Refresh a 33k gunite pool

[acroy]

Plaster is 16yrs old (!) old and has been 'mottled' since I bought the house 12yrs ago. I've taken extremely good care of the pool so it's in great shape other than the mottling.
old pic, but looks the same. Ignore the debris


here is a quote from a well regarded local company


Honestly was expecting the re-plaster to be higher!
thoughts on above?
-tile repair, it's not bad, just a few problem areas
- plaster, 'Crystal Stones' or pebbletech?? I am sticking with traditional white/light color. We do like the smooth feel of plaster and have not enjoyed pebbletech pools we've been in - very rough. I understand they do make finishes with much finer pebbles so it feels less rough. I made this plaster last 16yrs and it would go many more years with proper chemistry imho...
-pool light is preventative, we don't use it, current light has no issues but is very old and I am wary of leaks. LED option is $1200
-Skimmer Plates: there are steel 'plates' under the bullnose bricks at the skimmers. they have progressively rusted and swollen & started to break the bullnose brick. I am worried about making the repair look right - don't want a patch job.
-in-floor 'cleaning' system will be capped, abandoned, plastered over. Any concerns? it works but is not used, plenty of other returns.
-not shown, replace 2 skimmers, $1800 each, as both have minor cracks above the waterline. thoughts??

Any comments welcome, esp. on surface preferences. If/when we move forward, will post pics

 

[proavia]

Your bid seems to indicate that they aren't removing all the old plaster. You would be better served by a fill chip out of the old plaster. This should provide the best surface for the new plaster to bond to.

 

[mknauss]

They are not quoting a full chip out. At the age of your plaster, it would be wise to do a full chip out. It will be more expensive.

The picture looks like copper staining.

 

[acroy]

Thanks I will verify

 

[acroy]

Any input on the pool light6?
Seems archaic to use 500w incandescent - but led is 2x the price??

 

[Newdude]

Seems archaic to use 500w incandescent - but led is 2x the price??

Depends what you’re looking for. Form or function. I’m going with old skool for a second time. We rarely hung out by the pool and night swimming was infrequent. Most of the time it was only me at night and I liked it dark. But all those colored pics sure do look amazing. The problem is the electronics for the LED overheat and fail frequently. So if you go that route make sure you research the longevity of that brand. Many are only good for a season or two.

 

[KCNM]

I'm confused why there's both tile replacement and tile repair? Are you keeping some tile somewhere?

If you like the smooth white plaster, go for it. You've already proven you can maintain that finish for the long run. And at less than half the cost...

If you don't actually use the lights, stick with what's cheap. You can always buy a LED replacement bulb later, or even the entire fixture. Lights are relatively easy to switch out without even draining the pool. The hardest part is threading the wire to the junction box. If you're not planning on selling the existing light, just cut the old cord, tie on the new one, and start pulling.

 

[KCNM]

Just saw your note at the end regarding the skimmers also. Do you mean cracks in the skimmer body? Probably worth replacing then, since you're at it anyway. It would suck to do all this work, then have one of those cracks go below the waterline 6 months later.

 

[acroy]

Depends what you’re looking for. Form or function. I’m going with old skool for a second time. We rarely hung out by the pool and night swimming was infrequent. Most of the time it was only me at night and I liked it dark. But all those colored pics sure do look amazing. The problem is the electronics for the LED overheat and fail frequently. So if you go that route make sure you research the longevity of that brand. Many are only good for a season or two.

So I had a sit-down with the company and I'm not touching the light. I was thinking to do the light as a preventative measure only - we really don't use it. He basically said 'if it ain't broke don't touch it' so that's what we'll do!

I'm confused why there's both tile replacement and tile repair? Are you keeping some tile somewhere?

If you like the smooth white plaster, go for it. You've already proven you can maintain that finish for the long run. And at less than half the cost...

If you don't actually use the lights, stick with what's cheap. You can always buy a LED replacement bulb later, or even the entire fixture. Lights are relatively easy to switch out without even draining the pool. The hardest part is threading the wire to the junction box. If you're not planning on selling the existing light, just cut the old cord, tie on the new one, and start pulling.

So on the tile, they provided 2 different options - replace or repair. I like what we have and it's not a lot of bad grout, just some spots. So repair it is!

pool surface: still undecided. We took home a bunch of samples of the pebble surface, some of them are pretty darn smooth (which I like). I tossed them all int he water & will look at them under different light to see how they look. I'd only do a pebble surface if it would be a noticeable, positive color change. The added durability would basically be a benefit.

Just saw your note at the end regarding the skimmers also. Do you mean cracks in the skimmer body? Probably worth replacing then, since you're at it anyway. It would suck to do all this work, then have one of those cracks go below the waterline 6 months later.

he actually suggested leave them alone, minor crack above water line is no problem. "The new ones can crack any time too, it's depends if the soil moves".

Overall I was very impressed with the guy, he was the opposite of hard sell - convinced us to not to a lot of things

thanks for all the inputs!!

 

[acroy]

Should be finalizing the contract in the next couple days. leaning towards the 'CrystalStones' product. Installer says the difference between Pebbletech & Crystal stones is the manufacturer - they see the same quality etc and have same warranty.

Looking at one of the blues on the left. Light blue would be more traditional, dark blue more 'statement'. dark blue has some really nice colorful highlights that go with our tile.


showing the tile & brick


the existing plaster surface looks quite 'dirty' esp. in indirect light. I've been told different things - installation mistake, staining, etc. Don't know what the actual reason is ah well. I suspect it was abused by low pH by previous owners before my time. Regardless, it's looked the same the last 12yrs I've owned it, feels a lot smoother and consistent than it looks.