Pebble finish - What if it rains?

[klanel]

A couple of questions:
How long does it take for a crew to pebble finish a pool? 16x32 w/ 7ft spa
If it started raining what would be the outcome?
How long after they finished would rain not be a issue?
How is it applied?
Does it come premixed in bags or do they have plaster, add pebbles, sand?

I saw a few old post on some of this but want to anticipate the possibilities.

Thanks,

 

[TampaKathy]

A couple of questions:
How long does it take for a crew to pebble finish a pool? 16x32 w/ 7ft spa
If it started raining what would be the outcome?
How long after they finished would rain not be a issue?
How is it applied?
Does it come premixed in bags or do they have plaster, add pebbles, sand?

I saw a few old post on some of this but want to anticipate the possibilities.

Thanks

Probably about 4-6 hours to apply. Sprayed on with very large hoses...comes in bags and is mixed on site...I went out and took pictures of the bags and made sure it was the right color pebbles. Not sure about the rain question. The acid wash should be the next day or maybe the day after that and then start filling up right away.

 

[jlamb5990]

Literally just had this done (we love the finish by the way). 12x24 pool 7x7 spa.

Took them about 5-6 hours. The way they did our was to spray the plaster first then the roll the pebbles on with almost a paint brush. They kind of just throw is on then roll it around. Had about 12 guys out there too.

Fun fact, it started raining when they did ours. Apparently once they start they need to keep going to they tied a rope across our yard and then hung a huge tarp over to basically make a massive tent. I attached some pictures of the setup as well as the make shift tent.

They let it cure overnight then acid washed the next day and filled it up.

Side note: make sure know what their plan is for excess plaster. Our guys were great and had a huge box to pump it to and then got rid of it. But I had a friend who was not so lucky and the crew tried to pump excess under his raised house. It was a nightmare.

Good luck!

 

[kimkats]

Pump it under his house??? UMMMMMMM NO!! Adult word NO!! They should have a plastic line "box" to put it in they take it all with them when they are done.

If it is a heavy rain the plaster is a no go as the running water can cause "channels" in the new plaster. That "tent" could work if the rain is not too hard.

 

[klanel]

Side note: make sure know what their plan is for excess plaster.

They dumped concrete out in our woods. I had to walk into the woods, break it up and haul it out. Would have preferred them just to dump into the drive as I won't let it stay and it would have been easier to clean up.

If they have excess and can't take it with them, I'll get them to dump it in the drive where it can be cleaned up and removed.

 

[jlamb5990]

Pump it under his house??? UMMMMMMM NO!! Adult word NO!! They should have a plastic line "box" to put it in they take it all with them when they are done.

If it is a heavy rain the plaster is a no go as the running water can cause "channels" in the new plaster. That "tent" could work if the rain is not too hard.

Ya I was shocked when they he told me what they did. Our guys did exactly as you describes. Large box made of 3/4 plywood lined with plastic. Super easy process.

And yea the rain wasn’t too bad. More or a heavy drizzle. The tent was actually kind of a genius idea once I saw it in action hah! I attached pictures to my original reply with the tent and the box if you were curious.

 

[klanel]

Do they add any sand to the mix? Or is it just the plaster mix and later troweling in the pebbles? I don't know when they will do it but just wanted to know if it did rain, would I end up with a disaster. Hopefully whoever does ours will be prepared.

 

[kimkats]

Time for you to make sure you can be there to make sure if there is even a half a chance of rain.

 

[klanel]

Time for you to make sure you can be there to make sure if there is even a half a chance of rain.

I’ve been forced into being the project manager so I’ll be here.

 

[jlamb5990]

Do they add any sand to the mix? Or is it just the plaster mix and later troweling in the pebbles? I don't know when they will do it but just wanted to know if it did rain, would I end up with a disaster. Hopefully whoever does ours will be prepared.

I could be off but what it looked like to me was plaster through a big machine then the mix was sprayed through this fine misting machine and rolled after I think to flatten it and also remove excess moisture from the finish.

 

[klanel]

They let it cure overnight then acid washed the next day and filled it up

Do they remove the acid and what was removed during the wash or leave it in there?
We will be filling ours from our well. I wonder how long the plaster can be left unexposed to water before any issues occur? Also, do any of you spray water on it to keep it moist until the water covers it up?

 

[TampaKathy]

Do they remove the acid and what was removed during the wash or leave it in there?
We will be filling ours from our well. I wonder how long the plaster can be left unexposed to water before any issues occur? Also, do any of you spray water on it to keep it moist until the water covers it up?

They will clean up the pool and should turn on the hose and you just let it run without stopping it until it gets halfway up the waterline tile. I filled from my well too...think it took about 30 hours. Didn't spray water...can't say I've heard of that.

 

[jlamb5990]

Do they remove the acid and what was removed during the wash or leave it in there?
We will be filling ours from our well. I wonder how long the plaster can be left unexposed to water before any issues occur? Also, do any of you spray water on it to keep it moist until the water covers it up?

No you don’t have to keep it moist like your gunite. Just leave it be for the night. They acid wash the next day and then lightly pressure wash it I think. It can Gia. Few days before being filled it’s fine. Just don’t wait like weeks. Once it’s filled up make sure to brush it daily and don’t use a vacuum on it for a month if you can. When is the plaster date??

 

[kimkats]

Do not spray new plaster just in case you have high water pressure that could cause damage to the new plaster.

You can vacuum new plaster using a manual vacuum with NO wheels on it. Get a vacuum head with "bristles" on it and use that until a month in.

 

[jlamb5990]

Do not spray new plaster just in case you have high water pressure that could cause damage to the new plaster.

You can vacuum new plaster using a manual vacuum with NO wheels on it. Get a vacuum head with "bristles" on it and use that until a month in.

Sorry should have been more specific with the vacuum part. No wheels yes! (Track marks can be left if used too early!)

 

[klanel]

When is the plaster date??

I was told it may happen the middle of this week and the equip and plaster would be done at the same time. I am skeptical but will see.

Do they grind down the surfaces to make them smooth? We have some rough areas and some places where mortar was dropped into the pool and stuck.

 

[Toxophilite]

Do they grind down the surfaces to make them smooth? We have some rough areas and some places where mortar was dropped into the pool and stuck.

The plaster is thick, and a rough surface is good for plaster adhesion, at least that was a "made sense" answer when I asked my PB the same question and after seeing it applied. Yes, loose material should be cleaned up first.

 

[jlamb5990]

I was told it may happen the middle of this week and the equip and plaster would be done at the same time. I am skeptical but will see.

Do they grind down the surfaces to make them smooth? We have some rough areas and some places where mortar was dropped into the pool and stuck.

Yea if there is anything really bad, they will grind it down and even add concrete where needed. We had a bad spot by our spa where the gunite basically made a concave shape as well as some breakage on our bench area. They came the day before and patched it all up with quick dry waterproof concrete. Also like others said, they plaster is pretty thick and can cover a lot of gunite blemishes.