Tileing an old painted poured concrete pool?

[notvaporlocked]

Our 35 year old IG poured concrete 21 X 41 ft pool has some problems. I need to start working on a solution and am looking for ideas.

The pool has several cracks that will weep water when the pool is empty. It has always been painted with a water based pool paint. Now several layers exist except where it leaks, it is hard to get a good paint job in the compromised areas. Several of the leaks are at the bottom of the wall where it meets the floor.

I need ideas on options. Sandblast, chip out the cracks and grout, and ????? I'm guessing plaster or epoxy paint or tile or ????

Any thoughts or sugestions?

Terry

 

[waste]

Terry,the best (and therefore most expensive ) option is to plaster the pool You can certainly get away with chipping out the cracks and patching them with Waterplug or similar hydrolic cement and then repainting the pool :|

However you decide to do this, do it once and do it right so that it's not a recurring nightmare

 

[notvaporlocked]

What about only tileing the walls with maybe a good epoxy paint or something else on the bottom to save on the overall costs. Could you guess on the costs comparison per sq ft. How would the maintenance and life expentancy compare for plaster and tile. I don't want to have to redo whatever in 4-5 years. My goal is to get something that will last.

This is a campground pool that gets a lot of use in the summer. Generally open from end of may to mid sept at the latest. I need to factor in life expectancy and maintenance ease. I generally try to fix things right when we do something but do not have unlimited money at the same time.

I might mention that the walls are a uniform 3 1/2 ft tall all around the pool. Its a weird pool actually. 21 X 41 rectangle and 5 ft at the deepest part with the drain more or less in the middle.

The walls are the biggest problem.

Terry

 

[Henry Porter]

Hi!
without consider the leaks I would tile the bottom and plaster the walls instead of vice versa. Porcelain tiles in the bottom and in waterline must stand against many years of usage if it's right applied. If I understands it correct so is it less wear and tear on the walls.
In a poured concrete pool is the weak spot where the wall meets the floor(just where you said you found leaks). If the pool hasen't been poured in one cast or with proper sealant strip mounted in the angle. However there are cement based materials that you can use to seal cracks in concrete. Waterplug is one, I think it's BASF's product. Don't do anything before you have taking care of those leaks is my advice!

 

[waste]

It's funny, I was going to link up Mats' DIY concrete pool thread HERE and tell you to look at it for some very practical advice on formed crete pools. (it's also a great example of patience, planning and attention to detail! )

21 years ago when I started in the industry, the company I worked for in NJ built pools the same way as yours. As Mats said, because it's not a monolithic pour the wall/ floor joint is the weakest point.

To tile just the walls and paint the floor is a reasonable possibility however, you'd want to sandblast the entire pool to remove the old paint so as to insure a good bond with the tile and new paint (if I were doing it, I'd also acid wash the pool once it's sandblasted). I'm not current with material costs, but at the very least this will be labor intensive

One other point- the epoxy paint has to be applied under stringent conditions - there can be NO moisture on the crete when you paint it on! This leaves you at the mercy of Ma Nature if you're on a deadline The prep work is going to really determine how well and long the pool will be able to go without having to resurface it (and, of course, maintaining the chem levels religiously :!: )

I'll be here to bounce ideas or methods off of as you approach the project and Mats has very recent experience in doing this work himself. Rushing into this will probably result in a poor job, do as you are and research the options and cost of the different ways the repair can be made. If there is some leak that needs to be addressed right now, we can help you put a bandaid on it until you have the time and materials available to resurface the pool and have it last the 7 - 12 years it should

 

[notvaporlocked]

Thanks Ted. WIll keep you in mind and as we get closer will get in touch for advise.

Leaks as of now are not significant enough to cause any disruption or closedown. There is a low area next to pump house that gets soft. The biggest problem with the leaks is during prep in the spring when the pool is drained. We never can get it dry enough for a perfect paint job.

I have noted your comments about the Epoxy.

I have talked to a couple of local pool builders about fixing the leaks but do not get that feeling of confidence that they can do the job to my liking. It appears the hardest thing is going to be getting the right people with the right experience to do the job right.

Is pool tile special or is it regular tile just applied to a pool? Same for grout and adhiesive? With that knowledge I can start to put some price estimated and comparisons together.

Thanks,

Terry

 

[waste]

Terry, you want tile that is specifically for pools.

If you want to go with the epoxy pool paint, all you have to do is seal the cracks with waterplug, or similar, and let the area dry before applying the paint - and then hope you get a dry week

As I said, the preparation work is what will 'make or break' the longevity of the resurface - if everything is as perfect as humanly possible before you put on the new surface, it will last it's full life expectancy, barring catastrophic damage (like a tree falling into the pool) - as long as you maintain the proper chemistry for the surface.

Again, check your options (cost, time/ labor and estimated life expectancy) and bounce them off of us and we'll give you more advice on this :-D

 

[notvaporlocked]

Will do Ted, thanks for the help.

Terry