A year post re-plaster and the pool isn't looking great - what recourse do I have? Quartscapes Tahoe Blue

[TRD03]

Hi Everyone, we bought a home with a pool last year and the plaster started coming off rapidly within 6 months and we had it redone recently.

I've not been totally happy with the contractor. they came highly recommended but took a long time to get the job done and has not offered much help after the pool was done. I was given instructions to brush and to add some chemicals but the other contractor offered 30 days of support to get the pool balanced. I assumed that was standard practice but seems to not be.

All told there's still time to see how this contractor will respond when I need more help over the coming weeks but this has been a difficult process.

I only had two choices, one newer local business only in business for less than 2 years, and a well established local company that's been well known. the newer company was far more organized and offered more post construction help and feel that I should have taken a chance on them instead

MOD note: Combined past threads with new thread.

 

[TRD03]

I recently had my pool re plastered with quartz and just not sure if I had a good contractor or not.

I only had two options for contractors and one was less experienced but was more organized and offered 30 days of post completion support. The second one was far more experienced and recommended but hasn't offered much support. One thing that was weird was that they told me to put in two gallons of acid but the other contractor, which operates a retail store, told me that doesn't make sense and it was way too much for the size of my pool

That said, my contractor basically told me to put in chemicals on day 1, brush every day and if I didn't do a good job, the finish could be off. Seems like some post finish care should be part of the service, right? This isn't my profession so I am a little concerned that if I don't do everything properly this massive investment will have issues.

Would love any feedback on my mentality because I am a little frustrated with the lack of service

 

[duraleigh]

Can you post test results? What does your water look like?

 

[ajw22]

Plaster manufacturers have startup guides with their recommendations although many contractor seem to roll their own with little rhyme or reason.

Plaster Start-Up Guides - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[AQUA~HOLICS]

Did you hire a remodel company who hired a plaster company or directly hire a plaster company?

 

[TRD03]

Can you post test results? What does your water look like?

I dont have a tester but ordered one online today. water is looking pretty clear but still sweeping a few times a day for the plaster and running the pump.

 

[TRD03]

Plaster manufacturers have startup guides with their recommendations although many contractor seem to roll their own with little rhyme or reason.

Plaster Start-Up Guides - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

thank you, going to check it out

 

[TRD03]

Did you hire a remodel company who hired a plaster company or directly hire a plaster company?

I believe they hired them. I didn't know there were separate plaster companies but when the plaster guys showed up, they had shirts that some something about plastering and had a phone number that's far from our area code.

 

[TRD03]

I got my pool plastered about 11 months ago. It wasn't a great experience. the contractor put it off from mid april to early June.

He said it would take about two weeks, but they demo'd one day in May and didnt come back for weeks. When they came back, they spent one day plastering. I got no warning they were coming that day, and wasnt told it would be done in a day or that I would need a new filter. I got a new filter two days after it was done.

I asked what I needed to do a few days later and only then did he say I needed acid and to brush everything. so I started that, he came back a week later and said get a metal brush and do stuff and that was it. no real follow up, even to make sure everything was good. I later learned this was pretty bad service.

that said, late last summer the surface was looking bad, with some chips in it. a lot of white streaks, and looked like poor workmanship.




My pool surface doesn't really look like the sample at all except for a few spots on the steps and not the rest of the pool. Also apologies for all the bugs in the picture, we keep getting a lot and will use a cover after I get the pool how it should be.


So question is really is what you see normal? so many cosmetic issues that have been popping up the last few weeks as I am getting it ready. I've got dark spots here and there, some of which only appeared recently. the photos are tough to get at night but that's when you can see it. there's little indentations in a lot of spots and around the steps it looks terrible. I brushed as best I could. I do have some algae that's not coming off, but I've had algae before and didnt have this issue.


I do feel I got a less than stellar PB. He had a good reputation in our community but never gave me final receipt for what I paid. When I asked for references he kept saying he doesn't like to bother people, etc. This was the first thing I've ever done to a home so felt inexperienced and honestly like I was being ignored. I found out from a couple other people that standard practice was that a PB would come back once a week to check on the brushing for the first month and make sure everything was being done right, where as my PB I had to keep asking questions and he'd didnt even tell me the proper process post pool build until I asked him several times.


Also, how can I get a second opinion that isn't just some PB that wants to trash the competition?

 

[kimkats]

The first thing I need to ask is did you get a good test kit as was advised above? If so please share you current tests results.

