but Gov. Spanberger needs to canx all their contracts in VA

If you associate with nazis, you must pay a price. If not, the incentive to NEVER contract with nazis again, is diminished.

I hope the next Dem majority will do the same with Meta, SpaceX, Amazon, Tesla, Paramount, Hate-heart Radio, Walmart and every other fucking oligarch company that values money more than Democracy.

This trickle-down shit is unsustainable.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

6. How the Reflecting Pool Turned Green: Missing 'Bubblers' and a Rush Job (New York Times Gift Article)

Bulky “nanobubbler” machines were carted off ahead of a promotional event for President Trump’s Ultimate Fighting Championship birthday party.

Link to tweet

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/26/us/politics/reflecting-pool-trump-algae.html?unlocked_article_code=1.tVA.2QwI.US81yGvYDJ99&smid=nytcore-android-share

Dotted around the perimeter of the memorial’s Reflecting Pool were the nanobubblers, the temporary water-purification machines meant to keep the pool clear of algae. Encased in black fencing and powered by large generators, the machines were something of an eyesore.

Before the event, the National Park Service asked Greenwater Services, which won a $1.7 million no-bid contract to install the nanobubblers, to remove them, according to two people briefed on the decision. The people asked for anonymity because they feared retaliation from the administration. The Park Service did not provide a reason for the removal, but it coincided exactly with the promotional event, which drew crowds to the Reflecting Pool.

Photos from that evening showed the pool without the hoses or enormous machines working to keep the water clean. The water looked dark blue.

But by the time the purification systems were reinstalled 36 hours later, enormous algae blooms were starting to spread unchecked, turning the water green.,,,,,

The decision to remove the water-treatment systems, which has not previously been reported, was one of several missteps that have plagued Mr. Trump’s $16.4 million renovation of the Reflecting Pool. There have been no-bid contracts, peeling strips of waterproof coating in Mr. Trump’s handpicked shade of “American flag blue,” and even a dead duck floating in the water (though it is not clear if the renovation had anything to do with the duck’s demise).