They ROCK! That is not what you wanted to hear but it could be worse. I like them!
Kim
Kim
First Time Pool Owner - Sacramento, CA
- Thread starter CantSwim2047
- Start date
That is so great of the plaster company to notice and say something. It’s a shame work had to stop but definitely for the best.
May 9, 2018 - Minor Repairs
I posted previously about the plaster sub noticing the underwater handhold had some issues. Apparently this just sometimes happens, probably due to parts of it curing too quickly and not adhering to the gunite shell as well as it should.
Well today the builder had someone come out and chip away the existing hand hold and put in a complete new one. Hoping that this time things cure properly and hold well.
Also, the night before plaster my wife noticed the top step was not parallel with the edge of the deck like it should have been. I measured it and it was definitely off by inches. It bothered her, but not enough to call off plaster. Well, since plaster was called off already, and since they had a guy out today mixing up cement anyway, my wife pointed it out to him and he was able to even it out.
You can see in the picture where the tile was originally installed compared to where it is now. It was noticeable, but this picture shows how off it really was. But all fixed now!
I posted previously about the plaster sub noticing the underwater handhold had some issues. Apparently this just sometimes happens, probably due to parts of it curing too quickly and not adhering to the gunite shell as well as it should.
Well today the builder had someone come out and chip away the existing hand hold and put in a complete new one. Hoping that this time things cure properly and hold well.
Also, the night before plaster my wife noticed the top step was not parallel with the edge of the deck like it should have been. I measured it and it was definitely off by inches. It bothered her, but not enough to call off plaster. Well, since plaster was called off already, and since they had a guy out today mixing up cement anyway, my wife pointed it out to him and he was able to even it out.
You can see in the picture where the tile was originally installed compared to where it is now. It was noticeable, but this picture shows how off it really was. But all fixed now!
I think things tend to happen for a reason. If your plaster hadn’t been put on hold for the hand hold to be fixed, you wouldn’t have fixed the step. I’m really glad you did. Looking at the difference it would have been quite noticeable. Fingers crossed the hand hold cures properly this time and you have plaster soon. How long will they leave it to cure?
I know this isn't a landscaping forum but I've needed something to do while waiting for plaster to be rescheduled. 
Originally I was planning to keep the slope at the back wall and then put landscape edging (bender board) around it and have a small yard. Well, my wife didn't like how much of the "yard space" was going to be eaten up by mulch, so I cut the slope back and am installing a retaining wall.
This is my first retaining wall so it's going up slowly, working a few hours after work a few days a week so far.
Originally I was planning to keep the slope at the back wall and then put landscape edging (bender board) around it and have a small yard. Well, my wife didn't like how much of the "yard space" was going to be eaten up by mulch, so I cut the slope back and am installing a retaining wall.
This is my first retaining wall so it's going up slowly, working a few hours after work a few days a week so far.
This is YOUR thread! Please DO tell us about your landscaping! You are doing some mighty fine work there! Slow and steady with breaks as needed is the way to go!
Look at those ROCKS you are finding! Do they clean up pretty? You could make a rock garden out of them if they do!!!
Kim
Look at those ROCKS you are finding! Do they clean up pretty? You could make a rock garden out of them if they do!!!
Kim
May 15, 2018 - Interior Finish
Arrived home just after lunch time to find the plaster crew had arrived and were setting up for the job. They put down plenty of paper and plastic to protect the tile and decking, and ran their hoses and power cords.
The material chosen was MicroFusion by Finest Finish. My wife selected "French Grey" for the color, and the builder threw in 2 bags of crushed abalone shell for even more sparkle.
The builder will come out May 16th to acid wash and begin filling the pool. (This should clean up the plaster residue from the tile.)
Most of these pictures were taken at the end of the day, and the lighting makes the finish look more blue than it actually is. (You can see in my final picture, taken this morning, that the finish is definitely more grey.)
The day after the finish (this morning) we had a somewhat unexpected thunderstorm. The last picture was taken before I went to work, but then after the rain really came down. I'm hoping this doesn't cause any issues with the finish!
Arrived home just after lunch time to find the plaster crew had arrived and were setting up for the job. They put down plenty of paper and plastic to protect the tile and decking, and ran their hoses and power cords.
The material chosen was MicroFusion by Finest Finish. My wife selected "French Grey" for the color, and the builder threw in 2 bags of crushed abalone shell for even more sparkle.
The builder will come out May 16th to acid wash and begin filling the pool. (This should clean up the plaster residue from the tile.)
Finest Finish - MicroFusion said:
Most of these pictures were taken at the end of the day, and the lighting makes the finish look more blue than it actually is. (You can see in my final picture, taken this morning, that the finish is definitely more grey.)
