Really Bad Plaster Job Part Ii

[lotuseater]

Our new pool was plastered a dark grey. The contractor let it sit for several days before getting the pump running and when we tried to brush the plaster dust off a lot of it is simply calcified onto the surface of the plaster. It looks terrible and feels like shark skin! Our contractor agrees this is a mess but he wants to wait until the fall to drain the pool and "acid wash" the plaster. He said the plaster is still curing and of course he blames the plasterer for the bad job. I want him to handle this right away. I am really upset about having to drain off 23,000 gallons of water and repair this. Here are my questions:

should he do this right away? What does he mean by "acid wash" and is this the preferred method for dealing with this problem? Should he have a water truck to fill the pool quickly- I've been told that dark plaster is a difficult medium? Any advice on how to proceed will be greatly appreciated.

[finishguy]

Our new pool was plastered a dark grey. The contractor let it sit for several days before getting the pump running and when we tried to brush the plaster dust off a lot of it is simply calcified onto the surface of the plaster. It looks terrible and feels like shark skin! Our contractor agrees this is a mess but he wants to wait until the fall to drain the pool and "acid wash" the plaster. He said the plaster is still curing and of course he blames the plasterer for the bad job. I want him to handle this right away. I am really upset about having to drain off 23,000 gallons of water and repair this. Here are my questions:

should he do this right away? What does he mean by "acid wash" and is this the preferred method for dealing with this problem? Should he have a water truck to fill the pool quickly- I've been told that dark plaster is a difficult medium? Any advice on how to proceed will be greatly appreciated.

If the builder thinks an acid wash will fix it, do it now. Your plaster needs to cure for 14-21 days before it should be drained. I personally think its calcium being sucked out of the fresh plaster. Plaster dust usually settles in the bowl area and can be brushed off even after a COUPLE days. I have had this problem and every other plasterer has had the same thing happen. Colored plaster with liquid dye is a a gamble. You can do 50 of them and they all look great then the next 2 look like crap. Acid washing your colored plaster pool empty is going to probably be a disaster, sorry to say it. They probably will try a power washer also. I have had one pool saved with this sort of problem. It looked like white dust on the walls and floor but only half the pool had it. You could feel it and it looked like clouds, kinda milky. I hired a professional service guy to do an under water acid wash. He basically lowed the Ph a lot by adding acid to the pool. It must be done by a pro because its easy to mess the finish up and the HEATER. I would suggest doing it this way instead of wasting the water,its very easy to streak a colored pool acid washing it empty!!! You have nothing to lose so let them try whatever they want, your plaster came with a warranty!!! If it doesn't work out you might want to try and get another product that they offer. You really need to have something with powder dye in the mix, they are all much better than adding liquid dye to plaster. Diamond Brite, Sun Stone, River Rok,colored quartz, any thing. Even if you had to pay the difference it would be worth it. Dont let them fool you into thinking its so much more because its only a few hundred more for the material than plaster and liquid!!!! They knew when they added liquid dye that cost 25.00 to your pool, what could happen. Sorry to be so blunt about it but i know what you just spent and what you expect to get.

[PoolGuyNJ]

Our new pool was plastered a dark grey. The contractor let it sit for several days before getting the pump running and when we tried to brush the plaster dust off a lot of it is simply calcified onto the surface of the plaster. It looks terrible and feels like shark skin! Our contractor agrees this is a mess but he wants to wait until the fall to drain the pool and "acid wash" the plaster. He said the plaster is still curing and of course he blames the plasterer for the bad job. I want him to handle this right away. I am really upset about having to drain off 23,000 gallons of water and repair this. Here are my questions:

should he do this right away? What does he mean by "acid wash" and is this the preferred method for dealing with this problem? Should he have a water truck to fill the pool quickly- I've been told that dark plaster is a difficult medium? Any advice on how to proceed will be greatly appreciated.

If the builder thinks an acid wash will fix it, do it now. Your plaster needs to cure for 14-21 days before it should be drained. I personally think its calcium being sucked out of the fresh plaster. Plaster dust usually settles in the bowl area and can be brushed off even after a COUPLE days. I have had this problem and every other plasterer has had the same thing happen. Colored plaster with liquid dye is a a gamble. You can do 50 of them and they all look great then the next 2 look like crap. Acid washing your colored plaster pool empty is going to probably be a disaster, sorry to say it. They probably will try a power washer also. I have had one pool saved with this sort of problem. It looked like white dust on the walls and floor but only half the pool had it. You could feel it and it looked like clouds, kinda milky. I hired a professional service guy to do an under water acid wash. He basically lowed the Ph a lot by adding acid to the pool. It must be done by a pro because its easy to mess the finish up and the HEATER. I would suggest doing it this way instead of wasting the water,its very easy to streak a colored pool acid washing it empty!!! You have nothing to lose so let them try whatever they want, your plaster came with a warranty!!! If it doesn't work out you might want to try and get another product that they offer. You really need to have something with powder dye in the mix, they are all much better than adding liquid dye to plaster. Diamond Brite, Sun Stone, River Rok,colored quartz, any thing. Even if you had to pay the difference it would be worth it. Dont let them fool you into thinking its so much more because its only a few hundred more for the material than plaster and liquid!!!! They knew when they added liquid dye that cost 25.00 to your pool, what could happen. Sorry to be so blunt about it but i know what you just spent and what you expect to get.

Get the pH down too! New plaster will raise the pH pretty quickly, causing scale. I am assuming you filled the pool with your garden hose. Hence, that was why it took a number of days to get the system up. Add a metal sequestering additive to prevent metal stains. Brush twice a day. Run the pump on bottom drain and manually skim the surface. Watch your pressure. With all the dust coming off the plaster, you will need to clean the filter pretty often for the first couple weeks. Lower water temps will slow the curing process.

[Wayne6658]

Just had pool new plaster week ago, has brown streaks and steps look bad.  Am I stuck?  Pool company will not return calls.

[Cusser]

1 hour ago, Wayne6658 said:

Just had pool new plaster week ago, has brown streaks and steps look bad.  Am I stuck?  Pool company will not return calls.

If you (hopefully) paid with credit card, call the credit card company and dispute the charge.  Failing that: try local TV "on your side" reporter.