I've owned my pool now for about 14 months. When I inherited it, it was green etc. I straightened it up and used it this past summer, but due to all kinds of little divots in the plaster, algae is a problem. I know that the previous owner (family aquaintance) did not really care for the pool for the 15 or so years he owned it. When I bought the house last year his disclosures said that the pool had been replastered in 2005. The problem is, I'm not sure if I believe that or not. Are there several methods regarding replastering a pool? I've seen it done where the people come in and chip out the old plaster in order to place new stuff. I'm not sure that that was done on this pool. Here's why:

I've drained the pool now for the first time. What I'm noticing is what seems to be a blue-ish color showing through the plaster in some areas. It isn't TOTALLY pronounced, but there is a hint of a faint blue all around the pool, underneath the white plaster. I don't know if that is old plaster underneath that was just painted blue, and then a new coat of plaster was applied over it, or if the blue underneath happens to actually just be the concrete (gunite?) showing through?

I've never seen gunite be colored blue, so this leads me to believe that what I'm seeing is old painted plaster, underneath the current white overcoat.

Is that even possible?

Either way, whoever did the "new plaster" did a horrible job. There are a few footprints (I'll take pictures later) and a bunch of little mess ups with ridges and pockmarks etc. Algae really settles down in those spots.

My plan was to acid wash it myself, and then begin spot repairing these pockmarks/divots/ridges as best as possible, and then paint the pool. I don't know if painting a pool is recommended or not, but I saw one at a friends house over the summer and I was impressed. I didn't know it had been painted and was complimenting him on the appearance of his pool. I just thought he really knew how to care for a pool (I was just learning). He told me he had painted it and THAT was why it looked so good.

I've watched a bunch of youtube videos on it, and it looks promising. I'm not rich, and absolutely cannot afford to have this thing professionally redone with something like pebble tech etc. I can't even afford to have it properly replastered right now. But I HAVE to have this thing in working order come next summer or my wife and kids will be sorely dissapointed. I'm not afraid of hard work and I learn quickly. I've plastered walls plenty of times before so I'm familair with a trowel/sanding etc.

Is this recommended? What are the risks? What are the drawbacks? What are the benefits? Any help is appreciated. I also have several other things to talk about but I'll do that in a different thread later on after this process is done. Thanks all!

If you view this video here you can see the same effect I'm seeing in my own pool with those slight blue colored spots showing through. Fast forward to about the one minute mark when he is sitting in the pool going over the materials needed. So it would seem to me that what I'm seeing is quite normal then if this guy is a pro pool guy and he just finished acid washing and spot repairing this particular pool

As the owner of a pool which was painted just before we bought the house......I would recommend avoiding the painting idea. It only lasts a couple years it seems and really becomes a mess. It will start to get chalky and when people are swimming/walking the pool starts to get a little hazy.

I need to get my pool replastered by next summer.

Anyone, anyone? I read today about something called aqua guard. Anyone familiar with that? Cost + effectivness kind of thing.

Paint of any kind just won't last. If I were in your shoes, I would just live with a worn-looking pool until I could save up enough $$ to have it done right!