Gray Plaster issue? - 12 days ago on a new pool

[ckerch0525]

Hi everyone- we just built (still in process of building ) an IG pool. We are about 12 days post plaster, and it looks like this. PB says this is normal mottling.

Today, in low light, it looks unsightly .

Is this normal? I have been brushing once/day. And , PB has had someone out to treat the water- not sure what they did last week. He handles the chemicals 1st 30 days.

Any insight is appreciated

 

[skimmerswimmer]

Any non-white plasters will look worse on cloudy days and in dim light. In your case, it doesn't appear as though the plaster was mixed well enough and the "mottling" is pretty severe and less blended than I have seen. My replastering job wasn't to my satisfaction but was much more muted than yours, and it did even out quite a bit over time. I would not be happy with your plaster job and would have another company with more experience and higher levels of quality control do the mixing and application correctly. You could at least ask the manufacturer of the plaster to come take a look and tell you if it is the intended or expected appearance of their product post application.

 

[ckerch0525]

Thanks for your reply. Ugh. Doesn't sound good, though..

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Either too much calcium chloride accelerant was used or the troweling was sloppy (wet troweling or late hard troweling). See this -

How White Pool Plaster Turns Blotchy

This experiment below explains how white pool plaster can become blotchy gray, and also have white areas mixed into the gray areas. Both white pool plaster coupons below have been in water for one year. Sometimes the water was slightly aggressive (negative CSI), and sometimes the water was...

www.troublefreepool.com

There’s not much you can do about. DON’T let
them acid wash the pool. It will only temporarily fix the mottling but it will wreck the plaster surface making it rough and porous.

 

[ckerch0525]

Thank you. Other than cosmetic, should we be concerned about it? It's just two of us and we can probably live with if we have to.

 

[JamesW]

What color is the pool supposed to be?

What are the current chemical readings?

 

[ckerch0525]

Gray plaster. No idea on chemical readings because it has only been 12 days since plaster, and PB sends out his own guy every few days to manage chemicals, clean etc. Supposed to hand it off to me in a week or so.

 

[JamesW]

It looks blotchy.

Who is the plaster material supplier?

Contact the material supplier to see what they say and what warranty they offer.

Example:

Diamond Brite® - SGM, Inc.

Diamond Brite® finishes are blends of selected quartz aggregates and fortified white Portland cement ideal for new or re-finished swimming pools. Diamond Brite® finishes are factory blended to provide the pool owner with an extremely durable and attractive alternative to traditional pool...

www.sgm.cc

You need to get your own test kit and begin testing so that you understand what's happening.

TF-100 Test Kit

tftestkits.net

 

[YippeeSkippy]

The stone placement in the stairs- is that what you expected it to look like? Kinda random?

I'll toss these links out in case you haven't read them, and perhaps you'll see something that catches your eye on how they installed your plaster-

Plaster Installation and Maintenance - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Plaster Start-Up Guides - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Maddie

 

[Neto]

Did they do an acid bath the next day of plaster?

 

[skimmerswimmer]

The stone placement in the stairs- is that what you expected it to look like? Kinda random?

The edges of the steps also don't look smoothly rounded or consistent with each other. Looks to be poor attention to detail all around. Very unfortunate.

 

[setsailsoon]

525,

I normally don't comment on aesthetics since my wife says I don't know what looks good. But this is so bad even I think it needs to be redone. The blotches are terrible and the stones in the steps look like they are a 3rd grade art project.

Hold the builder accountable. It's a real pain but I wouldn't give up easy on this one!

Wish I had better advice and so sorry you're dealing with this instead of celebrating a new pool.

Chris