Pool closing after plaster resurfacing

[crosby1612]

Hi all; we have an issue with discoloration on white plaster on a new pool. The construction company and the plaster subcontractor have agreed that resurfacing is the way to go. The first available date we can do this is Sept 17. We would then look to close the pool mid October.

Question: is this enough time between replaster and closing to get the water balanced properly? I know the pH will be high over the winter, but I've been battling that all summer.

Is there any issue with closing about a month after the replaster or are we asking for problems if we do this?

 

[PoolStored]

You should demand a full chipout...

Plaster Installation and Maintenance - Further Reading

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You need at least 30 days for plaster startup...

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[ajw22]

You will be better off delaying the replaster and asking for it to be scheduled in Spring 2025 when you open the pool. That way you have over 6 months of plaster curing before you close it.

You run the risk of high pH while the pool is closed and scale will have formed on your new plaster when you open it in 2025. Then you will have a different problem to get fixed.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Agree with @ajw22 … you don’t want to repeater then close it. The pH will skyrocket and there will be calcium scale all over the surface when you open it up.

Lock them in to an early spring date. And get the old plaster completely chipped out.

 

[crosby1612]

Agree with @ajw22 … you don’t want to repeater then close it. The pH will skyrocket and there will be calcium scale all over the surface when you open it up.

Lock them in to an early spring date. And get the old plaster completely chipped out.

Why do I want the plaster completely chipped out instead of resurfacing? I'm very new to all of this so there's a lot I'm learning and don't understand. Thank you!

 

[PoolStored]

New plaster is only as good as the underlying material it is bonded to.

Delamination is like cancer. Once you have areas delaminating you cannot be sure it will never develop in other areas.

You need a full chipout. Sandblasting is a far superior method to accomplish this. If chisels are used then flat chisels should be used and not pointed tip chisels as pointed chisels removes too much Shotcret/Gunite in the process.

 

[ajw22]

Why do I want the plaster completely chipped out instead of resurfacing?

If you are putting a second layer of plaster over new pool plaster due to only discoloration and no delamination then it can be ok.

Understand that the next time you need to plaster the pool it will require a full chipout. As you can only have two layers of plaster on the pool. So your builder is spending that chit for you now instead of you being able to do a replaster without a chipout next time.

The contractor should paint a bonding coat on your existing plaster so the second plaster layer solidly bonds to the first layer.

 

[crosby1612]

If you are putting a second layer of plaster over new pool plaster due to only discoloration and no delamination then it can be ok.

Understand that the next time you need to plaster the pool it will require a full chipout. As you can only have two layers of plaster on the pool. So your builder is spending that chit for you now instead of you being able to do a replaster without a chipout next time.

The contractor should paint a bonding coat on your existing plaster so the second plaster layer solidly bonds to the first layer.

Thank you for the explanation. That makes sense to me. They're definitely planning on a binding coat; I'm going to talk to them about a full chip out. This is for discoloration, not for delamination.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I don’t know if I could accept a skim coat. Even if I had to pay out of pocket for the demolition of the existing layer, I’d prefer that to the uncertainty of a thin skim lasting. This is a new build so your expectation is to get at least 10-12 years out of the plaster … I’m not convinced a thin skim coat can do that.