Help! New pool... what are these holes in the plaster?!

[Cserrah]

Hey everyone!

I bought a home recently with a pool and am suddenly seeing holes in the plaster popping up! The previous owners just recently replastered the pool. I know the calcium levels are on the low side at 200, and I ordered some calcium to add but it hasn’t arrived yet (long mail times for being on an island). Would that cause this! See attached pictures.

I touched one of the holes and it feels slightly soft and crumbles more if I press too hard. I see some areas bubbling plaster I’m guessing that’s the precursor to these craters. This is so disappointing given it being newly plastered. What can I do and how do I fix this ? It has been only 6 weeks since I took ownership... please tell me what’s going on! Thanks for any advice

 

[ajw22]

I think you have calcium nodules caused by bonding failure and delamination of the second plaster coat. Nothing you did to cause it and the only fix is to chip out the plaster and redo it properly.

Calcium Nodules in pools

What are calcium nodules? In swimming pools and spas, they are small mounds, bumps, deposits, or “slag” piles of calcium carbonate which are formed from material that has been released from the plaster. The small calcium nodules are rough to the touch, hard, and generally gritty. Nodules may...

www.troublefreepool.com

Diagnosing Pool Plaster Problems

Plaster Discolorations – New white pool plaster can discolor (darken or turn gray) from adding excessive calcium chloride set accelerator, from late hard troweling, from thin and thick areas due to an uneven shell, etc. Gray (or grey) mottled discoloration (also known as “water entrapment” or...

www.troublefreepool.com

@onBalance thoughts?

 

[JamesW]

That does not look like new plaster. If it is, it was poorly done.

At best, it looks like a weak skim coat of thin soupy plaster over an unprepped surface.

You probably need a full plaster removal and redo.

 

[onBalance]

This is known as "spalling" and is a form of delamination and is caused by soupy plaster and over-troweling. See the below link:

Pool Plaster "Spalling"

One of the arts or skills of the pool plastering trade is properly timing the troweling process. If troweling is performed when water is present on the surface of the plaster, forcing water back into the plaster paste causes excessively high water:cement ratios in the surface finish, weakening...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Cserrah]

Wow. They did some repair to the pool where the water was all drained. I was under the understanding that it was a replastering. The old owners did share with me the contact of the person who worked on the pool, and mentioned it was their first pool job but that he was “very good”. I will try to contact them and find out exactly what was done... although If this was the job they did I would think twice about paying him any more money to “fix” anything.

From the beginning though I always felt like the surface looked blotchy (see photo) and now this. Are there any ways to patch the areas underwater to at least buy time? How long can I delay having to do the plastering?

Thanks for all the comments

 

[ajw22]

So far what you have shown is cosmetic. As long as the base plaster layer is intact and the pool is not leaking water into the gunite that can rust the rebar it is not a problem. When rebar starts rusting you usually see dark rust spots on the plaster.

There is no point in trying to patch spots. Start saving up for a complete chip out and new plaster.

 

[Cserrah]

I’m not sure if that layer behind the hole is another layer of plaster or gunite. Is there a way to tell?

If this is a whole resurfacing job as is, should I consider tiling over replastering?

 

[ajw22]

You have to look at it and see if you are losing water.

Plaster or tile you need a full chip out of the existing plaster. You need to figure out your local costs. Tile can have its own maintenance issues.

 

[ManiacalMama]

I’m not sure if that layer behind the hole is another layer of plaster or gunite. Is there a way to tell?

If this is a whole resurfacing job as is, should I consider tiling over replastering?

In my pool the gunite showed as a dark gray. Think wet concrete. That doesn't look like the gunite to me in your first pictures.