PebbleFina Just Installed. Am I crazy or does this looks AWFUL?

[LifeInTheDesert]

The pebblefina interior finish was installed yesterday. We noticed some issues right away, mostly along the waterline tile, and spoke to the PebbleTech Foreman shortly after his crew left the site, he said, "It's not as smooth as I would've liked, but we can do a dive and polish after the acid wash process has been done." Now that it's been about 19 hours since the application, you can see where the issues go way beyond what we were seeing along the waterline. We are currently filling our pool with water and have notified our PB, so we are waiting to hear what they say. I'm expecting the typical "this is normal" response and wanted to gauge the group's thoughts on what we are seeing and how to deal with the PB about this matter.

Photos are of the PebbleFina (Cielo Blue) finish. Acid wash has not been applied yet.

Thank you for taking the time to review this post.

Update: PB's response to seeing photos in the thread below.
Update July 12: plaster company's mixer left out the retardant in the mixing process (update explained below)

 

[HermanTX]

Appears they did not do a good job of troweling as they left many trowel marks. Also, they did not form the curves very well. The step tiles and some of the excess can be cleaned with the acid wash. The sandpaper will help as well to smooth some of it.
Best that you stay there when they are doing the polishing and ensure they get it right.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Is this a new build or a remodel ?

 

[LifeInTheDesert]

Is this a new build or a remodel ?

Brand new construction

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Ok.

What’s your actual location ? Phoenix area, Tucson, other?

 

[LifeInTheDesert]

Ok.

What’s your actual location ? Phoenix area, Tucson, other?

Tucson.

 

[LifeInTheDesert]

Update from our PB. After looking at the photos we sent, this was their response:
The Pebble will look significantly better once the acid bath is done. It's a hand-troweled finish, so it is going to have some variation, but it (our pool) does look more uneven around the steps and spa than I like. We do underwater buffing all the time to fix imperfections and it can take 1/8 to 1/4 inch off. The acid will remove the top layer of concrete cream in the entire pool, then the buffing evens it all out.
----
Ultimately, the PB wants us to continue filling the pool with water, doing the acid bath, and then addressing any additional concerns with buffing/sanding. If it is still not right, they would look at options to rectify.

 

[bmoreswim]

I agree that it doesn't look great. However, the light angle being directly across some of those surfaces is placing them in the most unflattering light possible.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Ultimately, the PB wants us to continue filling the pool with water, doing the acid bath, and then addressing any additional concerns with buffing/sanding. If it is still not right, they would look at options to rectify.

This is all you can reasonably expect. You have to give the contractor the opportunity to address your concerns, propose fixes, and then agree to the fixes being implemented. Having a paper trail of all communications is good. Make sure that all points are agreed upon.

It’s been very hot and dry here in Tucson. Now is not a great time to do any sort of plastering. My guess is they probably didn’t tent the pool while troweling nor did they run swamp coolers/misters. The dry air causes the plaster to set very quickly which makes troweling difficult. For novice workers, it can lead to a lot of uneven flat work.

 

[LifeInTheDesert]

This is all you can reasonably expect. You have to give the contractor the opportunity to address your concerns, propose fixes, and then agree to the fixes being implemented. Having a paper trail of all communications is good. Make sure that all points are agreed upon.

It’s been very hot and dry here in Tucson. Now is not a great time to do any sort of plastering. My guess is they probably didn’t tent the pool while troweling nor did they run swamp coolers/misters. The dry air causes the plaster to set very quickly which makes troweling difficult. For novice workers, it can lead to a lot of uneven flat work.

You are correct that they did NOT tent the pool or run coolers or misters. This job was never meant to go this long into summer, but concerns over plastering in this heat were never mentioned. Unfortunately, there was no supervision over the plaster process (by the PB nor the PebbleTec foreman) so we're left with what we've got. We happened to have another tradesman out today who mentioned how the plaster had an "adobe" look which is not at all the look we are after. All we can hope is that the buffing will magically make an obvious sloppy job look right.

We just learned today that the bath process will not be completed until early next week and that we have to brush the pool twice a day for two weeks. Is the 2x/day brushing typically left to the pool owner? As a first-time pool owner, we weren't expecting this, nor was it ever communicated until today.

 

[LifeInTheDesert]

I agree that it doesn't look great. However, the light angle being directly across some of those surfaces is placing them in the most unflattering light possible.

Not even Roger Deakins could light this pool enough to hide this sloppy plaster job. As a photographer, I understand light and how it affects objects, but seeing as how I don't have control over that, I'm afraid it looks how it looks.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

You are correct that they did NOT tent the pool or run coolers or misters. This job was never meant to go this long into summer, but concerns over plastering in this heat were never mentioned. Unfortunately, there was no supervision over the plaster process (by the PB nor the PebbleTec foreman) so we're left with what we've got. We happened to have another tradesman out today who mentioned how the plaster had an "adobe" look which is not at all the look we are after. All we can hope is that the buffing will magically make an obvious sloppy job look right.

