First Swim In New Pebble!

[Dirk]

Well, I finally was able to get in my pool yesterday. Was doing some "hard time" work all day, and just had to jump in. And by "jump in" I actually mean slooooowly getting in, complete with the step-at-a-time--inch my way in--carefully coat the warm skin with the cool water--dance! It was only 74° after all.

This was my first time in my TFPC water. And my first time in with the new pebble. I've been staring at, learning about and working on this newly resurfaced pool for six months!!

And boy was I thrilled -- and disappointed!

The water is amazing. Crystal clear. Clean. Not a whiff of chlorine. I get it now. A TFP pool!

The pebble... not so much. I replaced plaster, and plaster is flat out just more comfortable. By far! No surprise there. And I was anticipating, and somewhat prepared for, this "disappointment factor" to some degree. I had felt what I bought at the plasterer's showroom. And I've been nervous ever since about this first reaction. I have to admit, even with that prep, I found it to be a bit less than I had hoped.

It's fine on my feet. And my hands. (Which is all I used at the showroom.). But real world, uhhhg. Like when I'm sitting on a bench, let's just say with "some exposed skin," it's not all that comfortable. And when I kneeled on it, I can tell it could easily take some skin off if I rubbed it hard enough. Not so, at all, with the plaster. Bummer. I was a concrete snob. Didn't get vinyl or why anybody would want it, except to save money. Now, I'm rethinking.

I chose pebble for the longevity. I hope the minor discomfort I'll be dealing with will pay off. I'm hoping with TFP and some diligence that this will be my last resurface. Plaster would not have likely made it long enough.

Oh well. Live and learn. I might call the plasterer to see what they would be willing to do (with or without additional expense). I picked the smallest pebble. Hard to believe this is an acceptable, widely-used pool surface. Maybe I'll get it polished, maybe I'll learn to live with it.

:sad:

 

[teribble1]

Sounds like you need to work a little harder and get a good build up of calluses on that sweet soft skin (in those areas) and you'll be good to go. I look the way pebble looks but wouldn't want it on her sweet soft bottom.

 

[Dirk]

And there's "the rub!"

Sounds like you need to work a little harder and get a good build up of calluses on that sweet soft skin (in those areas) and you'll be good to go. I look the way pebble looks but wouldn't want it on her sweet soft bottom.

 

[riley00dog]

Sounds like you need to work a little harder and get a good build up of calluses on that sweet soft skin (in those areas) and you'll be good to go. I look the way pebble looks but wouldn't want it on her sweet soft bottom.

Agreed! You will toughen up! Seriously I wouldn’t do anything to your perfect surface. I bet you will get use to it.

 

[shrid]

Do you have the regular pebble or the pebble sheen?

 

[Dirk]

Agreed! You will toughen up! Seriously I wouldn’t do anything to your perfect surface. I bet you will get use to it.

Thanks, I'm counting on that. My bigger concern is my g-kids. For the most part, I'm just in a little at a time, a bunch of times a day. And I've got old feet and hands. But they stay in for hours at a time and soften up like prunes. Not looking forward to the first time one of them comes out of the pool scraped up and crying, or worse...

Guess we'll all just have to toughen up.

For those that haven't followed my tale, my plaster was newish, and perfect and destroyed by my pool guy and his ill-conceived and badly-executed acid wash. So it advanced my resurface time table by 15 years, which is why I ended up with pebble, to get some or all of that missing 15 years back... I am just missing my plaster a bit today... it was silky smooth!

 

[Dirk]

Do you have the regular pebble or the pebble sheen?

Not sure. I didn't buy PebbleTec, but rather a "custom mix" from a well-respected plaster guy who mixes his own brew, sold to me with the claim of "as good or better than PebbleTec," but without the brand markup. But who knows. Sounded good at the time. I selected his very smallest pebble, so not "regular" I guess, but I never felt or shopped PebbleTec, so I never compared. (One of my many, many new-pool-owner mistakes. All pre-TFP.)

That's why I might call him, to get his take. Maybe have him come out to the pool and convince me it feels the way it's supposed to. They polished it for quite a while before they acid washed it, but that was all in the hands of the workers, not management, so no one but they know what was done correctly or not. Again, it's not horrible, it's just not as nice as plaster.

I'm assuming pebble surfaces do not "wear in." As that would be counter to their longevity, right? And certainly my feet are not going to smooth it out! Not in less than a few hundred years, anyway!

 

[riley00dog]

Thanks, I'm counting on that. My bigger concern is my g-kids. For the most part, I'm just in a little at a time, a bunch of times a day. And I've got old feet and hands. But they stay in for hours at a time and soften up like prunes. Not looking forward to the first time one of them comes out of the pool scraped up and crying, or worse...

Guess we'll all just have to toughen up.

For those that haven't followed my tale, my plaster was newish, and perfect and destroyed by my pool guy and his ill-conceived and badly-executed acid wash. So it advanced my resurface time table by 15 years, which is why I ended up with pebble, to get some or all of that missing 15 years back... I am just missing my plaster a bit today... it was silky it’s smooth!

I think having plaster previously is what makes it hard for you. You know what you’re missing. We are getting standard mini pebble and both of my boys are a bit soft. Once they’re playing and having fun I am sure they’ll forget about the rough surface. I actually like the idea of having a little grip underfoot. Our neighbour has the same pebble we are getting and it feels fine to me, although I didn’t do much sitting on it. Maybe if you plan on relaxing put a thick beach towel down under you in the water to pad it out a little.

 

[riley00dog]

Do you have a close up photo of the pebble?

 

[Dirk]

I think having plaster previously is what makes it hard for you.

Agree. And I've tried using the "grip" rational. Truth be told, my plaster was smooth, but not at all slippery. It was "just right" Goldielocks!

Do you have a close up photo of the pebble?

I'll work on that, might be a while, though. What are you thinking? That it wasn't installed correctly? Acid washed too little or too much?

 

[riley00dog]

Agree.



I'll work on that, might be a while, though. What are you thinking? That it wasn't installed correctly? Acid washed too little or too much?

Not at all. I was just wondering the size of your pebble. I would say it sounds like it feels as it’s meant to. With all the plaster drama around here, if you say your finish is perfect, I wouldn’t go messing around with it unless your pb thinks there’s an obvious problem. You will adjust and probably quicker than you think.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

It only gets more rough, not less.

With pebble surfaces, it's not just the aggregate size that matters but the aggregate shape selection as well. PebbleTec makes claims that it is highly selective when it comes to it's aggregate suppliers and that some of the aggregates are further processed to smooth them out - rounded aggregate versus jagged aggregate. How true those claims are is certainly open to discussion.

Not all aggregate finishes can be polished smooth. There are pool surfacing products, eg, Hydrazzo, that are designed to be polished based on the plaster/aggregate materials used.

As for potential longevity, application practices (how artful and skilled the applicator is) matter just as much as materials. You can get the most expensive PebbleTec finish around and if the applicator decides to use a crew of day laborers that doesn't know the difference between plaster and concrete, you can wind up with a very expensive cracked and spalled pool surface.

Enjoy the new pool and don't waste too much energy chasing perfection as it will always be a disappointment....

 

[Dirk]

Not at all. I was just wondering the size of your pebble. I would say it sounds like it feels as it’s meant to. With all the plaster drama around here, if you say your finish is perfect, I wouldn’t go messing around with it unless your pb thinks there’s an obvious problem. You will adjust and probably quicker than you think.

I like the sound of that. Thanks! I watched them very closely. I knew nothing of it at the time, but one can get a sense of professionalism without knowing anything about process. I never saw anything that indicated they weren't highly skilled. And it was clear they'd done it hundreds if not thousands of times. You're right about others' plaster drama. My color and finish are very even. Mated perfectly to tile and returns. No foot prints or rust spots or trowel marks. You're right, thank you, if it a'int broke...

 

[jillp913]

Interesting thread, as I keep thinking i'm going to miss my super smooth plaster. However I will say my friend got her plaster re-finished and it's not smooth at all, I'm guessing it's just a poor job. I remember coming back to my smooth pool and thinking ahhhhh. So that wasn't a guarantee for you either, if that helps. But now you have me thinking quartz might be as rough as I go. Even though I really want pebble sheen french grey, I just can't get into the feel of it (my neighbors have it and i always figured they had regular pebble, i was shocked to find out it's pebblesheen).

 

[Dirk]

It only gets more rough, not less.

With pebble surfaces, it's not just the aggregate size that matters but the aggregate shape selection as well. PebbleTec makes claims that it is highly selective when it comes to it's aggregate suppliers and that some of the aggregates are further processed to smooth them out - rounded aggregate versus jagged aggregate. How true those claims are is certainly open to discussion.

Not all aggregate finishes can be polished smooth. There are pool surfacing products, eg, Hydrazzo, that are designed to be polished based on the plaster/aggregate materials used.

As for potential longevity, application practices (how artful and skilled the applicator is) matter just as much as materials. You can get the most expensive PebbleTec finish around and if the applicator decides to use a crew of day laborers that doesn't know the difference between plaster and concrete, you can wind up with a very expensive cracked and spalled pool surface.

Enjoy the new pool and don't waste too much energy chasing perfection as it will always be a disappointment....

I'm just now finding your post Matt. Thanks for your take.

Only gets rougher? Didn't know that, hadn't considered that.

Not all pebble can be polished? Didn't know that either.

Longevity subject to installation technique? That I did know, but it's the kind of thing one doesn't find out until its end-of-life, way past warranty.

My pebble guy assured me that his pebble supplier was that of, or better than, PebbleTec's. You reminded me. That's what he was claiming about his product. But like the installation techniques, how would someone like me know that one way or the other?

This, along with my quest for ultimate longevity through best-of-class maintenance, I'm coming to terms with, is going to be what it is going to be. I did, and am doing, the best I could/can, given what I had/have in front of me. Worrying about it will have no effect on the end result, for sure.

But maybe others here can learn something from my trials and tribulations...

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I'm just now finding your post Matt. Thanks for your take.

