When to replaster / regunite / re cope

[cabanacarl]

Our pool turns 10 this year, we have been enjoying it for the 3 seasons we have been in the house. We are in the Cincinnati area, and typically open our pool late March and close Mid October.

I'm not sure if its time to replaster / regunite the pool or when to tell when it is time. I am seeing some pitting on the floor of the pool. The sides look good with one exception where it looks like a slice (yes slice) is in the side of the pool. Otherwise things look good. In the 10 years of existence, the we had the pool acid washed once, (after we moved) and from what we are told the original owners had the pool acid wash each of the first 4 years it was in operation. Currently the plaster / gunite is white and my wife is interested in going to a dark color when / if we redo.

Our coping has numerous cracks and is starting to chip in areas, around skimmer boxes and at the tile line. I am guessing due to settling. It looks like I could probably go another 3-5 years before this needs to be redone, not sure if its best to try to do both repairs (replaster and repair/replace coping at the same time) Our decking around the pool is pavers, so replacing / repairing shouldn't require tearing up a concrete deck.

So here are my questions?

1. When do you know it is time to replaster / regunite your pool?
2. Is there an optimum time of year to have the repairs done? (spring / summer / fall)
3. What are approx costs for replastering / reguniting a pool? (I know this is just a swag, trying to determine how much to start saving)
4. Is is common to replace coping? If so, after approx how many years and approx cost.
5. I believe the pool builder who did our pool is now out of business, is there a resource to find pool builders in my area to get a reputable contractor. We have not had much luck with pool service people thus far?
6. My wife is favoring a dark replaster / regunite. Are there (+/-) going dark that we need to consider, is it more expensive?
7. Is filling in the pits / slice with water epoxy a suitable repair?
8. Are there any good products to fill in cracks in coping to try prevent chipping?
9. Any experiences you may have encountered that I am not considering with these looming repairs.

I think this should do it for now. thanks in advance for your assistance with my questions.

Best regards,

CC

 

[britinusa]

Acid washing removes a small amount of plaster revealing "fresh" plaster under it, so it is not advisable to make it an annual event.
The pitting is most likely a result of the repeated acid washing.
It is hard to say when you should re-plaster.

 

[MichiganPool]

I've had some similar questions and here's what I've found:

1. When do you know it is time to replaster / regunite your pool? Look for cracks, pitting, change of color in the gunite.

2. Is there an optimum time of year to have the repairs done? (spring / summer / fall) I've been told that if you have to drain the pool, it is best to do that in the spring as you would reduce costs since you're refilling it anyway.
3. What are approx costs for replastering / reguniting a pool? (I know this is just a swag, trying to determine how much to start saving) I have a 30K and heard it will be about $6K - $8K without replacing the tiling or coping.

4. Is is common to replace coping? If so, after approx how many years and approx cost. ?
5. I believe the pool builder who did our pool is now out of business, is there a resource to find pool builders in my area to get a reputable contractor. We have not had much luck with pool service people thus far? I've tried a few before finding a decent one. It's best to try to find other people with pools in the area and ask some equipment manufacturers whom they recommend.
6. My wife is favoring a dark replaster / regunite. Are there (+/-) going dark that we need to consider, is it more expensive? Preference only.
7. Is filling in the pits / slice with water epoxy a suitable repair? I've heard that fillers are only temporary fixes.
8. Are there any good products to fill in cracks in coping to try prevent chipping?
9. Any experiences you may have encountered that I am not considering with these looming repairs.

Good luck!

 

[cabanacarl]

Thanks Michigan, I suspected it would be a decent repair bill. Hopefully I can get a few more seasons out of the pool before resurfacing.

 

[geekgranny]

Thanks Michigan, I suspected it would be a decent repair bill. Hopefully I can get a few more seasons out of the pool before resurfacing.

In some cases the time to replaster is aesthetic, like you just can't acid wash any more (my pool) and there are some stains (copper, from ionization, my pool) otherwise my 14 year old plaster is going to be good for some more years. I'm using sequestrant and pH under 7.5, to successfully, slowly release calcium scale, and it may even be lightening the copper stain.

Another consideration is how much roughness to the plaster you are willing to accept. Some of this can be caused by conditions of water over time, acid washings, brushing, etc., and/or calcium scaling. It's hard to see calcium scaling on white plaster unless the scale has some stains on it.

There are other factors that can come into play also.

A friend of mine has a white plaster pool with original 22 year old plaster. Some patching has been done on plaster that has popped off and it looks good if you don't look too closely.

The best thing you can do for your pool, with old or new plaster, is to keep the water chemistry in good balance, protect the finish from direct contact with pool chems, and for old plaster brush it gently with poly bristle brush rather than aluminum.

Others will be along to comment.

gg=alice

 

[geekgranny]

Spend a lot of time researching dark finishes. Ask here on the forum, see if you can see some that have age on them, talk to some owners, etc.

Any color is going to mottle. Some people don't like that. Also, dark will require much more lighting, especially for safety. In my pool, when I changed over to LED from incandescent, my medium blue pool had a lot more white calcium scaling on it that it does this summer. So with more blue the light isn't lighting the whole pool as much as it did last year. The light has not been in use a year, yet, so I doubt that it is age rather the darker plaster absorbing some of the light.

Darker color, in my pool would make the water too hot much of the swim season, but this is sizzling heat, scorching sun Texas.

The few dark color pools I've been around/in are a little creepy. That's just personal, of course.

gg=alice

 

[Beez]

The few dark color pools I've been around/in are a little creepy. That's just personal, of course.

How come? Don't be afraid of the dark...[attachment=0:20a9b80s]creature from the black lagoon.jpg[/attachment:20a9b80s]