Want to clarify what im being told is correct for pool resurfacing

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FLDude

Active member
Jul 21, 2022
42
Clearwater,FL
Hi All,

So my pool needs to be re-plastered and I've had a couple of people come round and give me quotes.
I just wanted to clarify that what I'm being told is correct or not and if there's any other options I have that you know of.

My pool is around 15,000 gallons and the sides are peeling off and flaking as well as staining. I've been told that unfortunately the pool is coated in fiber glass so I'll need to get that water blasted off first and then have the pool plastered.

Does that sound about right to you or do I have any other options when it comes to plaster being coated in fiber glass?

I got quoted $3,900 for the removal of the fiber glass and then $6,500 for a standard plaster totalling $10,400. I wasnt expecting the extra cost of the fiber glass which is why I wanted to check.

Also, does $6,500 sound about right for standard plaster? I'm down in FL.

Thanks!
 
That total price is less than I would expect to pay here for a re-plaster with removing the old plaster. I would expect to pay upwards of $15k. I have never heard of plaster coated with fiberglass though so hopefully someone else chimes in.
 
It sounds like they proposed the pool equivalent of the Earl Scheib $99 paint job.

Check references of completed pools for that price.

Will they do a complete chipout of the old plaster in addition to water blasting off the fiberglass? Water blasting will not remove plaster. Sand blasting is required to remove plaster.

A plaster job is only as good as the subsurface it is applied to.

 
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FL,

I have a friend here in Beford TX and he has a gunite pool that was originally plaster and is now coated with fiberglass. He just recently had the fiberglass redone.

If the original plaster under your fiberglass is coming off, then you have no choice but to remove it all.

I'd want to make sure that they not only remove any fiberglass, but also "all" the old plaster. Normally known as a full chip out. Plaster people normally just chip out what they think is bad, so, it would be normal to pay more to have it all removed.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
I had my gunite pool refinished in fiberglass a long time ago, maybe 20 years, and still looks good.
Hard to tell from your description if they really need to remove the fiberglass, or if you can have the finish fixed.

Seems likely if you show your pool to company that replasters pools, they will tell you that they need to remove the fiberglass and then plaster it. They probably don't know how to fix so the only way they can make money is to replaster the pool.

I'd look for a company that refinishes with fiberglass, and see if they can fix it. I love having fiberglass, you don't need to add acid like in a plaster pool and for me its been very durable.

Randy
 
Thanks for all the feedback, I've attached some pics of the damage. Does it look like it does need a replaster or just fixing with fiber glass?

On another note, given that no one is going to be swimming in it until I get this fixed am I ok to go ahead and shut the pump off or should I still run it every day?
 

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FLDude said:
Thanks for all the feedback, I've attached some pics of the damage. Does it look like it does need a replaster or just fixing with fiber glass?

On another note, given that no one is going to be swimming in it until I get this fixed am I ok to go ahead and shut the pump off or should I still run it every day?
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You cannot plaster a pool that has fiberglass on its surface. So the only options are to have a company fix the fiberglass or have someone else remove all of the fiberglass and then fix the plaster.

The quote you go is an extremely good price. If they are a good company that does a quality job, I’d jump on it. But that’s only if they will chip out all of the fiberglass and old plaster.
 
I can't offer any opinion on whether this requires a complete chip out or not, but if you can just have the fiberglass recoated, I had mine done with AquaBright and absolutely love it! They have a new product specifically for Fiberglass that wasn't available when I had mine recoated. You can visit the website to see if there companies in your area.
 
FLDude said:
Thanks for all the feedback, I've attached some pics of the damage. Does it look like it does need a replaster or just fixing with fiber glass?
Click to expand...

No one can make that determination from pictures.

Is the pool leaking water?

If it is not leaking water then what you see may be cosmetic.
FLDude said:
On another note, given that no one is going to be swimming in it until I get this fixed am I ok to go ahead and shut the pump off or should I still run it every day?
Click to expand...

How do you chlorinate your pool?

You still need to maintain the pool chlorination and run the pump enough to circulate the chemicals.
 

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ajw22 said:
No one can make that determination from pictures.

Is the pool leaking water?

If it is not leaking water then what you see may be cosmetic.


How do you chlorinate your pool?

You still need to maintain the pool chlorination and run the pump enough to circulate the chemicals.
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I just moved into the house so inherited this mess. Bought a tf100 test kit and cya levels were double what they should be for a slam which I think it needs because of algae. Turned out I'd need to empty the pool so figured I'd start getting quotes for resurfacing since everyone has told me that's what it needs.

And that's where I'm at, I'm new to pools so I don't know if I need to maintain the water or not or keep the pump on if I'm just going to empty it and get it fixed in a few months. No one is going go to be swimming in it how it is right now.

And it doesn't seem to be leaking at all from what I can see.
 
Poolbreh said:
It may be best to go with fiber glass again, just fixing issues and recoating. A chip out may present problems with the matting underneath. Unless matting is done again.
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So I gave the only fiber glass company in my area a call (fibertech) and turns out they put the fiber glass coating on this pool back in 1992 and have been doing repairs on it ever since. They're coming out early next week to take a look but fingers crossed they can just repair it and I'm good!
 
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To OP, the pictures of damage you posted is that chunks of fiberglass or chunks of plaster coming off the walls?

Generally speaking, how can one determine if a plaster pool is failing and needs to be resurfaced?
 
Mike408 said:
Generally speaking, how can one determine if a plaster pool is failing and needs to be resurfaced?
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When the plaster is delaminating from the gunite shell.

Or when the pool is leaking through the shell because the plaster is no longer waterproofing the gunite.

Or when you cannot stand the look of the old plaster.
 
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I have no idea to be honest, the material coming off is really thin so it could just be the fiber glass coating, I really hope it's just the fiber glass lol

Looking at images online the plaster coating in general appears to be really thick but I could be wrong though.
 
Newdude said:
Why not ? I get it that the walls are chipping and flaking, so don't touch them and enjoy the other 97% of the pool.
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I was going to echo this. Unless you have horrible algae nothing wrong with swimming as long as it’s properly chlorinated and the pH is in the 7’s.
 
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Bperry said:
I was going to echo this. Unless you have horrible algae nothing wrong with swimming as long as it’s properly chlorinated and the pH is in the 7’s.
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Yeah so there is some algae and my cya reading was 140 so I'd need to replace 50% of the water to slam it and get it to a point where I can add chlorine and it be effective, have I got that right?

Also the people that came to give me a quote said there would be a bunch if fiber glass in the pool because it's flaking off the sides, is that a legit concern as well for me to not swim in it?
 
FLDude said:
so there is some algae and my cya reading was 140 so I'd need to replace 50% of the water to slam it and get it to a point where I can add chlorine and it be effective, have I got that right?
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You do. (y) You can still swim with algae as it's unsightly but harmless. You need to FC between minimum and SLAM and you need to be able to see the bottom for swimmer rescue / safety.

FLDude said:
Also the people that came to give me a quote said there would be a bunch if fiber glass in the pool because it's flaking off the sides, is that a legit concern as well for me to not swim in it?
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It's a legit concern for having the best swimming possible, but it doesn't mean you can't swim IMO. Try your best not to rub the walls to minimize any flaking.
 
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