New Pool Plaster Issues

[jgharvey74]

Glad to hear they're moving in the right direction for you, but as Allen pointed out, you shouldn't accept an acid wash to fix this. We've seen this move a lot, and there's a good chance they're going to suggest it. No bueno. An acid wash doesn't magically remove "all the bad stuff" and leave the rest of your plaster alone. It chemically peels a layer of plaster off, and takes stains and imperfections along with it. Which looks good (but not always) and gets the builder and plaster guys on their way for the least amount of out-of-pocket for them. The original problem may or may not resurface, and the acid wash might be only a bandaid fix that will delay that reoccurrence until after your warranty expires. Which, again, is good for the builder, but not so good for you.

But that's the least of it. What will happen, whether the acid wash solves the cosmetic issues or not, is you'll end up with less plaster than you paid for, which means your finish is going to wear out that much sooner. Again, you won't realize that when it happens, it might be 10 years from now. But you'll very likely have to redo that finish some number of years sooner than you would have had to, and of course your warranty will be long gone by then. And worse, it's likely that that finish won't feel as nice, as acid washing etches the plaster. That's best case scenario. Worst case, a poorly performed acid wash can completely destroy the finish (ask me how I know!!)...

Hopefully they'll do the right thing, if not, you might have to stand your ground. Either way, listen to what they tell you, tell them you'll consider the option(s), and then bring it back here for TFP's take.

Forgot to update. The project manager came back on that Friday. I figured it was bad news when he said he wanted to stop by. While he seemed sympathetic, the owners were not. They determined, without visiting, that it was within standards. They had him mention the clause in the contract that is mostly a get out of jail free card, which already knew was in there. So, for now, I'll likely do nothing. The rest of the project went great and we are really pleased with the rest of the pool. From their response, I'm assuming the best we would get out of a fight is an acid wash, and I don't want that. If it gets worse or if major defects appear, then I'll contact them again. Just going to stay on top of the chemistry for now.

 

[Dirk]

It seems no one addressed some of your pondering. I've seen this in my own pool and I believe it's the general consensus here: mottling will only increase over time, not go away. And your color will fade towards grey over time, not deepen or get richer or bluer. My previous finish was very mottled. My new finish is already starting. I have convinced myself that mottling makes my pool look more organic and natural, and that I like that. Yah... that's it!

I don't know enough about what you're seeing to say if it's bad, or just cosmetic, or to try to convince you to accept it or try to get it fixed. I don't know what causes the mottling, or the fading, either. Sorry. I fought tooth and nail when a contractor tried to ignore what I wanted fixed, and I won and I got my pool refinished at his expense (it's a very long story I told elsewhere here). So I tend to lean towards not letting contractors off the hook, even when they have contracts that help them get away with such things. But you gotta live with the pool as is or the stress to fight about it, and that's a decision that has to be right for you.