Pool Refinishing - Wet Edge versus Diamond Brite

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Kristybecky

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Sep 4, 2018
6
New Jersey
Hello,
My name is Jill and I'm new to this site. Unfortunately we have to refinish our plaster pool after 10 years - the bottom is cracked and big chunks of plaster are coming out. I loved our medium gray plaster finish because of the color and because of how smooth it was on our feet. I was told to either do Diamondbrite or River Rok, and another option I am hearing about is Wet Edge. I don't think the River Rok will be for me - it's not that smooth. So now I am trying to decide between Diamondbrite or Wet Edge - is one stronger than the other? Is one less likely to crack? The life of one over the other? Thanks so much for any input.
 
I'm hardly an expert, but I just reviewed the various bids to determine which made the most sense for our current renovation. Here's my takeaway:

There's sells POP (Plain Old Plaster), which is smooth, classically beautiful, and the cheapest (less labor to install). But it's the least durable and has the shortest service life (1 year warranty)
Next up the scale is quartz, which has some tiny flakes in it, costs a bit more, and has improved durability
Next up is a full pebble finish which has significantly upgraded durability (Wet Edge offers a 15 year warranty), it's also more expensive since it's a full 2-day process for an average sized swimming pool
Finally Wet Edge offers (and probably others) a pebble finish which is sanded to produce the best of both worlds (Satin Stone), the smoothness of POP with the durability of a pebble finish. It is the most expensive since it is a 3 day process.

I don't know if any manufacturer's products are better, I think some have a name brand, and some manufacturers require installers be certified (which should improve the chances of it being done correctly).

Installation expertise and looking after the water chemistry are key to curing and keeping that finish beautiful. We currently have plaster, and I did not get good instructions from the installer 20 years ago when we built the pool other than a vague "check the chemistry and brush every day", which are terrible instructions, which led to a lot of problems years later.

We're using Wet Edge mainly because the installer we chose uses Wet Edge. We chose the Signature Matrix, primarily because we wanted the longer life of the pebble finish but they mix small and large pebbles to keep things relatively smooth. We really really wanted the Satin Stone, but it was significantly more expensive and we had already gone past our budget. Before you decide, take all the samples (they ALL have extensive sample boxes) to a real pool and put every one of them them on the bottom to see how they look under water. You can't tell when it's just in air.
 
Thanks so much tkrotchko - this is definitely helpful. Great advice about putting the samples in the pool. Today I looked at three pools with French Gray Diamondbrite. They looked fine, but they were definitely less smooth than POP (which I won't do again). On Friday I'm going to check out a few pools with Wet Edge (I know one of them has the pebble finish). Such a hard decision because no matter what I choose it's still a boatload of money that I didn't think I'd be spending on a 10 year old pool. Thanks again.
 
I concur with tkrotchko overall. We just installed the Wet-Edge signature matrix (smaller and larger pebbles). I have to say that its not as smooth as I had hoped, but its tolerable. (3 or 4 skinned knees and toes over the summer, but nothing drastic) The pebble finish looks amazing, and the durability is excellent as well... 15 years should be the worst case scenario.

My primary concern wasn't a smooth finish, it was more about color and durability, and in both of those cases, I am perfectly happy. In hindsight, if my priority was on a smooth, yet durable finish, I would definitely choose the "Primera Stone" which is a pebble/plaster mix that is polished after install. (And can be re-polished in the future). Just know that the labor for polishing is what drives that price higher than all other choices.
 
Well, plaster has been used for decades and, if done right, lasts a long time. Can't speak to the other finishes other than to say check the feedback and see if it matches the manufacturers' claims of much extended longevity.
 
Which type of Wet Edge? They make quartz, several different 'pebble' finishes (similar to Pebble Tec and River Rok), and then they have Primera Stone which is a polished finished. We have the Primera Stone and are happy with it because we wanted smooth. I believe Diamond Brite is quartz. I would check the manufacturer's website on Diamond Brite and River Rok about life expectancy and warranty.
 
Thank you all so much for your input. Saw four different wet edge pools today - two of them were the Primera Stone and two were the Prism Matrix (less expensive than Primera Stone but more expensive than Diamond Brite). I actually loved them both - although the primera stone was definitely much smoother. I am still confused between the Diamond Brite and the Wet Edge - the Primera Stone and Prism Matrix were significantly more than the Diamond Brite - still don't know if it's worth it. I know it's personal taste, but I was also hoping there was a big difference in longevity so there would be a great reason to spend more on the new finish. I also noticed that you don't see any staining with the Prism Matrix (pebble). The smoother finishes you can see a little.
Thanks again for your input.
Didn't know if I should start a new thread about this, but also trying to figure out best timing for this project. I am on the East Coast (NJ) - I was thinking I could have the pool drained (didn't want to keep the water in all through the winter in case it was making the exposed shell softer and more susceptible to a leak) and covered for winter and then do fixing/refinishing in the spring. I don't know if that's viable or smart.
 

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We made our decision to go with either the wet edge primera stone or prism matrix - leaning towards primera stone. I’m just wondering about the quote I received because There was only a $100 difference between the two - and I thought the prism matrix would be much more. I’m reading many posts that say the color choice also makes a difference in price. I’m being charged approximately $17,000 to refinish my 20x40 pool and jacuzzi for either of those products. Does this sound reasonable? I’m also looking in the gray tones not blue. Any insight would be much appreciated. Thanks.
 
Thanks Kim. I actually got only one quote for the wet edge and many quotes for diamondbrite- and they seem consistent with the DB being about 3-4000 less than WE. Decided on Primera Stone for the softness on the feet. Torn between colors - leaning towards diamondhead treasure which is basically black with beautiful speckles. Nervous to use the blue tones from some posts on here. Thx again
 
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