Plaster additives

[joewilly1]

I'm in the process of gathering bids for replastering, recoping and retiling my pool. The pool is slightly cracked in a couple of places. The pool is about 12 years old and my project is mostly to give a facelift to my back yard.

A couple of bids I've gotten have included "pozzolan" and "Pooltite Plus" additives. It's not a lot more money but am still wondering whether it's worth it. Reading online I've found that the pozzolans are supposed to
* Improves strength, durability
* Provides smoother finish
* Reduces permeability, efflorescence and cracking

Also, one company gave me an option of adding a quartz mixture to the plaster. He said the combination of the quartz and pozzolan is the same formulation as DiamondBrite. If so it seems kind of cheesy to me that he wouldn't have just quoted DiamondBrite. He said DiamondBrite only adds 15% more to the cost.

So here are my questions.
1. Is a pozzolan additive important?
2. Is "Pooltite Plus" a brand name of a pozzolan or something different altogether?
3. Does pozzolan + quartz = DiamondBrite?
4. I sort of like the white look of a pool. He said most people choose a blue hue for the quartz. If you want your pool to look white is the quartz a waste of money? Or will it still have a prettier look to it? And does it add to the strength/durability of the finish?

Any response is greatly appreciated.

BTW...I live in Dallas, TX if that matters.

 

[PoolGuyNJ]

Portland cement is what holds all plaster finishes together. The less exposed to water, the better. The higher the percentage of aggregates in the mix, the less Portland is exposed. Portland is mostly calcium.

There are better mixes than plain plaster with additives. Alas, they also cost more. Wet Edge and Pebble Tec products have a much longer expected life and cost less when amortized over 25 years.

Scott

 

[onBalance]

Quartz aggregate products will definitely make the plaster surface more durable. White quartz is often the choice for many pool owners, and is not a waste of money. I also prefer white or very light colored finishes. Depending on the cost/price of adding pozzolan additives, quartz usually provides more durability.

 

[debra100]

Hi there
I live in TX the ground moves all the time. I just went through a Pool remodel due to a large crack from the skimmer all the way to the drain. I used Blue quartz because of the durability. I wanted to better protect the Pool from future cracks they did say it was harder?.

I had to replace the coping because of the old coping was cement that cracked all around the pool.

I have pictures before and after at the website at the bottom of my message.


Have FUN! Debra

 

[PoolGuyNJ]

Soil movement is a different animal entirely. That affects the shell. The finish won't matter there. Whatever the shell does, the finish follows.

Scott