It's frustrating to talk to 5 different pool companies (all very popular, top companies, no mom-and-pop stuff) and get 5 different stories. Today I was told that plain old marcite was just fine for a plaster, it's all in how you maintain the water. "I've seen plain marcite pools that went 30-40 years without replastering." Also, "Quartzbrite is just marcite with quartz powder stirred into it."
What a pool guy told me - true?
- Thread starter Osmigo
- Start date
I think @AQUA~HOLICS or @ajw22 could answer your question best.
My knowledge is that marcite is basic plaster comprised of Portland Cement with some marble. The other type of pool surfaces are quartz and pebble but both also have some percentage of Portland Cement
The quartz and pebble have more durability. However, maintaining the chemistry is critical for any pool plaster. My basic plaster lasted 16 years then I replastered with pebble.
My knowledge is that marcite is basic plaster comprised of Portland Cement with some marble. The other type of pool surfaces are quartz and pebble but both also have some percentage of Portland Cement
The quartz and pebble have more durability. However, maintaining the chemistry is critical for any pool plaster. My basic plaster lasted 16 years then I replastered with pebble.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,888
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Truth
I think upsells to pebble finishes since they will last longer benefits the builder more then the consumer.
Plaster is a basic commodity and marketing needs to find ways to get you to pay more for it.
The application is more important then the materials in quality and longevity of a pool finish.
Plaster Installation and Maintenance - Further Reading
www.troublefreepool.com
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,888
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Most things are only as strong as it’s weakest link.
You can not have a pebble finish without plaster holding it together. When the plaster around the pebbles fails you have to replaster regardless of how long the pebbles will last.
- May 23, 2015
- 24,447
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
As a plaster applicator once told me -
“PebbleTec can cover a multitude of sins…”
In other words, there’s a lot of stupid things you can do to a plaster surface that will absolutely wreck a plain white plaster surface but will hardly be noticeable with an aggregate finish. Plain plasters are, or ought to be, very smooth on your feet while pebble tends to be more rough.
Oh, and the only plasters that last 30 years are the old school ones that contained asbestos as part of the mix which is now banned in the US. Asbestos plasters, aside from staining, were nearly indestructible.
“PebbleTec can cover a multitude of sins…”
In other words, there’s a lot of stupid things you can do to a plaster surface that will absolutely wreck a plain white plaster surface but will hardly be noticeable with an aggregate finish. Plain plasters are, or ought to be, very smooth on your feet while pebble tends to be more rough.
Oh, and the only plasters that last 30 years are the old school ones that contained asbestos as part of the mix which is now banned in the US. Asbestos plasters, aside from staining, were nearly indestructible.
Those were the good old days.
The people plastering the pool would smoke while they plastered the pool with asbestos.
That's why the average lifespan at the time was about 45.
Meanwhile, the average lifespan of a person born today is 175 or until the AGI Takeover, whichever comes first.
Jerry Seinfeld will turn 70 this year and he looks like he is in his 40s.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,888
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
You mean the Jerry AI version. No one sees the real Jerry.
The materials used today are not compatible to the materials used back then.
Any plaster is only as good as the crew that installed it.
Quartz plaster is basic plaster that has the sand replaced with crushed quartz stone and lower in cost than exposed aggregate finishes.
Plaster companies in my area will not install standard Marcite plaster due to the imperfections that show up in time either due to chemical, Mother Nature or application issues such as trowel marks.
I attended a training class years ago when the instructor had samples of a new type of plaster finish, he said it was going to change the industry because of how it can hide the imperfections of the finished product and last longer than many other types of finishes, he was from Pebble-Tec a company no one had heard about.
The weakest part of a plaster finish is the Marcite, this is where an exposed aggregate finish will have a superior durability due to the finish being almost completely of a tumbled stone with less fading and chemical damages.
Then there’s cost, standard Marcite (least), Quartz then Pebble type finishes and polished exposed finishes.
Any plaster is only as good as the crew that installed it.
Quartz plaster is basic plaster that has the sand replaced with crushed quartz stone and lower in cost than exposed aggregate finishes.
Plaster companies in my area will not install standard Marcite plaster due to the imperfections that show up in time either due to chemical, Mother Nature or application issues such as trowel marks.
I attended a training class years ago when the instructor had samples of a new type of plaster finish, he said it was going to change the industry because of how it can hide the imperfections of the finished product and last longer than many other types of finishes, he was from Pebble-Tec a company no one had heard about.
The weakest part of a plaster finish is the Marcite, this is where an exposed aggregate finish will have a superior durability due to the finish being almost completely of a tumbled stone with less fading and chemical damages.
Then there’s cost, standard Marcite (least), Quartz then Pebble type finishes and polished exposed finishes.
- May 23, 2015
- 24,447
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Yeah, once they started demanding that plaster raw materials be free of any radionuclides with a dose of less than 1 millirems, I was done with plaster! I mean, who doesn’t love the soft blue glow of Cherenkov radiation from their pool at nights!?!?
Marcite uses calcium carbonate aggregate.
Quartz aggregate is used instead of calcium carbonate.
The cement is the same regardless of the aggregate.
The cement is the most susceptible to low pH and low CSI.
You can get 20 years or more from Marcite with proper maintenance.
Quartz aggregate is used instead of calcium carbonate.
The cement is the same regardless of the aggregate.
The cement is the most susceptible to low pH and low CSI.
You can get 20 years or more from Marcite with proper maintenance.
sktn77a
Gold Supporter
We had a marcite pool (sans asbestos) and it lasted 25 years. It would have probably gone another 10 years had we not wanted to do other renovatons. Our pool currently has plain plaster, without marble granules (marcite) and looks good going into its 7th year.