Pool Refinishing

[Gomez]

I have an inground plaster pool that is starting to show it's age (18 yrs.) The plaster has delaminated in a few areas on the bottom, and every winter, I lose a few more tiles. I've patched the bottom with the white cement/marble dust that the manufacturer (Sylvan) of the pool said they used originally. The patch has held up well but is quite visible. I'm investigating the alternatives in resurfacing. So far this is what I've come up with:

1) Have it professionally replastered. Will probably cost more than $8K. Also, the replaster will probably not last as long as the original surface.

2) Paint. A friend of mine that has a similar pool takes this route. He has to repaint every 3-4 years. Cost about $400 in paint plus his time and paying for water truck ($700).

3) I found this website uglassit that sell fiberglass kits. Cost for my pool is about $3900. They say it will last 25 years or more. They also go on to say the fiberglass surface will reduce chemicals required for maintenance. My concern is the company (which is local to me) have only been around since 1999. It has a 25 year guarantee, but what good is that if the company isn't around.

4) Fill in the pool. Not an option.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

 

[OkeeDon]

The plaster is probably Marcite. It's not used much, today, at least not here in Florida. When it was widely used, the life span was 10 to 15 years, but my pool guy said that the composition has changed, and today, it would last only about 5 years.

We just (about 2 months ago) had our pool resurfaced with Diamond Brite in the blue quartz color. Here's one link: Diamond Brite; search for Diamond Brite. There are many others with similar finishes, I can't recall all the names, but I think one is called Diamond Gem or similar.

Our pool is 14' x 30' x 6' at the deep end; it cost $3,700 to have some repairs made where a rebar had rusted through, replace several of the ceramic tiles around the rim, and recoat the entire pool. Either you have a massive pool, or your quote of $8,000 was way too high. It should last anywhere from 2 to 4 times as long as Marcite plaster.

It's the only way I'd go. A friend of mine used epoxy paint on his pool; it lasted less than a year. I have a little experience with fiberglass, and I don't think the bond would stick for long, unless the pool was sandblasted first, and the job would likely be more expensive than Diamond Brite.

Many years ago, when I had my first pool, I hit a period of economic stress, and had a hard time affording the electricity and chemicals to keep the pool in reasonable shape. I seriously thought about filling it in, but it turned out that it would have cost a small fortune. I toughed it out until we recovered financially.

All of the new pools here in Florida are using Diamond Brite or one of the similar compositions; some are using PebbleCoat, which is more expensive and supposed to last longer, but the finish can be hard on toddler's feet -- and I have Grandchildren.

 

[GregJ]

Gomez,
I have been thinking about constructing a pool and using this product Sanitred as an interior surface. My limited research has led me to believe it is a pretty good product. I'd sure like to see somebody else go first..... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif. Keep us posted.

Greg