Lifetime Of Current Plaster

[SquashPro]

I have talked to 4 pool re-plasterers in getting estimates for a re-finishing of my pool. Three of the four have said that modern day plaster doesn't last nearly as long as it used to because of changes in the allowed ingredients (for example, asbestos is not longer allowed). They implied that modern plaster typically needs to be re-done within 10 years. The fourth re-plastering company said that this was simply an approach to get folks to upgrade to some of the newer, more expensive finishes. My first plaster lasted more than 10 years before it had any significant etching or discoloring. At 15 years it had some etching and minor discoloration. At 18 years the etching and discoloration is significant enough that it needs to be re-surfaced. Am I likely to have similar results on a re-plaster job using modern plaster? Who I should believe? Does "silicon shield" help plaster last?

[waterbear]

I have talked to 4 pool re-plasterers in getting estimates for a re-finishing of my pool. Three of the four have said that modern day plaster doesn't last nearly as long as it used to because of changes in the allowed ingredients (for example, asbestos is not longer allowed). They implied that modern plaster typically needs to be re-done within 10 years. The fourth re-plastering company said that this was simply an approach to get folks to upgrade to some of the newer, more expensive finishes. My first plaster lasted more than 10 years before it had any significant etching or discoloring. At 15 years it had some etching and minor discoloration. At 18 years the etching and discoloration is significant enough that it needs to be re-surfaced. Am I likely to have similar results on a re-plaster job using modern plaster? Who I should believe? Does "silicon shield" help plaster last?

How long your surface lasts depends more on your water chemistry management than anything else. If you have to acid wash every 2-3 years your plaster will not last as long compared to needed to acid wash only every 5-7 years. If you water is aggressive (low pH from use of trichlor) then you plaster will not last as long compared to keeping the pH more balanced. If the pH spikes and you get scale you will need to acid wash.

All that being said, on average a marcite finish (plain plaster) is normally good for 10-15 years with proper care and attention to water balance. Some of the exposed aggregate finishes claim a longer lifespan but they are still basically plaster so I would take these claims with a grain of salt.

If you do not pay attention to your water balance you can ruin a plaster finish in as few as 5 years or less. If your plaster lasted as long as you say I am going to assume you did very few acid washes and kept tabs on your water chemistry.