800 a bag for abalone?

[Curiouspool]

Hello,
I'm nearing my mini pebble phase of pool
construction. My PB said that abalone was 800.00 a bag and recommended adding 3 bags to my 14,000 gallon pool. I've read other posts that read people spent anywhere from 100-400 a bag. Does 2,400 sound right? Thanks.

 

[dmalma]

No way. We paid $200/bag (used 3 bags for our 29,000 gallon pool) and we weren't given any discount by the plaster company we used (we were O/B) BUT it was in our contract. I know add-ons are where PBs try to make a bigger profit, but charging $800/bag is ridiculous in my opinion.

 

[Curiouspool]

Thanks. Disappointing. Will have to ask the PB why?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

If you search on abalone and plaster staining you will find threads about how the proteins in crushed abalone shells can get leached out of the shell material from exposure to low pH and cause brown staining that is impossible to remove. I believe one pool owner with white plaster and abalone finally had to chip out the plaster in the pool and redo it because the PB could not get rid of the brown stains.

Be wary of light plaster and abalone.

See -

Abalone Shell Chips Causing Brown Stains in Diamond Brite Plaster-

I have a plaster problem

 

[bdavis466]

I would persuade you away from abalone all together. Spend that money on glass beads instead but make sure the plasterer uses an appropriate additive in the mix to hold the glass in place. All of the major manufacturers have their own recommended modifier for this purpose

 

[Curiouspool]

Thank you for the feedback. I'm going with Stonescape mini pebble not plaster. Will the abalone have the same effect on that?

 

[BigEinAZ]

I have Stonescapes mini pebble Aqua Blue with two bags of shells (14K gal +/-) pool. It really sparkles. I was surprised really at what a difference it makes.

 

[bdavis466]

Pebble finishes still use plaster as the primary binder and are still susceptible to what Matt described above.

 

[dmalma]

Curiouspool, I have Midnight Blue mini pebble Stonescapes (actually darker than Midnight Blue because they removed some of the blue pebbles from the mix before plastering) and love the abalone in it. As far whether there is staining or not, I can't tell because the plaster is so dark.

As far as the cost of the abalone shells, I'd simply ask your PB why he's charging so much (compared to the average for our area which is around $200-$300 based on the PBs and plaster companies I interviewed during my build) and try to negotiate. Start with that and see what he says. Good luck.

 

[bdrex28]

We did Pebblesheen Blue Surf with 2 bags of Abalone and it looks awesome.

Very happy with it. Even wish we'd have done a 3rd bag honestly.

 

[Titan7]

I did 2 bags, three would have been good. they were pretty large bags, well larger than I have seen here on TFP. One was included, the other was $300. depending on the color of mini pebbles you may want to consider glass beads. I think the impact from the glass is almost as good as the shells.