A well-maintained pool plaster and surface reflect your pride and care in your property. Plastering your pool can be an economical way to give it a new look and increase its durability and strength. The appearance of your pool plays an important role in the overall curb appeal of your home or business. It reflects your sense of style and can be the focal point that completes your property’s overall appearance. Whether you are simply refreshing your pool’s color or giving it a facelift, we offer a variety of textures and finishes to make it the masterpiece that your pool can be.
Swimming Pool Plastering
The first step in Swimming Pool Plastering is prepping the existing surface for its new coat of whitecoat. This process begins by draining the pool and scrubbing it clean. The surface is then acid washed which opens up any hallows, cracks or loose areas. This also helps to remove tenacious stains and calcium deposits that have formed.
This preparation is the key to a successful plaster job. The next step in the process is applying a bonding agent, which will aid in securing the new plaster to the old gunite or shotcrete surface. A good plasterer knows when to trowel, how much pressure to apply and in what weather conditions. Overworking the surface can burn the plaster or leave marks, whereas too little can deprive it of the moisture it needs to cure properly.
Once the bonding agent is applied, a new coat of whitecoat is then troweled over the entire surface. This process is the most time consuming part of the job. It requires skill and experience to get it right. A poorly plastered pool can be damaged easily as it can erode quickly and expose the gunite or shotcrete below. A quality pool plasterer will take the time to feather up to any tile edges, returns, main drains and other wall or floor inserts.
While the process is lengthy, it is a very important one. A poorly plastered pool is not only unsightly, but can be costly to repair as it will need to be re-plastered and re-tuned to work properly.
Aside from the aesthetics of a smooth, glossy plaster finish, there are many other benefits that can be gained with a proper application. Properly plastered pools will be more resistant to the etching that occurs with high pH levels, making them longer lasting. A good plaster finish is also more swimsuit friendly than a rough and sand-like surface that can be damaging to the material of your swimming suits.
Other options for your pool plaster include aggregate surfaces like RiverRok and Gemstone(tm). These surfaces add to the cost of the plaster, but can extend the life of your pool by as much as twenty years. This is because aggregate surfaces incorporate small pieces of rock, such as quartz or granite, into the pool plaster mix which can help with stain removal and add color uniformity. You are also able to choose from a number of different colors for this type of pool surface.