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Get a larger pump and run it at slower speeds. I have a 3 HP VSP (Pentair 011028), running at 1400 RPM. It draws about 200 watts at this level and I can't even hear it running at all.

I would take the plaster color upgrade credit and leave the pool as it is. It looks great. When I had my pool replastered back in 2014, we chose Pebble Fina Bella Blue which is a light grey base, but we were on the fence between that and Cielo Blue which is a white base and seeing the uneven...

The mottling will usually fade and blend a bit over time (years). Keep your PH on the low side for the next year and brush when you can. The pool builder likely won't be able to correct the issues without a full redo and even that could come out worse. I wasn't happy with my plaster job either...

I'm kind of partial to raised coping, as it helps to keep runoff and other stuff out of the pool, especially during the winter when my pool is closed. Harder to do with a freeform pool though. https://www.hancreteproducts.com/safety-grip

Looks beautiful!

I originally considered the liquidator, but installed a Stenner pump and 15 gallon tank with it's own digital timer.

It won't help with the expected range/change in the water level though. Bottom line is that skimmers should be set so that your median or target water level is both halfway up the skimmer and halfway up your tile. Usually this would accommodate for a water level that can go up 2 inches with...

This image from the Hayward website shows where this style skimmer should be in relation to the water level and coping. Yours should move up at least 1" to 1.5" above where it is now.

That skimmer looks ridiculous and won't function as the manufacturer intended. As has been said, the down slope is too steep, the pool water level will be too low, the functioning working height of the water level in the skimmer will not be as large. If this was my pool, I would not pay another...

The edges of the steps also don't look smoothly rounded or consistent with each other. Looks to be poor attention to detail all around. Very unfortunate.

Any non-white plasters will look worse on cloudy days and in dim light. In your case, it doesn't appear as though the plaster was mixed well enough and the "mottling" is pretty severe and less blended than I have seen. My replastering job wasn't to my satisfaction but was much more muted than...

I have a dedicated vacuum line, which I used with my manual vacuum head attachment with an in-line leaf catcher. It was helpful to have this since my two skimmers shared a line, so using one of the skimmer lines wouldn't have enough suction. I now have a robot, so I don't use the vacuum line...

Heater btu missing a zero? A lot of us like Raypak for reliability/quality.

If you get Fina, go with a lighter finish if you want a more even appearance and less mottling. If I had to do it over again, I'd have gone with Cielo Blue (white base color) instead of Bella Blue (grey base color). Fina is smooth like plaster and should have a longer life.

Don't be surprised if their pool school class material is contrary to most everything you read here...many pool companies still don't "get it".

Tiles look OK to me as well. Re-plastering usually includes a chip-out of the old plaster, but if they don't do that then a bond coat would be needed for the new plaster to adhere properly.

I've seen pebble get polished on Youtube before, but I don't know if this is something that would work with your pool: Have you checked that the surface problem is not calcium scale? This can usually be addressed with acid wash/bath and brushing.

It appears as if the company doesn't take pride in their work....that mottling is worse than mine. Is the structure in the photo supposed to be round?

Always go lighter if you want to reduce the chance of noticeable mottling. We recently refinished our pool with Bella Blue Pebble Fina and if I were to do it all over again, I would have gone with the Cielo Blue instead. Cielo blue is closer to Quartzscapes Blue and Super Blue (since it has a...

It depends on the pool, the equipment, and how much you can do yourself to maintain it. When we purchased our home about 7 years ago the pool was already there but it needed work and this was our first pool. It's a large 33k gallon in-ground gunite pool and the cost to refinish it with Pebble...

What a difference to that backyardl! I have the Bella Blue finish as well...do you notice any mottling on cloudy days or is your finish nice and even? Looks great in the photos!

My neighbor did bluestone coping and is regretting it. After one winter with the loop-loc cover, the weight of the snow has caused the cover to gouge out the edges of the coping where the straps align with the loop-loc anchors (about every 3 ft). Bluestone appears to be too soft to be used as...

There is no way I would attempt to replaster my pool without help with the mixing and troweling. There is a reason they bring in huge mixers/pumpers and 6 man crews. With that said, it can’t hurt to try since it is your pool and your time/labor. Good luck to you!

I agree with riley, the sooner the better. Also, allowing the PH to rise over the winter with a newly replastered surface could result in major scaling when you open next season, even if you bring the PH down to 6.8 - 7.0 at closing. When my pool was replastered, my PH rose quickly for the...

The pitting in the first photo is concerning. Looks like a poor troweling job, and will only get worse with time. I don't know if that justifies a total redo, or if it can somehow be repaired without looking weird or causing future issues. I'd classify that as a defect in workmanship.

I vote no.

As we near retirement, I absolutely hate the idea of giving banks any of our hard earned money. We have always been hardcore savers. If we can't afford something we don't buy it...simple as that. Our house, cars, pool and kitchen renos were all paid for with cash. The only time a bank is...

It's strange, but looking at the Master Tile example pattern in post #27...those tiles don't even appear to be aligned even with the mesh.

The tile job is bad...they have absolutely no talent or pride in their work. That being said, for water line tile, it is sometimes best to go with a larger format tile with the pattern you want rather than to try to cut and position smaller tiles into a desired pattern. There are many choices...

I wouldn't let anyone in the pool until the break in period is over. You're not even supposed to vacuum until it is cured, though I think a brush style vacuum attachment would be OK. Pool School - Start-up New Plaster