Colored pool surface finish (plaster, quartscape etc) and LED Color Lights

[QingGuy]

Trying to make a final decision on our plaster and thought I'd throw this question out. Has anyone gone with colored plaster, quartzcape, pebble etc. and been disappointing that their lights weren't as vibrant or true color? A neighbor mentioned this to me AND I just had a conversation with a plaster guy who has no horse in this race and recommended standard white plaster for full colored light effect. I bought top of the line lights and don't want to be disappointed with how they look.

Interested in others first hand thoughts and experience.

 

[Patrick_B]

I agree with plaster guy 100%. White will show all colors of the light the best, no question. They make nice white Quartz finishes if you want an upgrade from plain plaster.

 

[PoolESQ]

I second an upgrade from regular plaster. I saw a beautiful pool in Pearl Stonescapes or Jewelscapes (not sure which). It had a very white feel to it, but had some gorgeous depth and sparkle I've never seen in plain white plaster. Might be worth checking into...

 

[QingGuy]

I was just shocked by what he said he'd put into his pool if he was building it today. I need to see a white quartz vs. plain white plaster. Saw a beautiful application of quartzscape today, same guy who is doing mine did this pool.

Anyone know the life span of plain plaster vs. plaster with quartz?

 

[PoolESQ]

Quartz is supposed to last longer. Some say up to 50% longer. (10 yrs vs. 15)

 

[bdavis466]

Without a doubt the darker colors will mute the lights a great deal. If this is going to be an issue for you then I strongly recommend the lighter colored finishes.

 

[JayBauman]

In my recent pool build, we chose a darker color for the interior pool surface. Fortunately, a co-worker of mine had built a pool with the same color so I could "try it before I buy it." With the darker colors, the various colors of LED lights didn't work all that well as the normally-bright LED colors get washed out by the dark surface. Based on these observations, I put in white LED lights in my pool, and I'm quite happy with the results.

Of course you can have it both ways....install the colored lights. If you don't like the results, you can always leave the "white" color on and forget about the others.

 

[robbief00]

I have a gray colored quartz (Wet Edge Luna Quartz Bermuda) with Intellibrite color LED's and am happy with the light output/color intensity. Definitely glad I went with two lights in the pool instead of one. I am sure they would look more true color and vibrant with a white plaster... but unless that white pool was sitting next to mine, I wouldn't know any different.

 

[jojoman]

We have the Aruba Sky QuartzScapes that is a lighter blue and Intellibrite lights. I find that the blue light is enhanced somewhat with the light blue plaster but the other colors are fine.
Now the other big thing is with a white or very light plaster and depending on how much sun your pool will get, is that the white will help your water stay a little bit cooler in the summer. My wife wanted a much darker blue plaster but after talking to someone who had just built a pool 2 years before and the pool gets sun almost all day. He said the dark plaster made his water get too hot in the summer and wish he had gone lighter. So i talked the wife into going lighter blue instead. On the down side is that lighter plaster will show dirt and stains more so that a darker color. Just something else to think about.

 

[bulldogz400]

White quartz may be a solid middle ground for your job. You get the durability of quartz but retain the white surface for good lighting.

My good friend just replastered last fall and went with a white quartz finish. You have to look closely but you can see the grey speckled quartz in the white, otherwise it has the look of a standard white plaster. I went with the Quartzscapes Aruba Sky quartz because I really wanted a deeper blue color. You can see some streaking / mottling in the finish, but that was expected. It was a give / take scenario, and I knew that.

With regards to the lighting - the LED's are still vibrant with the exception of the red. I've seen many pool pics with the Intellibrites and red seems to always be the weakest. Also note that because your tanning ledge will be above the light, it will not light up like the rest of the pool.

Here's the green LED at night the Aruba Sky plaster: