Me, in blue.
Hi, I have a new Wet Edge luna quartz finish in Bermuda. I LOVE IT! However it's not perfect. I have some white streaking, and some areas where the aggregate is not exposed (mainly the walls) the steps look nearly perfect. I don't mind the streaking. It's beautiful in full sun, on cloudy days you see some streaks. it's far from perfect. But who's staring at the pool on cloudy days. When the PB finished he said he'd like to do an acid wash before closing for a week to expose more of the aggregate, said the walls need more sparkle.
So now it's getting close to closing time. I'm not sure I want to do it. I just don't want to make anything worse... If it aint broke why fix it is always my motto, however, it's kind of broke, but then again if it stays how it looks now forever I'd be perfectly happy with it. It has some tiny rough areas, again then don't bother me.
Based on the way you wrote those two paragraphs, I'd guess things about the pool are bothering you. You wouldn't be here asking about this otherwise. Are you the kind of person that will let them go (as you clearly are trying to do at this point), or are you the kind of person that will be forever bugged by some or all of the issues? (Forgive my presumption, just thinking out lout.)
So what's the consensus, could acid washing possibly make it worse?
Yes. An acid wash, with which my contractor was attempting to make things look better, destroyed my pool to the point of needing a complete remodel. Even the areas of the pool they didn't not ruin completely, didn't feel the same. The acid etched the plaster. It was still smooth, but not. It's hard to describe. It wasn't rough, like sandpaper, but it wasn't smooth "like butter" either. Not the same. Not as nice.
Could it weaken the finish?
It certainly can.
If I don't do it and I open and the PH spiked and caused issues could the PB claim it's because I didn't do what he recommended?
In a later post you've resolved this issue, but... GET IT IN WRITING!! Have the pool builder put in an email his recommendation to wait.
Aren't they going to lower it for the winter anyway?
(I don't know.)
Also I do have high calcium hardness right now. Is there anything I can do about it?
Test and post results for both your fill water and your pool water. We can better advise you about that. You've been at TFP for a while, do you have the right test kit?
Do others pay the first year to have them come out and check the PH during the winter?
Some do, but you can and should do that yourself. No one will take better care of your pool and its water than you will.
Like I said I love it and I want to look and FEEL like it does right now forever. It feels like butter! It's seriously almost as smooth as my old plaster. I highly recommend this product.
Your pool was built with some manufacturing defects (IMO, and based on nothing but your description of it). All pools are, to some small or large degree. It is the nature of the beast. It is a personal and individual decision about what to do about those defects that everyone must decide for themselves. This is what I learned:
I tried to have someone make my pool look better (it was about five years old and had significant calcium streaking). The crew I hired (my pool guys at the time) destroyed my plaster by acid washing it. They were clearly incompetent and had no business doing the job. And that is key: the skill of the acid applicator.
Acid washing will remove material. That is a fact. You'll have less pool when it is done, and that can affect longevity. But in some cases, acid washing is appropriate to do exactly what your PB is suggesting. To remove material from the install that is not supposed to be there, and to expose the aggregate to fully realize its beauty.
It sounds like that was not done correctly. And the foot print is clearly a defect. There are operators that can apply acid to a pool finish in such a controlled manner that they can adjust areas discretely and near perfectly. It can be done. But there are many that think they possess this skill when they don't. How is a consumer to know which operator they'll be getting? I know how to do that now, but I didn't before. You go see there work, for one. Can they show you pools they acid washed? Can you speak to the owners of those pools about their experience and their results? Can the operator speak intelligently about the process: how they apply the acid, how the mixture is prepared, how will they control its application, and especially how they will control the acid's neutralization (it was the latter that did in my pool). Also, a good operator might use abrasion as part of the process: hand sanding, buffing or polishing, not just acid. I'd want to hear about that, too, in the "interview" process. If there plan is to just hose down the whole pool with acid (and hope for the best), that wouldn't pass my test (as that is what ruined my pool).
If you are truly happy with your pool as is, or you are not confident you can properly vet the skill level of the person doing the wash, leave it alone. I wish I had. If they can show you, prove to you, that they know what they are doing, and are willing to guarantee the results AND are able and willing to completely replace your finish if they mess it up, then have them finish the job they didn't quite get right the first time around. By the way, your PB is aware the job is not satisfactory, not to him anyway, as no pool builder would suggest more work to a customer that is happy otherwise. He knows the job was not done correctly in the first place, which is why he wants to have another crack at it. Which is admirable, sort of. Others would just walk away, but it would have been nice if he had gotten it right to begin with. I mention this because: if he sub'ed out the finish work, and got a vendor that didn't quite live up to his quality level, who's going to apply the fix? The original vendor? The PB's crew? Or somebody else, better than either at this sort of thing. Something else to establish before you proceed.
Anyway, that's my 2¢ about it... well, let's call it 3¢ for that fancy blue text! 
