Pool Renovation

[thlthl3]

We are having our pool renovated in our recently purchased house. It is a concrete pool with a plaster finish that seems to have held up well for years. However, everyone keeps recommending all sorts of different finishes, from plaster to Hydrazzo, etc. I can't seem to find any decent information about pluses and minuses between these finishes. Any opinions?

[yes]

We are having our pool renovated in our recently purchased house. It is a concrete pool with a plaster finish that seems to have held up well for years. However, everyone keeps recommending all sorts of different finishes, from plaster to Hydrazzo, etc. I can't seem to find any decent information about pluses and minuses between these finishes. Any opinions?

Here are some opinions:

Plaster:

cheaper than all the other options

classic

Smooth, slippery - not my liking.

Not as durable. Installers/Manufacturers claim 2 to 4 years warranty. This warranty is valid assuming that your chemicals are always perfect and you never have an algae accident, which is hardly the case. In reality you will see some wear and tear after 2 to three years.

With Plaster you need to use either non-ribbed tires or tires with suction cups for your pool sweeper so that it will be able to climb the side walls and onto the steps.

Pebble Tek:

More expensive than Plaster, but cheaper than Hydrazzo.

I little rough feeling on the feet, which I like, but it is personal preference - quite subjective issue

Highly durable. Installers warranty to 10 years. I have known cases which lasted 20 years before it needed replacement.

Price difference from the Plaster is not too much, considering the additional durability.

Great color selection - I would stick to the classic, standard colors without spending extra on the premioum colors. My favorite is Tahoe Blue.

With Pebble Teck you need to have Ribbed tires if you use Pressure Side Pool Sweeper like Letro Legend or Polaris.

Hydrazzo:

Looks like plaster. Feels a lot smoother than plaster, almost slippery.

The most expensive of the three. I do not know what their warranty is however and how it compares to Pebble Tek in Durability.

With Hydrazzo you need to use either non-ribbed tires or tires with suction cups for your pool sweeper so that it will be able to climb the side walls and onto the steps.

Personally, don't like hydrazzo - it was way more expensive than Pebble Tek.

Summary:

My opinion is that best value for money, looks and durability is Pebble Tek.

[kikicat]

^hey

i have bought a new spa ,which is very good

the raw material of the spa is Lucite's acrylic, and they use fiberglass to reinforce the spa,

i like the design very much, fashion and useful.

so i want to recommend it to you,the brand name is Deluxespas, made in China.

this is their website"www.deluxespas.cn"

[Pulhero]

Look into the 3M finishes. I've been using Hydrazzo for years but after using 3M I don't think I am going back. Hydrazzo is a good option, very durable. Pebble Tec is a brand name for a pebble finish, you might be able to find a pebble finish at a lesser price if you ask around.

[finishguy]

Plaster has been used forever and is a proven material. I wouldnt go with Hydrazzo because its not worth the money, I do apply it every year on pools. I would look at Diamond Brite or Sunstone Quarts Finishes. If you just want to see some color have your plaster guy add a couple bags of 3m Quartz in each batch of your plaster. The 3m can be bought for less than 200 bucks and there is nothing different about applying it. If you cant get them to add it to the mix find another plaster comp.

[gulfstreampool]

We are having our pool renovated in our recently purchased house. It is a concrete pool with a plaster finish that seems to have held up well for years. However, everyone keeps recommending all sorts of different finishes, from plaster to Hydrazzo, etc. I can't seem to find any decent information about pluses and minuses between these finishes. Any opinions?

Diamond Brite by Southern Grouts and Mortars, is a good product. They make a product called River Rok which I believe superior to Pebble Tek. Also look in Krystal Krete products by CLI. They have a Sun Stone product that is beautiful. I've built hundreds of pools with thiese twp products and they are good. SGM I believe requires a certified installer to honor any warranty claim. These companies have web sites also.

[finishguy]

I would also agree that River Rock is supperior to Pebble Tec. I have applied Pebble Tec to thousands of pools and used River rock on hundreds. Its just expensive compared to Quartz finishes and the quartz finishes last a long time. I would not pay extra for any pebble product for the longer warranty, nobody is going to honor it after 1 year.

[waterbear]

Bottom line is this, all the aggregate finishes are still basically plaster as far as your water chemistry is concerned. The quartz ones probably last a bit longer than the marble ones which probably last a bit longer than plain marcite but this really depends on how well you keep up your water chemistry since they are ALL reactive surfacesm because of the 'plaster' used with the agrregate, unlike vinyl and fiberglass.

Find one that looks AND FEELS the way you like it to and that is within your budget. Some of the aggregate finishes are not the most comfortable to stand or sit on. Remeber, for many years all we had was marcite and it has been a servicable pool finish with a proven track record.

As far as the suction cup tires for pool cleaners, they are really designed for fiberglass pools, not plaster or aggregate finishes, to provide traction to climb.

[SylviaWilliams]

On 7/11/2007 at 3:12 AM, yes said:

Here are some opinions:

Plaster:

cheaper than all the other options

classic

Smooth, slippery - not my liking.

Not as durable. Installers/Manufacturers claim 2 to 4 years warranty. This warranty is valid assuming that your chemicals are always perfect and you never have an algae accident, which is hardly the case. In reality you will see some wear and tear after 2 to three years.

With Plaster you need to use either non-ribbed tires or tires with suction cups for your pool sweeper so that it will be able to climb the side walls and onto the steps.

Pebble Tek:

More expensive than Plaster, but cheaper than Hydrazzo.

I little rough feeling on the feet, which I like, but it is personal preference - quite subjective issue

Highly durable. Installers warranty to 10 years. I have known cases which lasted 20 years before it needed replacement.

Price difference from the Plaster is not too much, considering the additional durability.

Great color selection - I would stick to the classic, standard colors without spending extra on the premioum colors. My favorite is Tahoe Blue.

With Pebble Teck you need to have Ribbed tires if you use Pressure Side Pool Sweeper like Letro Legend or Polaris.

Hydrazzo:

Looks like plaster. Feels a lot smoother than plaster, almost slippery.

The most expensive of the three. I do not know what their warranty is however and how it compares to Pebble Tek in Durability.

With Hydrazzo you need to use either non-ribbed tires or tires with suction cups for your pool sweeper so that it will be able to climb the side walls and onto the steps.

Personally, don't like hydrazzo - it was way more expensive than Pebble Tek.

Summary:

My opinion is that best value for money, looks and durability is Pebble Tek.

7

Thanks for the Tips!!