How close are you to Bakersfield? My pool finish contractor is
Bakersfield Pool Plastering and they have an incredible showroom. Dozens of finishes in a bunch of pools, onsite. Amazing. I don't know if they cover all the brands, but it'd be a good place to start if you can get there.
Here's what I didn't know when shopping. I visited the above showroom. I got there at 3ish. That was too late in the day to really have a good sense of the colors available. You really want to view colors during multiple times of the day and early evening, to get a true sense of what the sun angles do to color. If you're picking from swatches, take them outside, or better yet get samples brought to your yard. Make sure to get them wet.
More importantly... I tried to get a sense of what the finishes would feel like. So I got in the pools, walked around. Felt them all with my hands. I ended up picking the smallest pebble size they had. Six months later, when I could finally get in my pool, I was somewhat disappointed in how rough the finish felt. Here's what I overlooked. The skin on your feet and hands are considerably tougher than anywhere else. Pebble that felt OKish on my feet and my hands didn't feel all that comfortable anywhere else on my body. Back, back of legs, tush (sorry, had to be said), and especially knees and elbows. The skin on all those areas is so much more tender and sensitive. My mini-pebble could take skin off my knees, no problem. So when you shop and try out surfaces, be sure to feel them with more than just your hands. And consider the more time in the water, the more tender your skin gets.
For what it's worth... I replaced a plaster finish. And while I wouldn't do it differently, I miss my plaster. Nothing is smoother than plaster. I chose pebble in hopes that it would be my last finish, based on its added longevity. Hopefully that gamble will work out. If not, and I have to replace it one more time, I'll go back to plaster. I won't outlive a second finish, so might as well get the most comfortable one!
There are smoother surfaces than the mini-pebble I got. And they can be polished even smoother, too. So there are lots of options, with the associated up-charges, of course.
