Pool Painting / Resurfacing

[Meatloaf08]

Hi all,

I've followed TFP for a few years now, and I finally have an issue I'm not sure how to fix. I have an inground pool, and I'm almost positive it's plaster (taking a wire brush to it will gouge it). Anyway, the surface had become somewhat dingy and after talking to a few people, I decided to repaint it with a waterborne acrylic. It's been a few weeks, and the paint has blistered in several spots, even though I followed the company's instructions. At this point, I'm not sure what the best option is; the blistered spots have to be fixed. Since the surface wasn't corroded or chipped/cracked to begin with, can I just take the paint off and leave it be? Or is there something else I haven't thought of. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!!!

We generally do not recommend the use of paint in pools because at best it seems to last 1-2 years if the prep is perfect.

I am not sure if you could somehow better prep the blistered areas and repaint them and hope for a few years before it all starts pealing again. Or just try to remove all the paint now and live with the "dingy" plaster until you can have it re-surfaced.

What made it dingy? If there were stains, those can usually be removed.

 

[Meatloaf08]

Jason,
Thanks for the quick reply!
I'm learning toward removing the paint, but is there a best way to do it? Should I just sand it, or is there a chemical to use? Lastly, per the paint instructions, I had sanded the pool surface prior to painting. Is there any risk involved with leaving it a sanded plaster surface (algae, etc)? I'm not sure if there's some protective sealant or anything else that was removed when I sanded it. I believe the stains were due largely to chemical imbalance (objects leaving imprints), and the top step had become brownish.

 

[jblizzle]

There is no typical "protective-coating" on plaster. It just may be a little rougher after the sanding.

Not sure of the best way to remove paint.