OC Skip Posted January 9, 2008 Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 I have recenly had a new inground pool installed. The plaster used is River Rok. The pool contractor used a sub-contractor to apply the plaster. Pool is in mid-Atlantic region. The initial plaster job was horrible - worst the contrcator had seen. They preped the plaster by applying a tie coating (epoxy with grit), removed plaster near the tile and fittings, and reapplied the plaster. Again - very poor job. Everyone agreed it should be redone for a third time. My questions are as follows: What are the long term risks associated with a 3rd replaster? Delaminations? Should I insist on removing previous layers to the gunite? I have withheld some money but not enough to strip the pool and replaster. The contractor is very supportive and agrees to correct the pool to my satisfaction. Should I not allow him to use the same sub contractor again even though he wants to? HELP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drip Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 Hi, this is my opinions as somebody in the pool business for 8 yrs but never applying plaster myself. First you might want to let the contractor use his preferred guy so that he is always the one liable if it does not come out right. Second if the old plaster was prepped properly the chance of the new plaster flaking off the old plaster is very slim. Thirdly, there should be noticeable changes in the "elevation" of the plaster around the tile and fittings if the second and third plaster was applied at the proper thickness. A sub, if it is a replaster at there expense might put it on as thin as possible. (if a plaster guy tells you anything different than what I've said, take his opinions over mine) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finishguy Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 I am a plaster contarctor I have seen this happen. A third coat of plaster is not good. I would insist that it be removed. Pools do get plastered 3 times over years and it can be ok. The plaster guy will have to remove a large area around the fittings to make it look good, like 5 ft around each one. The tile line will need to be chiped down a looonnnggggg way to make it flush without seeing a hump. When the light comes on at night and the water isnt moving, its gonna be ugly if its not preped right. Tell them that you built a new pool and you want it right. They can strip it in a day its not a big deal. The next time that pool needs to be re plastered its gonna come out of your pocket to strip it, its gonna be hollow, they will at least charge for more matterial. They can strip it in a day. The plaster guys that did it 2 times and didnt get it right, wouldnt be doing it again. You say it was River Rok, was it plaster or expossed aggregate? I am a River RoK applicator and if they didnt get it right twice, it isnt gonna happen till they get some more practice. Either way it can be removed in a day!!!! Byron, Great Lakes pool plastering Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gulfstreampool Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 I am a plaster contarctor I have seen this happen. A third coat of plaster is not good. I would insist that it be removed. Pools do get plastered 3 times over years and it can be ok. The plaster guy will have to remove a large area around the fittings to make it look good, like 5 ft around each one. The tile line will need to be chiped down a looonnnggggg way to make it flush without seeing a hump. When the light comes on at night and the water isnt moving, its gonna be ugly if its not preped right. Tell them that you built a new pool and you want it right. They can strip it in a day its not a big deal. The next time that pool needs to be re plastered its gonna come out of your pocket to strip it, its gonna be hollow, they will at least charge for more matterial. They can strip it in a day. The plaster guys that did it 2 times and didnt get it right, wouldnt be doing it again. You say it was River Rok, was it plaster or expossed aggregate? I am a River RoK applicator and if they didnt get it right twice, it isnt gonna happen till they get some more practice. Either way it can be removed in a day!!!! Byron, Great Lakes pool plastering As a pool contractor, I agree with Byron. I'd fire the sub and sue him for the repairs. Either way, have it removed and plastered correctly. My guess is this plaster is not certified by SGM, which they used to require for warranty reason. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OC Skip Posted January 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 Finishguy, Thanks for you post. How wouuld you strip two layers of RiverRok plaster? Is this a blasting (sand, shot, ot other) operation of a chipping operation? What is done once down to the gunite - I assume the porosity of the gunitie will not be there as it must have plaster embedded? Do you then prep with a primer? The contractor did not acid expose the plasetr until the next day I I feel this was one major issue. Thoughts? It did not seem to expose well, then after haveing to do it several times there were areas that appear overexposed - the aggregate is more tan 1/2 exposed - ie ready to fall out. The other main issue was that the aggregae did not seem to bee evenly distributed. It appears that there were area where they used paste to feather in an area and when exposed left patches where ther was no aggregate. My biggest issue is not knowing what is acceptable and what is common. For example. I have 5 steps down that are about 6' in length. The gunite applicate had a nice even step, but after the plaster was done there was a considerable wave to the edge of the step - in excess of .75". Again the contractor has been good - but I feel I need to tell him to get another sub for the plaster. These guys have been doing plaster only for years, but not the River Roc product. Any comments would be appreciated. I am a plaster contarctor I have seen this happen. A third coat of plaster is not good. I would insist that it be removed. Pools do get plastered 3 times over years and it can be ok. The plaster guy will have to remove a large area around the fittings to make it look good, like 5 ft around each one. The tile line will need to be chiped down a looonnnggggg way to make it flush without seeing a hump. When the light comes on at night and the water isnt moving, its gonna be ugly if its not preped right. Tell them that you built a new pool and you want it right. They can strip it in a day its not a big deal. The next time that pool needs to be re plastered its gonna come out of your pocket to strip it, its gonna be hollow, they will at least charge for more matterial. They can strip it in a day. The plaster guys that did it 2 times and didnt get it right, wouldnt be doing it again. You say it was River Rok, was it plaster or expossed aggregate? I am a River RoK applicator and if they didnt get it right twice, it isnt gonna happen till they get some more practice. Either way it can be removed in a day!!!! Byron, Great Lakes pool plastering Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geeman Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 I am also a plasterer. There are potential delamination