The second thing I need to ask is did you do any of the start up steps as listed in the link about plaster start up posted above?

With the pictures being taken at night it is very hard to see the color of the plaster. What I see in the pictures does not look too bad for a night, lighted picture.

 

[TRD03]

The first thing I need to ask is did you get a good test kit as was advised above? If so please share you current tests results.

The second thing I need to ask is did you do any of the start up steps as listed in the link about plaster start up posted above?

With the pictures being taken at night it is very hard to see the color of the plaster. What I see in the pictures does not look too bad for a night, lighted picture.

I bought a good test kit and tried figuring it out and honestly didnt figure it out and started going to leslie's and recently went to a highly recommended local shop. I've gone in three times and leslie's said I needed a conditioner and needed more chlorine, so I added some, new smaller shop said to add more (slightly green) and then said it again showed I needed more so I added in more yesterday, also added algeecide.

They didnt give me info on anything else.


I didn't follow the above guide. The PB did advise me a couple times and then just said to use a steel brush which I've been doing the last year, then told me to add acid a couple times and I'd be good to go. so after that I did not check the guide again. which thread in that link should I now go to?

 

[kimkats]

Well I can see where the problems is mostly. We need to teach you how to do the tests. Here is a great thread to help you do them by @Newdude I will warn you to not have anything in your mouth when you read this LOL

So you are new to testing

Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, AH-64 Apache attack helicopters…… It’s that time of year again with an influx of newbs either getting a late start or coming to us trying to undo what hasn’t been working. First of all, I’d like to welcome you all. You’re gonna love it here. We will...

www.troublefreepool.com

Next problem is trusting the pool $tore. They are in the business of selling you stuff. They will sell you this of x being high then sell you that when x is low over and over again

I would like to see a pic of the pool in the sun light with the pump turned off so I can really see the colors good.

 

[TRD03]

thank you @kimkats

I got in a car accident shortly after this and am ok, but took a lot of time away and let this go.

so my pool place was telling me the PH was fine, but finally hired a good pool guy that said it's calcium build up and I am just going to pay a professional for the time being and maybe learn to do things myself after he fixes some things. our filter is apparently 5x too small, which I Was told multiple times. so that's something that will be replaced.

pool guy also stated I was ripped off by the pool builder that replastered as my pool looks like plaster, not quartz. I am going to go get an estimate from another pool builder and then go back to my contractor and ask for them to redo the work. it was quite expensive

 

[SacPoolPros]

thank you @kimkats

I got in a car accident shortly after this and am ok, but took a lot of time away and let this go.

so my pool place was telling me the PH was fine, but finally hired a good pool guy that said it's calcium build up and I am just going to pay a professional for the time being and maybe learn to do things myself after he fixes some things. our filter is apparently 5x too small, which I Was told multiple times. so that's something that will be replaced.

pool guy also stated I was ripped off by the pool builder that replastered as my pool looks like plaster, not quartz. I am going to go get an estimate from another pool builder and then go back to my contractor and ask for them to redo the work. it was quite expensive

I specialize in the Quartz Product. We do about 10 installs a week of this product, it does not look like the proper steps were taken once it was installed. First off night photos are where you are going to see many imperfections in any finish that is normal no surface is going to be completely even. 2nd it doesn't look like the Quartz was acid washed after installation to expose the aggregate. When they finished the installation depending on weather they should of either done same day or next day acid was which is about a 4 hour process to do correctly then it should of been pressure washed right after that. If you look up the manufacture installation specs there is a video showing exactly this and how this is installed a "HOT START" will not fix this problem.

 

[.ben]

thank you @kimkats

I got in a car accident shortly after this and am ok, but took a lot of time away and let this go.

so my pool place was telling me the PH was fine, but finally hired a good pool guy that said it's calcium build up and I am just going to pay a professional for the time being and maybe learn to do things myself after he fixes some things. our filter is apparently 5x too small, which I Was told multiple times. so that's something that will be replaced.

pool guy also stated I was ripped off by the pool builder that replastered as my pool looks like plaster, not quartz. I am going to go get an estimate from another pool builder and then go back to my contractor and ask for them to redo the work. it was quite expensive

Good luck. If they are like the vast majority of the pool guy "professionals" we hear about here, I would not bet on them helping at all with chemistry. Perhaps they can help if you have equipment issues. Pool stores are just as bad, even the "good" ones.

If you are successful in a re-plaster, I'd strongly suggest you test your own water. Proper chemistry is the best way to keep your plaster looking great, for the longest time possible.