mini Pebble or Quartz plaster

[kurikang1]

Mini pebble or quartz plaster for my in ground salt water system pool. Please help me decide.

 

[kimkats]

What look are you going for? Why these two to pick from?

We need to know a little more about what you are thinking and looking for.

Kim

 

[Marlahoutex]

+1 what Kim said. And Welcome to TFP!

 

[Nursenini]

We met with our PB yesterday and in talking about pool finishes ( they use Gemstone) he told us not to go with the Quartz because it leeches calcium badly. I have no idea if that applies to ALL Quartz or if it is JUST the Gemstone Quartz line. Something to ask about though as I would imagine you wouldn't want to create a problem for yourself.

Welcome me to the BEST pool site! TFP is a wealth of knowledge and full of friendly, helpful people.

 

[Helen203]

I'm glad you posted this question, kurikang1 -- I'm struggling to decide myself. I think that the all of the finishes are basically plaster with different aggregates mixed in. For instance, DiamondBrite = plaster + quartz aggregates, PebbleTec = plaster + pebble aggregates, etc, where plaster is cement + polymers. Perhaps the polymer additives to the different plaster bases make some finishes more durable?

As far as calcium leaching, I believe this can be prevented with proper water chemistry (thank you, TFP Pool School!!!)

Calcium Hardness

• This is the amount of calcium in your water and is most important if you have a plaster pool (marcite, exposed aggregate, quartz, etc.). It is not as important in vinyl pools. In fiberglass pools it helps prevent staining and cobalt spotting. Too high a calcium level can lead to scaling and cloudy water, too low can damage plaster surfaces. The recommended range is between 200-400 ppm for both plaster and fiberglass. It really is not an issue for vinyl pools unless it is very high. Anything above about 130 ppm is probably ok for vinyl and above 200 ppm for fiberglass. If there is a warranty on your pool or liner that specifies a calcium level then follow that to keep your warranty! It is tested with a titration (drop count) test that changes color from pink to blue.

 

[JamieP]

One concern, as I understand it, with the darker colors of quartz is that there more of a chance for mottling. This mottling is from the plaster, and not the aggregate, but because the smaller quartz is less prominent in the Quartz finishes than the larger pebble aggregates, the mottling can show up more. When properly installed, managed at startup and maintained, mottling is not an issue. The install is the key, in any product, from what I've read.

I may be way off, so please correct me if I'm wrong.