Pebble surface price comparisons please

[Lana537]

Any folks in the business?.....

Can you please arrange in cost order the following pebble surfaces on the market now?

Pebble Tec, Pebble Fina, StoneScapes, QuartzScapes, and Beadcrete, plus the myriad WetEdge products...

I thought that I and DH were all set with our choice of PebbleSheen for our pool remodel. I now hear from DH that he has been talking to pool builder about "adding" Beadcrete-like cobalt blue beads to our PebbleSheen. PB might have told DH that this was a new PTec product. I called PTec--no such thing.

Nevermind that there will no longer be a warrantee from PTec on this, I'm thinking that the PB might be substituting something else for the PebbleSheen in the mix. DH has seen sample of pretty, shiny blue beads in the white mix, and is in love with it. All I've seen so far is a photo on a computer; it's looking to me like something in my Pentair NPT (National Pool Tile?) catalog on the page with the quartScapes and Beadcrete.

Should we be paying the same for this new concoction as we were contracted for the PebbleSheen? How would we ever know if we were getting actual PebbleTec product, even if they chose to throw in some extra blue beads?

I am grateful for your help and opinions.

Lana

 

[Guest]

Quick post so that I remember to come back later, but....... PebbleTec started this back in the 80's in the US. They charge a premium, but are a much better product than most, if not all, of the others you mentioned.

I'll try and get back later with more particulars (I'm familiar with most of the other products you mention, and very familiar with P-Tec). I just have to go to work now and can't be more specific currently.....!

 

[dykes26]

Beadcrete is a NPT product, the same that makes Stonescapes. I bet Simi will tell you that no true pebble tec installer would mix it with beadcrete as it is not in their product scope.

We have stonescapes and are loving it. The bigger issue that you will have is not with the product but the installer. Our guy is VERY well known within the pool community and does a very professional job. A buddy of mine does a lot of the rock work in our area and he loves our stonescape installer and has had the stone in his pool with zero problems. As Simi will point out there is not a quality control when it comes to who installs the NPT brand product. IF its installed well it will be in line with the pebble tec product. If not it could be a hassle.

We has about a $2000 difference from stonescapes to pebble. We considered adding the bead to the mix and we told it would be about $800 difference.

Very difficult to see the difference in the H20 with the bead except for at night with a bright pool light.

 

[Lana537]

Beadcrete is a NPT product, the same that makes Stonescapes. I bet Simi will tell you that no true pebble tec installer would mix it with beadcrete as it is not in their product scope.

Yes! This is what doesn't make sense to me, and I am not on site to ask the pool builder, who is a name that indeed comes up on the PTec website as being a PTec certified pool builder. Why would this PB or the intermediate surface company, whoever they are, mix anything with Pebble Tec?

My husband says that they say they have recently shot a few pools with this combo. They say it is popular with folks wanting the sparkle that you could get with the PebbleTec Shimmering Sea Sparkling Sea Shell Blend without the worry of long-term degradation or changes in color or brilliance spoken of in the disclaimer on the PTec site.

When people start fiddling with recipes, it makes me uneasy. Now had the PB actually offered StoneScapes with some Beadcrete mixed in, that wouldn't seem so awful. However, as with all products and marketing, some consumer choices can be more emotional than realistic. Me?--I felt I wanted the best, and to me the best is PebbleTec, at least in my mind.

I guess another question would be who actually warrants the surface? My pool builder? His installer? I don't even know now.

Lana

 

[Guest]

OK, I am back home and sitting in front of this blasted machine again Oh well, maybe I can do some good and make it worthwhile!

Beadcrete is beautiful when it is in a jar or you are holding it in your hand. Once you install it against a background (gunite, plaster, pebbles) it "mutes" and loses a great amount of its beauty. I have also heard of incidents of sharp ends (it is glass after all!) that have cut folks. I'm sure it could be ground down (dulling the surface), but what if you missed some? It had a short run with a couple of installers in my area, but I know of no one actively installing it anymore.

Stonescapes is very difficult to install as a rule (it is "sticky" and doesn't want to trowel well), which leads to a poorer quality job typically. As I've mentioned before, it is also sold to any "pool guy" and can be applied by anyone who thinks they can trowel. This is sometimes the guy standing in the Home Depot parking lot who has done drywall repair, home stucco work or is just trying to say he can trowel to make a days wage! That does not reflect real well on the product, and is really not fair to Stonescapes, but it is a fact. If there is no training and a product is sold to pretty much anyone, the job is only as good as the person installing its skills

Do you have a Gemstone applicator nearby? Gemstone is a great product, arguably on par with P-Tec, and is usually installed at a more competitive price, but by certified installers. You may want to see if there is an installer close by that is familiar with Gemstone (here's a link: http://www.gemstonepools.com/default.aspx).

The bottom line with the "exposed rock finish", no matter whose you ultimately decide upon, is that it is more expensive than plaster and will last much longer. In other words, be prepared to love it for a long time! And, if you get a bad job, and the PB/installer won't make it right, you will also be living with that for a long time! The old saying "you get what you pay for" does have some merit! Choose carefully!

Hope that helps

 

[Lana537]

90% PebbleSheen, 10% blue beadcrete

Bruce,

Thank you very much for your time and sitting back down to the blasted computer!

