A bare spot in my Stonescape

[kristenerika]

I have a brand new pool, just finished earlier this month.

After my pool was filled I noticed a spot about the size of the palm of my hand (on the floor in the deep end of the pool) that is significantly lighter in color than the rest of the pool. The plaster crew started filling my pool immediately after acid washing the Stonescape surface, so I didn't notice this place until it was under several feet of water. If I dive down I can see that the aggregate is not nearly as dense in this spot as the surrounding area.

Depending on time of day and lighting, the spot is either barely visible or very obvious.

My question are these:

Is this strictly a cosmetic issue or will this affect the durability/integrity of the plaster? Part of the reason that we spent the extra money on the Stonescape is because we were told that it will extend the plaster life significantly.

and

What can be done to fix this? Is this a repair that will entail draining the pool?

We have mentioned the issue to our contractor and they hemmed and hawed about whether there is anything to be done about it. I think that they are hoping that we will forget about this and go away. I'd like to get informed about how concerned I should be about this before contacting them again.

 

[gwegan]

Welcome to TFP!!!

Can we get a picture? Does it look like the plaster is thinner in this area?

 

[kristenerika]

Here is a photo. This is looking down at the floor of my pool through about 6 feet of water. The light spot is about 4-5 inches in diameter. If I dive down I can see that this spot is almost completely bare of the pebbles that make up the rest of the surface -- it just looks like smooth tinted plaster.

 

[Divin Dave]

my best guess, and its only a guess, is that there was a fairly heavy concentration of muriatic acid which pooled there for too long when your plaster was acid washed.

Acid will dissolve plaster, which is what holds the pebbles in place. So the absence of pebbles along with discoloration there is what makes me think this.

 

[pooldv]

I think it is more likely that it is a spot with more plaster, not less. When they acid wash they remove plaster to expose the aggregate and this spot probably had less plaster removed to expose less aggregate. We have some places like that. It is strictly cosmetic. They can pour acid through a tube to that spot and brush it to expose more aggregate if you want.

 

[Qwaxalot]

I think it is more likely that it is a spot with more plaster, not less. When they acid wash they remove plaster to expose the aggregate and this spot probably had less plaster removed to expose less aggregate. We have some places like that. It is strictly cosmetic. They can pour acid through a tube to that spot and brush it to expose more aggregate if you want.

I completely agree with this comment. I would add that, over time, I would expect the excess plaster to go away all by itself. Frankly, that surface looks very good to me.

 

[kristenerika]

Ok, thank you for the helpful comments! I feel reassured now.