We just learned today that the bath process will not be completed until early next week and that we have to brush the pool twice a day for two weeks. Is the 2x/day brushing typically left to the pool owner? As a first-time pool owner, we weren't expecting this, nor was it ever communicated until today.

My guess would be that YOU are supposed to brush the pool ... it's unlikely the contractor is going to send someone out to do that. You should ask your PB for a detailed TO-DO list that specifies what you are responsible for during the startup period and what chemicals will be used or should be added to the pool during that time and by whom.

Sorry you got a plaster job that was below your expectations. It happens. The acid wash (or bath) and some diamond wheel buffing might improve things a little but I wouldn't expect miracles. If the plaster remains a sore point for you, then you should communicate that with the PB, give them every opportunity to correct the workmanship but then also consider asking for some kind of small refund. It is not at all unusual for PB's to discount some money back to an unhappy pool owner but that's usually only when fixes have been tried and fail. Short of that, the only option would be to chip out all the plaster and completely redo it and that is not an option except in the m most extreme circumstances. Plus it will set your pool completion back even further.

 

[LifeInTheDesert]

My guess would be that YOU are supposed to brush the pool ... it's unlikely the contractor is going to send someone out to do that. You should ask your PB for a detailed TO-DO list that specifies what you are responsible for during the startup period and what chemicals will be used or should be added to the pool during that time and by whom.

Sorry you got a plaster job that was below your expectations. It happens. The acid wash (or bath) and some diamond wheel buffing might improve things a little but I wouldn't expect miracles. If the plaster remains a sore point for you, then you should communicate that with the PB, give them every opportunity to correct the workmanship but then also consider asking for some kind of small refund. It is not at all unusual for PB's to discount some money back to an unhappy pool owner but that's usually only when fixes have been tried and fail. Short of that, the only option would be to chip out all the plaster and completely redo it and that is not an option except in the m most extreme circumstances. Plus it will set your pool completion back even further.

Correct, it is our responsibility to brush the pool. We know that now. As far as a to-do list, the GC/project foreman told us to video tape the start-up process since they no longer provide materials or written guidance.

At our insistence, the PB came out today to look at the pool and said he admitted that it looked pretty rough. His gut feeling was that the spa would likely need to be redone completely. He pointed out where there are already visible cracks forming and areas where the plaster didn't adhere properly causing shotcrete to be visible.

He feels confident that buffing will correct the blob-like edges and uneven/not level areas around all of the steps, corners, and bench. What I found confusing was that when we pointed out similar dark areas in the pool area that looked just like the spots he had pointed to in the spa where he had said the shotcrete was showing, he said those areas would be fine after the acid bath. Not sure how that makes any sense.

Ultimately, he said that the PebbleTec company would decide whether or not to redo any of the pools or spa, making it seem like it wasn't his decision. I'm not sure where that leaves us if we remain unhappy with the outcome.

 

[AQUA~HOLICS]

If no agreement can be made on a solution,
Contact the National Plaster Council for a “neutral” opinion.

 

[LifeInTheDesert]

UPDATE

The head of the local plaster company was out today and admitted their mixer left out the retardant, which is apparently crucial in keeping the plaster from drying too fast. The install team knew pretty quickly (yesterday) that the plaster was "hot" and that something wasn't right. This is why the job looks so sloppy. The foreman, who knew his team had left this step out , made no mention of this error yesterday when it arrived shortly after his team had departed. It wasn't until after he left and we asked the owner of the pool company to come out and actually look at the job (which lead to today's meeting with the plaster company) that we now know what happened. I firmly believe had we not pressed for a meeting that one would not have happened.

Spa will likely need to be completely redone and the rest of the pool will get a buffing but it doesn't sound like there is any plan to redo the pool at this time. The acid bath was started this morning and the pump to circulate the water has already stopped working. It's been almost two hours since we notified the PB about the pump. It was explained that the pump working was imperative so I really hope they get a new one out soon. I have no knowledge of how long before the pump not functioning becomes a real issue.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

It may be possible to help you sort out the pump issues if you list all of your equipment in your signature.

What pump are you using? Is there automation? Filter type? A picture of the equipment pad would go a long way to helping you.

Sorry about the plaster work. It sounds like the plaster team screwed up and they tried to rush the job to get the plaster in place before it hardened. And it obviously did not work out well. Structurally speaking, the plaster is likely fine and so there shouldn't be an issue with leaks or anything like that (plaster is the main water barrier for the pool). Aesthetically, it's obviously not what you were hoping for.