Met with PB #3. He likes quartz finishes. He says the surface is like plaster. Is this true? I have heard it can be abrasive. Possibly installer dependent? What do the folks who have these finishes think?
Quartzscapes, Diamond Brite, or...?
- Thread starter bpricedo
- Start date
I haven't swam in a Quartzscapes pool, but Diamond Brite has pretty much the same surface as just plaster. My friend with the DB pool said the key is daily sweeping after installation, maybe for up to a month. You have to sweep a lot after regular plaster is installed, too, but he talked like it was extremely important for the DB.
My Wet Edge Technologies Luna Quartz is supposed to be similar to Diamond Brite, but it's not like plaster. It's fairly smooth, but the surface is more concrete-like than plaster. I've been using a steel brush on it from the beginning (once a week per the mfg's/PB's instructions) and it does not scratch the surface like I believe doing so would scratch plaster. Just seems way harder to me than plaster.
Agreed, but he asked if it was abrasive. Pebble Tec is abrasive and rough on feet, I didn't think DB was anymore so than plaster. When I resurface, I'll be looking at DB, Luna Quartz, etc. I'm not going back with plaster.
So, HouTex, do you like the finish? No complaints about abrasiveness? How long have you had the pool?
bpricedo said:
we had diamondbrite installed about a month ago. The finish is pretty smooth, but definitely not as smooth as plaster. But definitely not as rough as pebble sheen/tech
The pool owner I was talking to said the wire brushing makes all the difference. His is certainly as smooth as my plaster. I was surprised, because the samples of DB the pool folks gave me were nowhere near as smooth.
i have quartzscapes level 1 color blue. i think it's slightly rougher than plain marcite but not bad at all. i like mine. i have had my pool 1 year now.
i chose it over diamondbrite and luna quarts because it was cheaper. my upgrade for quartzscapes was about $1200. they wanted about $2500 to upgrade to db or luna quartz and about $3500 to upgrade to pebble.
i chose it over diamondbrite and luna quarts because it was cheaper. my upgrade for quartzscapes was about $1200. they wanted about $2500 to upgrade to db or luna quartz and about $3500 to upgrade to pebble.
I havent noticed this and my feet are in boots all day normally so they aren't real tough. No one else using it has commented that it is rough on their feet either. Definitely rougher than plaster though.RobbieH said:
All of the quartz finishes are designed to be smooth, but can get sharp edges if installed or maintained incorrectly. They are intended to have quartz crystals just showing at the surface in a field of plaster. But if the plaster gets etched away by low PH you can eventually have sharp edges of the crystals exposed. Having that happen is rather unusual, but you do hear about it happening now and then.
Houtex do u have a picture of your French gray. We r looking at this color but worried about it being too dark (thus making the pool warmer) in the Texas sun.
Blowout
Well-known member
Our PB told us Quartzscape was more difficult to apply and he didn't like the results. They are discontinuing it. He said it had more plaster in it as well.
ColorScape is suppose to be the same as 3M according to our PB and is what he suggested for us to get.
There seems to be different grades of quartz crystals. S is a smaller round shape and the T is an irregular larger shape. The S is suppose to be smoother feel. Also if the PB acid washes it will be more rough. Our PB said to let the quartz expose naturally to get a smoother finish.
ColorScape is suppose to be the same as 3M according to our PB and is what he suggested for us to get.
There seems to be different grades of quartz crystals. S is a smaller round shape and the T is an irregular larger shape. The S is suppose to be smoother feel. Also if the PB acid washes it will be more rough. Our PB said to let the quartz expose naturally to get a smoother finish.
We went with Quartzscape and have been happy with it. We had a good installer and they did a nice job. Very smooth.
We know someone who works for probably the biggest (and arguably the best) plaster company here in Vegas and I asked out of all the products they install pebble, quartz, plaster etc. what would he put in his pool and I was shocked, he said "plain white plaster" and here's a guy who is in the business who has been plastering pools for probably 25 years.
We too liked French gray but didn't go with it due to the warnings of having bath water in the summer so we then thought we'd go with Tahoe Blue. Well after talking to the plaster guy (friend not contractor we went with) he told us he thought it too would be too dark for Vegas summers and would have mottling issues so we went with what's called "blue" and we've really liked it. It's like white plaster with a kick. So far we're happy with our choice.
Oh one last thing, I agree that brushing is the key, brush brush brush.
We know someone who works for probably the biggest (and arguably the best) plaster company here in Vegas and I asked out of all the products they install pebble, quartz, plaster etc. what would he put in his pool and I was shocked, he said "plain white plaster" and here's a guy who is in the business who has been plastering pools for probably 25 years.
We too liked French gray but didn't go with it due to the warnings of having bath water in the summer so we then thought we'd go with Tahoe Blue. Well after talking to the plaster guy (friend not contractor we went with) he told us he thought it too would be too dark for Vegas summers and would have mottling issues so we went with what's called "blue" and we've really liked it. It's like white plaster with a kick. So far we're happy with our choice.
Oh one last thing, I agree that brushing is the key, brush brush brush.
Just curious - do you still like your Diamond Brite? I have a PB recommending it to me.
We've got Diamond Brite (cool blue). It's very smooth, but not slippery: like a super fine sandpaper or shark's skin. The pool is only a few months old, and so far we're really pleased. Our builder was very confident in the plaster subs and feels that with proper chemistry and regular maintenance it can outlive the manufacturer's lifespan.
We have DB SuperBlue. We absolutely love it. Not rough, not slippery.... Just right.
Can you post a picture? This is what my husband wants... does it look like white plaster from a distance? PB also recommends this.
I'm leaning toward pebblesheen granite blue, for color (I want a mid-tone gray), purported color consistency and longevity.
Thanks. Pool was finished mid-November. We looked at a pool that had this plaster done about 6 months before ours, and it was even more blue. If you want a deeper/darker blue, this may not be the color for you.
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