The day after the finish (this morning) we had a somewhat unexpected thunderstorm. The last picture was taken before I went to work, but then after the rain really came down. I'm hoping this doesn't cause any issues with the finish!
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Oh wow! A huge congratulations! French grey is one of my favourites. You haven’t had acid wash yet have you? Acid washing should remove any cosmetic, superficial marks. As for structural, our pebble was rock solid dry in a few hours. In fact once they finished with applying the pebble they sprayed it with a hose to stop it from drying too quickly. It wasn’t a hot day either. Might even be a good thing you got a little rain.
That looks great, really like how straight the step tile turned out after the correction! Good job on the rock wall, that's looking really good also.
Good Job!
Good Job!
May 16, 2018 - Acid Wash / Fill Begins!
Came home today to see the acid wash had been completed. The plaster residue that existed on the tile and pebble finish was completely gone. Dust that obscured parts of the trim tile was also gone. Corners of the tile that were obscured by a bit of pebble were now completely visible. Overall it looked really good! But how would the color look with water??
As expected, the crew threw the hose in to begin the fill when they were done. I must've only missed them by a few minutes as there was barely any water in the deep end. They did pleasantly surprise me by putting plastic on the hose end to protect the finish.
(Pics below were previous pics accidentally re-attached to this post. Can't seem to completely remove them.... )
Came home today to see the acid wash had been completed. The plaster residue that existed on the tile and pebble finish was completely gone. Dust that obscured parts of the trim tile was also gone. Corners of the tile that were obscured by a bit of pebble were now completely visible. Overall it looked really good! But how would the color look with water??
As expected, the crew threw the hose in to begin the fill when they were done. I must've only missed them by a few minutes as there was barely any water in the deep end. They did pleasantly surprise me by putting plastic on the hose end to protect the finish.
(Pics below were previous pics accidentally re-attached to this post. Can't seem to completely remove them.... )
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Hm, I hadn't considered that. Not sure they would look like anything special. We thought we'd line the fence line with them to prevent the dogs from trying to dig into the neighbor's yard. (Obligatory doggie pic below.)
Pictures coming soon!
Thanks, it does look nice. The pebble color was probably one of the toughest design decisions for my wife. So much riding on that choice!
Acid wash wasn't completed yet in the pictures you saw. I just posted updated ones and it definitely cleaned up the appearance quite a bit.
Thanks! The step didn't appear to be as far out of whack as it did after they fixed it and re-positioned the tile. I'm kinda glad plaster got postponed because it would have been a constant annoyance pretty much FOREVER. Haha.
Obligatory doggie pic. Cosmo is on the left and Brewster is on the right. Brewster is in desperate need of a haircut in this picture. Not the best pic of them, but they were finally able to start enjoying the backyard (pic was right before deck pour).
Man look at that tile BLING out!!! SO pretty! Look at those cuties-BUT we want to go play NOT take pics!!!
Nice touch on the end wrap on the hose! You found a good one!
Kim
Nice touch on the end wrap on the hose! You found a good one!
Kim
Been dealing with some craziness at home (sick kiddo's) so I finally have time to post the pics I've taken.
The color of the pool changes a bit depending on the lighting.
These pictures were taken shortly before sunset:
The color of the pool changes a bit depending on the lighting.
These pictures were taken shortly before sunset:
Here are some more daytime pics, taken around mid-afternoon:
And now a night shot, playing around with the lights. They haven't officially set up my automation yet (that comes tomorrow), and the lights aren't sync'ed yet, though there can be a cool effect with different colors.
And now a night shot, playing around with the lights. They haven't officially set up my automation yet (that comes tomorrow), and the lights aren't sync'ed yet, though there can be a cool effect with different colors.
Stunning! You are right about the colour changing in different lights. That’s quite a dramatic change! Your water looks beautiful and clear. That step looks beautiful btw.
Haven’t tried my lights yet. Hopefully they will set it all up tomorrow at handover.
Thanks! My wife gets all the credit for the looks though. She was more interested in tile and color choices, and I was more interested in equipment and plumbing configurations. (In addition to all the reading here, I've also read all the manuals for all my equipment cover to cover. Haha, nerd!)
Sounds like what I'm having tomorrow. They are coming to set up the automation and give me an "orientation" on how to use everything. Though they are still going to maintain the chemicals for 3.5 more weeks before I full get the keys to everything.
Since I have done some much reading on everything I'm hoping to skip over the simple stuff and dive into some details (though I'm skeptical they will want to get too deep into anything).