I just think it is a weird thing to be mixing 10% blue beadcrete into 90% white PebbleSheen, but at present, that is the road that DH and PB are going to take, with the PebbleTec certified PB being the entity warranting the installation in conjunction with Olympic Pool Plastering.

I'm crossing my fingers. I will see the pie dish-sized sample of this newfangled concoction on Sunday night.

Lana

 

[Lana537]

Yep--fell in love with it.

So far, the story is going this way: I saw that sample yesterday, and I think that it is absolutely gorgeous. We have decided to pioneer ahead with this mix. I have never been known for very conservative choices in men, investments, and now things such as pebble surface colors.

I will say to anyone else reading this--it was so much better to be able to see a large sample of this surface--10 inches in diameter. Early on I had been taken to see other people's pools to decide between the PebbleTec and the PebbleSheen, but for color choices I had been on my own with this small 3 inch by 3 inch samples because I wanted a white, which seems to be out of style, what with a lot of folks going with the darker colors.

Once again, I thought about whether the upcharge of the cobalt Beadcrete addition was worth it to me, and gave up on trying to compare that cost to what other people elsewhere might be charged for it.



Lana

 

[Beez]

Be sure to update us after the refinishing is done! :-D

 

[friendswoodnewbie]

Any update?

 

[Lana537]

A belated follow up

Hello All~~

Here it is the middle of winter, and I realize how badly remiss I have been in following up on my posts having to do with the remodeling of our pool. For this post, the short answer is that the surface is stunningly gorgeous, and I have zero idea what the heck we paid for it--all costs were mashed together, and for better or for worse, I have no idea what we paid except to say I sense we paid top dollar or more.

We started out knowing we wanted a PebbleTec product for our pool, which is how we found our pool builder and how he came to use Olympic Pool Plastering. Olympic mixed 10% dark cobalt blue Beadcrete beads with PebbleTec White Pearl. The combo is joyful! DH will have to post the photos--we have many from this past summer.

We had planned on getting PebbleSheen, thinking that we wanted the smaller stones because it would be smoother, less rough. Well, we went with the larger PebbleTec because its pebble size matches the size of the Beadcrete glass beads perfectly.

I have to tell you that the surface of our pool--the step curves, the shallow end floor, the walls, the bench surfaces are all so well done that we find them to be very comfortable. We suppose that if we were to trip and fall on them, yes, they might cause an abrasion, but so far, the past season has been worry free. I do my water exercises without any problems. We have entertained several families with small children, and no matter what boisterous games they enjoyed, no one suffered a single scrape, knock on wood.

DH and I have given the entire surface the hairy eyeball and run our hands and feet over it all--we've been blessed with no broken glass beads anywhere. Our installers did extremely well.

One last tidbit: That flatbed truck that showed up on installation day had nothing but bags of materials loudly labelled as PebbleTec and BeadCrete product---something for other forum readers to know. There was no mystery with our install--no wondering whether we were getting the real thing; it was so cool to see the component bags sitting on their palettes on that truck. What a great job. We kept several as souvenirs.

Once again, sorry I'm such a stump about posting photos. I will encourage DH to help me post some photos soon.

Thanks~~

Lana

 

[terriolsen]

Can't wait to see your pics!

 

[Angnjam]

OK, I am back home and sitting in front of this blasted machine again Oh well, maybe I can do some good and make it worthwhile!

Beadcrete is beautiful when it is in a jar or you are holding it in your hand. Once you install it against a background (gunite, plaster, pebbles) it "mutes" and loses a great amount of its beauty. I have also heard of incidents of sharp ends (it is glass after all!) that have cut folks. I'm sure it could be ground down (dulling the surface), but what if you missed some? It had a short run with a couple of installers in my area, but I know of no one actively installing it anymore.

Stonescapes is very difficult to install as a rule (it is "sticky" and doesn't want to trowel well), which leads to a poorer quality job typically. As I've mentioned before, it is also sold to any "pool guy" and can be applied by anyone who thinks they can trowel. This is sometimes the guy standing in the Home Depot parking lot who has done drywall repair, home stucco work or is just trying to say he can trowel to make a days wage! That does not reflect real well on the product, and is really not fair to Stonescapes, but it is a fact. If there is no training and a product is sold to pretty much anyone, the job is only as good as the person installing its skills

Do you have a Gemstone applicator nearby? Gemstone is a great product, arguably on par with P-Tec, and is usually installed at a more competitive price, but by certified installers. You may want to see if there is an installer close by that is familiar with Gemstone (here's a link: http://www.gemstonepools.com/default.aspx).

The bottom line with the "exposed rock finish", no matter whose you ultimately decide upon, is that it is more expensive than plaster and will last much longer. In other words, be prepared to love it for a long time! And, if you get a bad job, and the PB/installer won't make it right, you will also be living with that for a long time! The old saying "you get what you pay for" does have some merit! Choose carefully!

Hope that helps

So how long would regular plaster last in a salt pool in Southern California without a pool cover that will be well taken care of. We'd love pebble, but the price costs/differences are this :

White Plaster $3000
Stonescapes $5000
Pebble Sheen $$6900

A big difference in prices! How does the life expectancy compare for each if we have a good installer for all? I know SimiCritz is a PT fan, but is PT really worth the extra $4000 over plaster and $2000 more than Stonescapes. We are trying to be smart with value for money. Advice?
Thanks.