Only gets rougher? Didn't know that, hadn't considered that.

Not all pebble can be polished? Didn't know that either.

Longevity subject to installation technique? That I did know, but it's the kind of thing one doesn't find out until its end-of-life, way past warranty.

My pebble guy assured me that his pebble supplier was that of, or better than, PebbleTec's. You reminded me. That's what he was claiming about his product. But like the installation techniques, how would someone like me know that one way or the other?

This, along with my quest for ultimate longevity through best-of-class maintenance, I'm coming to terms with, is going to be what it is going to be. I did, and am doing, the best I could/can, given what I had/have in front of me. Worrying about it will have no effect on the end result, for sure.

But maybe others here can learn something from my trials and tribulations...

No worries....most of what I write is not worth responding to (including this post...)

I'd say once you get used to the roughness, you'll never really notice a change until things start to visibly look horrible. At that point you'll be 12-15 years in (maybe more or less) and you'll be ready for another replaster anyway. It's like a concrete patio - first 5-10 years everything looks great, maybe a few minor chips or stains here or there but for the most part it's manageable. After about 15-20 years, the abuse starts to pile up, things get harder to clean or fix and you're ready to sell your home or invest in a new deck.

As for installer practices, the only way to know that is to verify how many years they've been in business (you'd like a company that has been around for 10+ years) AND you should get references or go visit pools they've plastered. Any contractor worth their salt will keep a book of work and references they are proud of and be willing to share those contacts with you so you can see their work. Visiting a pool that was plastered 10 years ago will tell you a lot about the contractors workmanship. Even a pool surface that's 5 years old can reveal the quality of the workmanship if you know what to look for.

But, all that said, there's no guarantee to any surface. My pool was plastered by one of the oldest companies here in Tucson (a multi-generational family business) and I visited many pools that were plastered by them. The guys that did my pool were all a good looking bunch (if by good looking you mean they all looked like they just got out of the county jail a few days back....) and the foreman was a grouchy old soul who probably was around when the pyramids were being constructed (all he needed was an eye-patch, a tunic, and a bullwhip to complete the persona). The surface was pristine and smooth as a newborn's bottom. Even with all that, my spa still developed a plaster crack along one of the rolled edges that reveal a sizable delamination failure of the plaster (essentially a void space between the plaster and the gunite). It took 4+ years for the crack to develop but, all the while, the void was there. So, even with the best of circumstances, plastering a pool is as much a gamble as anything else.

 

[schwimmen]

Interesting discussion. We want to use our pool for fitness, including water exercise in shallow end. I like the pebble surfaces for their longevity, but your post has me thinking we should reconsider plaster or plaster plus quartz, etc.?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Interesting discussion. We want to use our pool for fitness, including water exercise in shallow end. I like the pebble surfaces for their longevity, but your post has me thinking we should reconsider plaster or plaster plus quartz, etc.?

Or, a polished hydrazzo - http://clindustries.com/polished-pool-finishes/

Be prepared to open the wallet further than ever before....

 

[Dirk]

My guy's company has been around since 1981. I only visited his showroom, which included actual pools of varying finishes. Like, a lot of them. I was told the pebble pools were 15 years old. They looked brand new to my absolutely untrained eye. The construction appeared to be of very high quality. The pebble I selected felt fine, but I only felt it with my hands and feet. I didn't go see any of his other pools. So I did some of what I could have. Oh, and he is "an active Board Member of the National Plasterers Council since 2005" which I now understand could be as dubious as not! I trusted what I was told, and what I read about them on their own website and in a few reviews. Several sources pointed me to them. I assumed the info I was given, from both he and others, was true (a potentially dangerous assumption, to be sure).

I talked to several contractors. To be honest, my ultimate decision was based primarily on "vibe." He just felt like the right guy.

That makes me think (hope?) I got about as good a guy as I could have. Of course, he was no where to be found during the actual work! So ultimately, no matter who you pick, you're at the mercy of the guys that actually show up, how much they drank the night before, and what kind of mood they're in after fighting with their wives that morning about coming home so late the night before! Like you say, it's a roll of the dice.

I'll update this thread in 20 years...

Oh, I just had a thought. I should pick a spot in my pool and take a picture of it every month or so, then sew that together into a video in 20 years. That'd make for a good 30 second GooTube! (Google eventually gets around to changing the name, after everyone got over their acquisition fears.)

 

[mkwilosz]

This is a very interesting conversation because it's the exact issue I'm currently up against. We just finished having our pool refinished from plaster to micro pebble radiant fusion finish and I'm finding patchy sections of the pool to be extremely rough. To the point where my children have gotten out of the pool with strawberries all over the tops of their feet and small cuts on the bottoms of their toes.

I'm convinced that there is a problem because it feels nowhere close to as smooth as the samples I felt and because it's so intermittent across the pool.

The question I have is what is the resolution? Drain the pool and acid wash again? Did they acid wash too much in these specific sections and that caused the roughness. Just trying to figure out what's going to be entailed in getting this fixed.

The contractor will be out Tuesday to examine so hopefully I'll have a better idea then.

Thanks