Considering a Pool Resurfacing?

If your pool is showing its age, it may be time to consider pool resurfacing. Your pool may have cracks, blisters, or discolorations that a resurface will eliminate. Depending on how your pool is currently surfaced, and what you want to put on it, this may not be a viable DIY project. However, if you have the expertise and the time, you might be able to take it on.

Basic Process

If you have a gunite pool, your pool shell will have been made of concrete that is 8 to 12 inches thick. A final finish will have been applied to the surface of the gunite. Typical finishes used are plaster, tile, Diamond Brite, or Pebbletek. This top coat generally should last up to 15 years. When you resurface your pool, it is this top coat that is replaced.

The first step when resurfacing is to drain the pool. Before beginning, contact your city’s Planning Department to see if you need a permit to do this, or if there are any special requirements on where to drain the water.

Next, you must thoroughly clean the pool's surface with a wire brush. If you have plaster on gunite, you will have to use a chisel, pick, or jack hammer to remove the plaster from the gunite shell. Once you have removed all the plaster, use a wire brush on the shell to remove all the chalky material on the shell.

The surface should then be cleaned with trisodium phosphate (TSP) and followed by a coating with muriatic acid to remove mineral deposits. Finish by neutralizing the acid with TSP.

Once your pool's surface is clean, the pool can be resurfaced by spreading plaster. For a pool with 100 linear feet, it will take around 2,500 pounds of plaster and 3,500 pounds of white marble plaster sand to resurface the pool.

Types of Surfaces

The three most commonly used pool surfaces are plaster, pebble and quartz. Generally new gunite pools are coated with pool plaster, which is cement mixed with marble sand or limestone. It is the least expensive option for pool surfacing and typically lasts around 7 years. 

Pebble finishes are actually just plaster with aggregate mixed in. The addition of aggregate makes these more durable and stain-resistant than plaster alone. Pebble finishes can be somewhat rough and cost twice as much as plaster, but the upside is that they often last over 12 years.

A quartz finish is plaster with quartz aggregate mixed in. This provides more color than pebbles and is a more stain resistant option. A quartz finish will usually lasts 12 to 15 years.

Fiberglass pools should be resurfaced with fiberglass. Look for special kits that use a fiberglass resin and a gelcoat to restore the finish to your fiberglass pool.

Should You Do It?

The main drawback to making this a DIY project is that water is not forgiving. If you make a mistake, you will be left with a leaking pool and will have to do it all over again.

The other consideration is that pool resurfacing is a very time-consuming process. A medium-sized home pool will generally take two people over 20 hours to resurface. If you have a larger pool, it will often take three or four people to keep the plaster from setting too quickly. You will have to rent tools to break the plaster, and take extreme caution to keep footprints out of the plaster. If this doesn’t appeal to you, consider hiring a professional to do the job.