Opinions on color plaster fading/streaking

[HmnRcn]

Hello all, we are trying to decide on our plaster color. So far we have decided on Tahoe Isle by Finest Finish Plaster. I want to know what kind of experience people have had with color plaster. Did it fade over time, if so, how long before you saw a noticeable difference? I am ok with the mottling I have seen, but am worried about streaking. Any experience and especially pictures would be helpful. Thanks in advance!

 

[YippeeSkippy]

I can't comment on your question, but I do want to give you this *very important* tip! - When you start to fill your pool, put the hose end in a sock so that the metal end of the hose doesn't mar the finish. Also do *not* stop filling once you start. If you do you risk streaks in the finish color.

We'd love to see some pics?

Maddie

 

[kimkats]

Here is one answer for you:

These pics were taken by a Expert member Joyfulnoise. His pool has been maintained using TFP guidelines from day one. This was done when the plaster was a little over 3 yrs old.

Kim

 

[HmnRcn]

I can't comment on your question, but I do want to give you this *very important* tip! - When you start to fill your pool, put the hose end in a sock so that the metal end of the hose doesn't mar the finish. Also do *not* stop filling once you start. If you do you risk streaks in the finish color.

We'd love to see some pics?

Maddie

Thank you very much for the tips Maddie! I will make sure I do both.

Here is what the “pool” looks like today. My 2 year old just calls it “the big hole”.

 

[HmnRcn]

Here is one answer for you:

These pics were taken by a Expert member Joyfulnoise. His pool has been maintained using TFP guidelines from day one. This was done when the plaster was a little over 3 yrs old.

Kim

Wow Kim, that is bad. I tried to see Joyful’s plaster type in his signature but can’t find it. That looks like Pebble to me, do you know? I am also interested to know what brand was used and what he was able to ultimately determine was the cause of the failure.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Caribbean Blue standard PebbleTec.

A short, 12" crack (non-leaking) had developed on the rolled edge of the spa seat. The cause was a plaster delamination from the gunite substrate. It's a pretty standard type crack that can develop and can happen on any plaster surface if a gap develops between the plaster and gunite during troweling. I honestly wish I did not have the crack repaired as it was not leaking and probably only visible to me. As you can see, the fix was worse than the problem. The patch has faded quite a bit now that it's a year later, but it's still noticeable.

The instructive part of the picture is the color difference between the bulk plaster and the surface. As you can see, the plaster color in the surface region faded to grey. This will happen to ALL plaster. Chlorine, whether at industry standard levels or TFP levels (TFP levels are better), will fade plaster because it bleaches out the plaster colorants. Blue colors are the worst for this because almost all of the dyes used are organic in nature and thus subject to chlorine oxidation. Dark grey colors will usually fade to light grey (and in many cases with a lot of streaking). Only pure white plaster will not fade because...well...it's white.

To answer your question - you'll get about 3-5 years out of the plaster color before it fades.

 

[HmnRcn]

Caribbean Blue standard PebbleTec.

A short, 12" crack (non-leaking) had developed on the rolled edge of the spa seat. The cause was a plaster delamination from the gunite substrate. It's a pretty standard type crack that can develop and can happen on any plaster surface if a gap develops between the plaster and gunite during troweling. I honestly wish I did not have the crack repaired as it was not leaking and probably only visible to me. As you can see, the fix was worse than the problem. The patch has faded quite a bit now that it's a year later, but it's still noticeable.

The instructive part of the picture is the color difference between the bulk plaster and the surface. As you can see, the plaster color in the surface region faded to grey. This will happen to ALL plaster. Chlorine, whether at industry standard levels or TFP levels (TFP levels are better), will fade plaster because it bleaches out the plaster colorants. Blue colors are the worst for this because almost all of the dyes used are organic in nature and thus subject to chlorine oxidation. Dark grey colors will usually fade to light grey (and in many cases with a lot of streaking). Only pure white plaster will not fade because...well...it's white.

To answer your question - you'll get about 3-5 years out of the plaster color before it fades.

Thanks for the info! I’m still trying to get my PB to show me a pool or two that he has done with color plaster. I am very curious about the percentage of fade each year. Are you saying that after 5 years it looks like a white pebble finish? Or are you saying that you can get 4 years of color before you notice it start to fade?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Every year it fades a little. It’s hard to judge because it’s subtle and slow so in your mind it’s the same color as day 1. But, as you can see, it’s very clearly not. Colored plaster will fade to grey, not white.

I’d say it was only about 2 years before I thought to myself, “Huh!? Pool doesn’t look that blue to me anymore...”

 

[HmnRcn]

Every year it fades a little. It’s hard to judge because it’s subtle and slow so in your mind it’s the same color as day 1. But, as you can see, it’s very clearly not. Colored plaster will fade to grey, not white.

I’d say it was only about 2 years before I thought to myself, “Huh!? Pool doesn’t look that blue to me anymore...”

Right now we are leaning very heavily towards doing the color. Even if it fades in 4 years, it should fade to gray and still have a different look than most other Pools and will still look nice and inviting. My biggest concern at this point is not getting streaking.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Is this a plaster product or exposed aggregate (pebble) product?

 

[HmnRcn]

Is this a plaster product or exposed aggregate (pebble) product?

Plaster as of now. If I find that there are too many issues with streaking, I may move towards an exposed aggregate.

 

[bdavis466]

Dark grey plaster less than 2 years old. It would be better if it uniformly discolored but that is rarely the case.

 

[kimkats]

B, do you know how they cared for and balanced their water? Or was it balanced and well cared for?

I bet they were sad. Did they have you redo it? Was it one of your pools you did in the past?

 

[bdavis466]

Yeah, this was a pool I redid about a year ago. A warranty claim was denied by the builder and plasterer.

The water chemistry was meticulously maintained

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I would caution against any kind of colored plaster. If you want the plaster look and feel, then go with a white plaster (polished Hydrazzo by CL Industries is a very nice looking plaster). Otherwise, if you want a colored finish, then choose an exposed aggregate to hide the streaking and fading that naturally happens.

Or, pay someone like Brian lots of money for AquaBright and you’ll never have to worry about plaster discoloration ....