What surface to finish with?

[Trevs]

Hi . I'm a newbie and look forward to sharing with and making use of this wonderful site.

I purchased a house with an half build pool and have now taken it almost to the point of having it surfaced.

My 2 questions please are : for advise or recommendations on render versus pebble type finishes and what are the benefits/ reasons for a tile band at the top of the pool walls. It will be a saltwater pool and was going have it pebblecreted but the builder who finished the half built house also suggested the option of rendering the pool by the company who did our house rendering as a cheaper option. It's a small pool and 'normal' render would be $500-700 cheaper. Perhaps not resin base? Not much info around with regards to lifespan on the net etc

Many Thanks
Trev

 

[BoDarville]

Welcome to TFP

By "render", I'm assuming you mean plain plaster finish. Everything else held constant, the pebble-type finishes tend to last longer than plain plaster and you have more color options to achieve a certain look. OTOH, plain plaster tends to have a smoother finish than the pebble-type surfaces and some people really prefer the clean look of straight plaster. Regardless of which finish you choose, maintaining the proper water chemistry balance is the single most important thing you can do to achieve the maximum longevity of your pool's finish.

The most important reason for the tile band at the top of the pool wall is because that part of the wall is above the water line. Exposed plaster above the water line would likely crack if left dry for too long.

 

[JimM01]

I replastered my pool recently and went with a Pebble Sheen finish because it should last up to twice as long as a regular plaster finish. I plan to stay in my house a long time and did not want to go through another replastering job. Also, the companies that apply the Pebble Tec finishes (includes Pebble Sheen) are trained and certified by the manufacturer so I felt more confident that I was getting qualified technicians to install the product. Pebble Sheen uses smaller stones than Pebble Tec and I am happy with the results. It's a little rougher than plain plaster so it means you will be less likely to slip on steps or in shallow parts of your pool.

To add to Bo's post, another reason for having tile at the top of the pool wall is to make it easier to clean any scum or debris that builds up along the waterline.