New Quartz Finish - Quartz not really showing up

[MouseMan54]

Hello everyone,
(if this belongs somewhere else, feel free to move, or let me know to move)
I haven't been very active here in a while as my last pool was not in good repair and I was just treading water with it, (pun intended). Well at the end of last summer we pulled the trigger on a full demo and new pool. I didn't find the time to post my journey (navigating a pool build is hard enough), but I might do that in a time lapse version here just for fun. Plaster/quartz was on 1/12 and startup was yesterday.

My question today is this: We chose Laguna Sparkle Quartz from Finest Finish. So far I don't see hardly any aggregate or "sparkle" it just looks like blue plaster to me, and feel smooth like plaster too. How long does it take to start looking more like the picture in the link and the sample we saw at the builders office?

One of the builders team the quartz finish looks better over time. Some things I've read online suggest it starts to look pretty nice in 4 to 6 months with lots of brushing. I was worried that "forgot" the quartz but other reading I've done says Finest Finish puts everything in the bag. Nothing to add to the mix. I'm not panicked yet, but curiously concerned.

One final note- my finish looks a lot like pictures from plaster crews I've seen online for the same finish such as THIS and THIS.

Attached is picture of my finish. Up close in a corner.

 

[bradgray]

Hello everyone,
(if this belongs somewhere else, feel free to move, or let me know to move)
I haven't been very active here in a while as my last pool was not in good repair and I was just treading water with it, (pun intended). Well at the end of last summer we pulled the trigger on a full demo and new pool. I didn't find the time to post my journey (navigating a pool build is hard enough), but I might do that in a time lapse version here just for fun. Plaster/quartz was on 1/12 and startup was yesterday.

My question today is this: We chose Laguna Sparkle Quartz from Finest Finish. So far I don't see hardly any aggregate or "sparkle" it just looks like blue plaster to me, and feel smooth like plaster too. How long does it take to start looking more like the picture in the link and the sample we saw at the builders office?

One of the builders team the quartz finish looks better over time. Some things I've read online suggest it starts to look pretty nice in 4 to 6 months with lots of brushing. I was worried that "forgot" the quartz but other reading I've done says Finest Finish puts everything in the bag. Nothing to add to the mix. I'm not panicked yet, but curiously concerned.

One final note- my finish looks a lot like pictures from plaster crews I've seen online for the same finish such as THIS and THIS.

Attached is picture of my finish. Up close in a corner.

It is indeed normal for a fresh plaster pool to have more plaster at the surface than aggregate.

How much or little depends on a number of variables. If your pool is really smooth, that suggests they achieved a good cream and it would explain why most of your aggregate isn't visible. The blue pigment in your mix is also hiding a lot of the color. If had been a white plaster with darker aggregate with the quarts it would be more obvious.

The plaster will wear over time and expose more and more of the aggregate.

Acid washing a new pool is a method some builders use for Parade Homes to make them sparkle sooner but it's erasing life of the pool right off the line.

I'll attach a photo of the same product. This was 6 years ago and I don't remember the color we used but it was indeed a sparkle quarts blend. The plaster itself looked like blended smurfs.

 

[bradgray]

Prior to filling. Notice almost no aggregate is visible at all.

 

[MouseMan54]

Thanks. That does look a lot like my finish. I'm only a few days in so I guess I need to be patient. How's it looking 6 years later??

Also - they gave me a nylon brush, but I read on a plasterer's site to use wire/stainless steel? Any thoughts?

 

[bradgray]

Thanks. That does look a lot like my finish. I'm only a few days in so I guess I need to be patient. How's it looking 6 years later??

Also - they gave me a nylon brush, but I read on a plasterer's site to use wire/stainless steel? Any thoughts?

I haven't been back to that pool for since startup was done; sorry! But I imagine it's far less blue.

I would NOT use a steel brush on your pool for many months. Longer if you can help it.

Same reason we do not use wheeled cleaners on new pools; it can mar the surface.