problems with any replaster. I would definitely remove all of the plaster. Waterblasting would be the most efficient way to remove the plaster and leave the surface rough enough that it will not require a bondcoat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finishguy Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 Finishguy, Thanks for you post. How wouuld you strip two layers of RiverRok plaster? Is this a blasting (sand, shot, ot other) operation of a chipping operation? What is done once down to the gunite - I assume the porosity of the gunitie will not be there as it must have plaster embedded? Do you then prep with a primer? The contractor did not acid expose the plasetr until the next day I I feel this was one major issue. Thoughts? It did not seem to expose well, then after haveing to do it several times there were areas that appear overexposed - the aggregate is more tan 1/2 exposed - ie ready to fall out. The other main issue was that the aggregae did not seem to bee evenly distributed. It appears that there were area where they used paste to feather in an area and when exposed left patches where ther was no aggregate. My biggest issue is not knowing what is acceptable and what is common. For example. I have 5 steps down that are about 6' in length. The gunite applicate had a nice even step, but after the plaster was done there was a considerable wave to the edge of the step - in excess of .75". Again the contractor has been good - but I feel I need to tell him to get another sub for the plaster. These guys have been doing plaster only for years, but not the River Roc product. Any comments would be appreciated. I am a plaster contarctor I have seen this happen. A third coat of plaster is not good. I would insist that it be removed. Pools do get plastered 3 times over years and it can be ok. The plaster guy will have to remove a large area around the fittings to make it look good, like 5 ft around each one. The tile line will need to be chiped down a looonnnggggg way to make it flush without seeing a hump. When the light comes on at night and the water isnt moving, its gonna be ugly if its not preped right. Tell them that you built a new pool and you want it right. They can strip it in a day its not a big deal. The next time that pool needs to be re plastered its gonna come out of your pocket to strip it, its gonna be hollow, they will at least charge for more matterial. They can strip it in a day. The plaster guys that did it 2 times and didnt get it right, wouldnt be doing it again. You say it was River Rok, was it plaster or expossed aggregate? I am a River RoK applicator and if they didnt get it right twice, it isnt gonna happen till they get some more practice. Either way it can be removed in a day!!!! Byron, Great Lakes pool plastering It will take electric hammers, air chissels, axes, and someone who really wants it off. It has been done many times and its a chore but it can be done. When its removed if the gunite looks rough its good. If the gunite looks like its smooth or has cream stuck to it then apply bond coat. Do not let them create their own bond coat insist you see the bag or bucket it comes from. You have a bad pebble job by the sounds of it. I like to use water wands while troweling the pebble to expose them and finish it before it gets hard. Some guys just broom it when its hard but thats tricky if the pool is spotty, wet and hard in places. The acid wash is always done the same day because I like to have the pool done in 4-5 hours and not come back. If the job is good there is no problem acid washing the following day. The acid wash is only gonna clean up the film and clean the tile. If there is any cream left it will not come out with acid. Its a tricky process if you dont have experience doing it. A lot of guys try to expose it while its hard and that doesnt work. The pebbles are mixed in with the cement right out of the bag so they had it distributed even, they lost the pool. If it looks like pebble in spots and creamy cement in others with over expossed spots, they lost it. The part about the steps is kinda iffy, if they are crooked or have waves in them thats not acceptable. They can be a little crooked but if you walk up and see they are bad, they are bad.Where are you? How big is your pool? Trust me you need someone else to do your pool, they dont know how. If they did it would have been good the 2nd time, someone is paying for the material and labor!!! Where is this pool? 810 606 1295 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoolGuyMi Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 Finishguy I'm from the Mitten too. Hit me up htp://www.michiganshotcrete.com I need to get some prices for 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4serendipity Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 Everyone can make a mistake - it happens. Two bad plasters in a row = fired Since the quality of the installations are in question, there is no doubt that the existing material be removed down to the gunite and reapplied by another pool contractor - that YOU choose. Chances are that there will be some separating between the layers already, and the fact that they bothed the pool twice boils down to "not your problem". You paid for a professionally built pool - not a trial and error pool which is sure to give you problems down the road. Take control of your contractor and tell them what it is going to take for you to be happy. I hope this information is helpful. S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard1970 Posted November 6, 2015 Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 We recommend and use the Dustless Blasting system with crushed glass or sand. The DB system mixes water with the media to keep the dust down so it doesn't get all over everything else around the house / yard. With the DB system and crushed glass or sand, we can remove the plaster very efficiently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyOasis Posted May 15, 2019 Report Share Posted May 15, 2019 Just had my pool replastered and the guys did a crap job locating the spotters on the steps and bench. Pool is filling up now. Contractor says I’m Out of Luck - Can anyone offer an opinion if there’s anything other than stripping it all off and replastering all over again? Can the steps and bench be re-done to properly place the spotters? looks like a kindergartener places them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
So not happy Posted August 16, 2020 Report Share Posted August 16, 2020 Are there any pool plasters on this forum that is experienced with exposed aggregate ? I just had a pool done and the bottom looks so bumpy and trying to figure what to do. It’s 2 weeks old With the LED lights on at night it’s horrible even with the water moving. Contractor says it’s within the normal limits of the product. It’s not the product it’s the application I’m pretty sure. Shouldn’t exposed aggregate be smooth application? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDspaguy Posted August 16, 2020 Report Share Posted August 16, 2020 If you expose aggregate you will have a rough surface. @jimmythegreek, @Pool Clown, care to pipe up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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