Do pebble tec type finishes roughen with time?

[yellowbird]

I need to renovate my pool and am researching all related materials. The more I read the more questions I have.

It is not recommended that natural stone be used along the water line because of the pool chemicals. Currently, I have a small marble slab for the water that flows from the spa into the pool. It has roughened with time and, presumably, with exposure to pool chemicals. However, reading about pebble tec type finishes, they are made with natural stone. The sample board I have says they use marble. Wouldn't those finishes then roughen with time as well? Bottom line, why can natural stone be used for the entire surface and not for the waterline or a negative edge spa wall? Thank in advance for your help.
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[Guest]

I am going to assume that you are seeing CH on the stone work, and that it is not actually "roughening". Do you know what your CH levels are at?

P-Tec does not suggest using the product out of the water as it is much tougher to clean than tile is. The waterline tile is technically called a "scum line", and it needs to be cleaned periodically. Due to the rough nature of P-Tec, this makes it difficult (and it gets pretty unattractive as well) to clean.

P-Tec is much more durable than plaster, due to its high quantity of rock. You cannot really degrade the rock, but you can allow your CH to build and create a rough surface (as you can on any surface if the levels are too great). The key is to keep your CH in range (200-400 ppm) and/or keep your pH low enough to keep it in suspension.

 

[yellowbird]

Thanks for the input. We fired our pool maintenance man because he was not properly maintaining the pool. So it is very possible its rough for other reasons although no buildup is visible. From your reference to the "scum" line I am assuming that a porous stone such as marble would not be desirable because it would stain. But I fear it's porosity will be a problem in the long run. I found the following on another forum.

"marble is a 3 on hardness scale, quartz is a 7. the idea is that the larger, harder quartz will make for a denser (less porous), stronger finish that will be more resistant to the chemicals used in your pool."

 

[Guest]

"marble is a 3 on hardness scale, quartz is a 7. the idea is that the larger, harder quartz will make for a denser (less porous), stronger finish that will be more resistant to the chemicals used in your pool."

And, to take it a bit farther, your fingernails are about a 2 1/2!

Denser is better here, although the texture and porosity of stone tends to "grab" the calcium and other stuff floating around in your pool easier than tile does. You can find some stone looking tiles that will be easier to maintain, if that is the look you are after.

Remember that the pool guy visits your pool once a week and is expected to keep it perfect! In their defense, they are fighting a battle they cannot win. When we hire a pool guy to do the work that needs to be looked after every couple of days, he has a difficult time meeting your expectations by coming once a week. They are not always to blame, but get blamed often.

I do not have a pool guy, as I prefer to do the work myself, and what is preached here makes it very simple. Sometimes we have to make a choice of having work done and accepting the end result or doing it ourselves! In my case, I have only myself to blame if there is a problem!