pool resurfacing - simple question (I hope)

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FlaPoolGuy

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Oct 5, 2019
142
Florida
I have a pool with stains on it (details in my sig). The stains are either copper, iron, or a combination of the two. Do I need the copper/iron/whatever to be removed prior to having the pool resurfaced? Or can they just put a new coating right on top of the current one, and there's no real risk of the stains bleeding through, or the stains contaminating the new water and causing new stains on the new surface? I'm thinking either a redo with simple plaster, or a pebble based coating.

Thanks in advance!
 
You will want a full chipout, which will remove the plaster and the stains.
  • Full chipouts should be done with one of the following methods:
    • If chisels are used then it should be flat chisels, not pointed chisels. Pointed chisels remove too much gunite and can weaken the shell
    • High pressure sand blasting is superior to chiseling to remove plaster
    • Hydro jetting using high pressure water is also effective at removing plaster Read PSN:Water Jetting

Plaster Installation and Maintenance - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
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sktn77a said:
A full chip out is always preferred. If the existing plaster is still firmly attached to the shell then you can acid wash it to prepare the surface for renovation (this will remove any stains). Apply a bonding agent and then replaster.
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I don't have a problem with paying for the chipout, but just a question about the goal- the chipout in theory makes the new plaster last longer or stick better or something? Thanks for the education. I'm reading the above links poolstored sent me. it's a lot of material, but I'll get through it!

Also, I had a few different vendors come out to price out the resurfacing, and only one mentioned doing a chip out. He used a mallet to "tap" gently on the surface of my pool deep to the tiles, about a foot down, and in several areas there were hollow type sounds. After he tapped around with the mallet a bit, he warned me about the need for a possible "chip out" with "chip out fee" if he had to chip out over a certain percentage (I think he said 50%, but it was awhile ago). Does that change anything? Thanks again.
 
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Don't forget to figure out how your stains started in the first place. If you are on well water that could be it or perhaps algaecide was regularly used before. You need to plan on how to avoid new stains.
 
TinFoilHat said:
Don't forget to figure out how your stains started in the first place. If you are on well water that could be it or perhaps algaecide was regularly used before. You need to plan on how to avoid new stains.
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure the previous owner was using "Max Blue" powdered treatment/"shock" product on the regular. He informed me of his maintenance routine, and that was basically it. It contained 0.26% copper (metallic). I was able to lift some of the stains a few years ago with the treatment described here:

The unpoolstorification - fixing levels, etc

What she said!
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

so I'm pretty sure it's copper from the previous owner. Maybe there could be a second thing going on too- that's always possible. I only use chlorine from pool store, plus muriatic acid plus baking soda. No other chemicals or potions have gone in since I did my attempt at stain removal a few years back.

No well water- only municipal water.
 
Ok so hopefully this is my last question on the topic. Underneath my plaster, I suspect I have a layer of tiles. Here's a picture showing an area on my steps in the shallow end of the pool:

image000000.jpg

Yes, I know there is a layer of crud at the margin of the tiles and the pebbly plaster. The area in the picture is on my top step, which is currently out of the water as I'm dumping some pool water. I'm dumping the excess CYA I accumulated this summer using tablets while I was out of town. I had a good time but now am paying for it with extra maintenance.

Should I expect them to remove the tiles to expose the gray "shell" as noted above by @AQUA~HOLICS? Thanks again @PoolStored , @sktn77a
 
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I had pool contractor #3 come today for a visit. He seemed pretty knowledgeable. We discussed many things, but the pre-emptive "full chip out" he didn't advise. After looking at the pool, he instead recommended the following:

1. drain the pool
2. leave it empty for a *week* to achieve maximum dryness to ensure maximum sensitivity when doing #3.
3. tap and listen to the plaster and
4. draw circles around the areas needing chip out
5. chip out the circled areas only
6. if we needed to do above 50% chip out he would charge me an extra "chip out fee"

He said if I wanted a pre-emptive (no tapping/sounding, just start chiseling) full chip out he would give me one, but he wasn't sure it was needed, and he didn't want to waste my money.

What do y'all think about that? It seems like a reasonable strategy as long as their tap/listener has a good ear when tapping, and it makes me wonder if the "just pre-emptively chip it all out" is a way to reduce the risk of a bad outcome by assuming the tapper/listener is hard of hearing/doesn't do a good job.

As always, thank you again TFP-team!
 

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How do you know that the plaster that is not chipped out will not lossen in the life of your new plaster.

If you want your new plaster to last 15 to 20 or more years then do a complete chipout now.

If you want delamination and calcium nodules issues in the coming years then listen to the plaster guy who will be long gone when you have problems.
 
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2 years ago I had my pool resurfaced, then one day after a small pool party one of the swimmers said hey why is there a hole in your pool? I said WHAT!! and there is was. The size of the missing finish was about 8 inches around. I call the company that I contracted with and they came out right away. They said Looks like we will have to resurface. Well 3 day later the company came to start the job. After draining the pool they chip out a couple spots and added the bounding materiel. Then the finish crew came and the head of the crew took his hammer out to test the surface and found out there was still a lot of hollow spots and told the crew to STOP!! This needs a full chip out..
The first time it was done they DID NOT do a full chip out.
So I am recommending a full chip out..
 
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