Pebbles coming loose in localized areas and creating divots/craters? Is some of this to be expected?

[scomo]

Hi there,

Had my PebbleTec pool finished 1.5 years ago and there has been several issues I’ve noticed with the finish. The spa is losing a LOT of pebbles and they are coming loose just with me standing and sitting in it. The builder has come out and agreed that they will redo the spa.

The issue is, I’ve noticed a few areas in the pool where it appears this is happening too, just at a much smaller scale. When I rub my hand along those areas, it is all “rough” because of the pebbles but once my hand reaches the area where pebbles have been lost, it sort of craters in a small amount and is not flat.

I am being told by the builder and plaster contractor that is is normal and they don’t see anything wrong with it. Wanting to know if others have areas where there may be a bit of pebble loss and it feels a bit uneven? Not knowing how much of a big deal to make of this, but if they’re redoing the spa, wouldn’t that indicate that whoever did the whole project made a mistake? How could ONLY the spa be affected and not the pool? Especially if I’m noticing small areas in the pool that are more heavily trafficked have the same appearance. I understand under exposure, but those surfaces are at least flat and there is cement mixture hiding the pebbles, but this is more like a divot where there was pebbles and now it is uneven.

Any help would be appreciated, will upload picture of the spa and one of the areas in question in the pool. Thank you!

 

[ajw22]

Pebbles are mixed with plaster. After it is applied an acid wash is done to expose the top of the pebbles. The right amount of plaster needs to be left to hold then pebbles in place. If too much “cream” is removed then you get loose pebbles. That process is an art and depends on the skills of the plaster crew you get that day to remove just the right amount of cream.

The opposite problem is when not enough cream is removed and people complain their pebbles pool looks like a plaster pool.

You need to see what remediation you can work out with your builder and the plaster company.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

It can happen if the aggregate to cement ratio is too high - essentially not enough plaster to hold it together. The pebble finish is mixed on site at the the cement pump - plaster mix + water + aggregate. That mixing process can be less than ideal sometimes, especially with an inexperienced crew, and you can see these types of defects pop up.

I wouldn’t try to remediate the pool plaster. Aside from chipping it all out and redoing, there’s no way to patch small areas without it looking far worse than what you have. The fact that they’ll redo the spa is pretty good as most contractors that far out from a job wouldn’t give you the time of day.

It’s just one of those things that you will notice because it’s your pool and no one else using the pool will care about or even see. I suggest just keeping an eye on those areas of aggregate loss to see if they stabilize or get worse.