grakk Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 I bought a house with a pool recently, and we are getting some rust coming up from underneath and since we will need to resurface in the next 2-3 years we are doing it now. We have a contractor that our local pool shop swears by, and when he was over talking the price sounded right. But then he mentioned that they will not remove all of the old plaster, what they will do is remove 4-5 inches around the tile light, drains, and all fixtures, then walk through the pool chipping every 8 inches. They said they would tap with a hammer while doing this and if nothing sound hollow they will not remove the plaster. If there is a hollow sound or in a spot where rust is visible they will pull it up to the gunite. So should he be removing all the plaster? Once again the pool store here (all good guys) swear by him but I would think you would want to remove all the old plaster.. What do you guys think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pool Clown Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 This is a common practice, and should be ok as long as they water or sand blast if needed, and to use a bond coat before plaster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoolGuyNJ Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 This is assuming you are not going with a high aggregate finish like Wet Edge or Pebble Tec. They would need a complete chip out. New marcite (plaster) and quartz finishes can go right over the old up to 3 layers, though I don't like to do a 3rd for a number of reasons. If this pool has 2 previous layers, post again and I will be happy to explain why I don't like a 3rd in most situations. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grakk Posted July 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 This is a common practice, and should be ok as long as they water or sand blast if needed, and to use a bond coat before plaster. He did not mention anything about a bond coat - I'll ask him about it, what exactly is in and why do I need it? He did offer to remove everything when I brought it up to him, but he did mention he thought removing everything wasn't worth the price. So I wanted to get some assurance here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grakk Posted July 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 This is assuming you are not going with a high aggregate finish like Wet Edge or Pebble Tec. They would need a complete chip out. New marcite (plaster) and quartz finishes can go right over the old up to 3 layers, though I don't like to do a 3rd for a number of reasons. If this pool has 2 previous layers, post again and I will be happy to explain why I don't like a 3rd in most situations. Scott The pool is roughly 12 years old and we THINK it is the original plaster - we will be doing a quartz plaster. I can't remeber the exact name - It was something like "Marque" but it was a premix aggregate plaster (where you can add color crystals to) - I'll get in touch with him and ask the exact name. I do know he was not a fan of Pebble Tec as he felt it could hide problems that may arise in the pool (hard to see stains etc). Could you give a short summary on why you don't like a third layer (just in case it has been resurfaced once) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoolGuyNJ Posted July 19, 2011 Report Share Posted July 19, 2011 I wouldn't worry with a 12 year old pool. The issues mostly involve the separation of the layers. If there were two layers, neither would be old enough to be cause for concern. Plaster with color crystals is still, in my opinion, just plaster. In 10 to 12 years, assuming you own it and plan to stay there, when it comes time to resurface, do the chip out. He isn't a PT "fan" because he can't make $$s. PT controls distribution very tightly, holding those authorized to very stringent standards. It hides problems? LOL. There are other high aggregate finishes that when installed well, last essentially forever, like PT's offerings. The cost more up front but outlast everything else. These high aggregate finishes are the stat of the art. They are, in fact, more resistant to stains and the procedures used to remove them. If you haven't already paid a deposit, I urge you investigate what is offered by other contractors. The extra money is often worth it. The premium is substantial, just so you know. Amortize it and the delta isn't that great. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pool Clown Posted July 19, 2011 Report Share Posted July 19, 2011 Good question. I haven't ever needed the product name for the bond coat, I was probably told when i was younger, but that has been a while ago. i have just called it "the bond coat". If anyone knows the product name, jump in here and let us know... The bond coat gets spayed/blown on much like the plaster is, but is just "knocked down" and isn't really troweled smooth. You want it rough so that the plaster coat will adhere well to it. It is left to dry for at least one day, then plaster follows. You can usually tell how many "layers" you have by chipping down to the gunite and count the layers of plaster. Usually it is easy to see the different layers, but not always. The common thickness of a plaster layer is about 3/8 of an inch, you could count layers that way too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoolGuyNJ Posted July 19, 2011 Report Share Posted July 19, 2011 My plaster guys use SGM's Bond Kote. Different parts of the country use different brands. It is usually poured and rolled to spread it and when mixed, is still lumpy on purpose. It generally gets applied at the end of the day, just prior to plaster day. You can't let it sit on the pool too long prior to plastering. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pool Clown Posted July 19, 2011 Report Share Posted July 19, 2011 You can't let it sit on the pool too long prior to plastering. Why? I've had it sit for a couple of days before without incident. You just need to make sure that you get all the debris that has fallen in the pool before you plaster, leaves, bugs, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grakk Posted July 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2011 My plaster guys use SGM's Bond Kote. Different parts of the country use different brands. It is usually poured and rolled to spread it and when mixed, is still lumpy on purpose. It generally gets applied at the end of the day, just prior to plaster day. You can't let it sit on the pool too long prior to plastering. Scott So my contractor told me he does not use a bond coat, that what he does is he mixes a bonding agent in the first coat of plaster, then covers that with more layers. He said that he doesn't think a bond coat is necessary with proper preparation but would be more than happy to do one if that is what I wanted. I did some checking and he has been doing this for years with no negative feedback and I was referred to him by a number of people. But this is conflicting with everything I have read that says you need a bond coat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pool Clown Posted July 19, 2011 Report Share Posted July 19, 2011 I did some checking and he has been doing this for years with no negative feedback and I was referred to him by a number of people. If you are hearing good things about this guy, and the way he is does things, then do it his way. Be clear as to what his warranty does and does not cover with respect to possible de-lamination problems. Never heard of mixing the bond coat with plaster, so i cannot comment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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