Plaster is one of the best materials for giving your pool a long-lasting and aesthetically appealing finish. In fact, when properly mixed, applied, cured, and maintained, plaster can last for over 15 years. However, if plastering is done incorrectly, your pool will lose curb appeal and cost you hundreds of dollars in repairs in the future. Thus, if you just installed new pool plaster, be on the lookout for plastering defects which mostly result from poor workmanship. Identifying them on time can save you from incurring costly repairs and compromising on the beauty of this functional landscaping feature. With this in mind, here are the signs of plastering faults in your new pool plaster.
Discoloration on Colored Plaster
Have you noticed whitening on your colored plaster? Either uniform or patterned discoloration? Plaster discoloration is different from surface staining. It is within or beneath the plaster and cannot be washed off while staining occurs on the surface and can be eliminated by cleaning the pool. Discoloration occurs due to various problems such as the following:
- Use of a lot of calcium chloride to speed up the setting time during plaster installation
- Variations in water content in the plaster mix
- Variations in plaster thickness during application
- Surface wetting before the pool is filled
As you can see, all these problems can be traced back to the installation process. If you are dealing with discoloration, hire professional installation experts to repair the plaster.
Spot Etching
Spot etching, also known as white spotting, is the occurrence of white or light-colored spots on the surface of the pool plaster. These spots begin to show up a year or less after pool plastering. They result from using an extremely hot plaster mix with too much calcium. AGT Labs recommend that installers use no more than 2 lbs of calcium chloride per every bag of cement in the plaster mix.
Spot etching can also be due to using a wet trowel or waiting too long to hard-trowel the plaster. Other causes include excess water in the plaster mix, use of very little cement, or using extremely fine aggregate in the plaster mix. Spot etching leaves unsightly max on the plaster and can ruin the aesthetic appeal of the entire pool.
Plaster Spalling
Look around the plaster on your pool steps or on the shallow end floors. Do you notice any flaking or peeling of a thin layer of plaster? This is known as spalling and is a common problem when plaster is poorly installed.
Spalling occurs when the installer uses too much water during trowelling. In most cases, this happens during the hot or windy days as the water dries out fast during installation, forcing the installer to use more. Spalling can also occur if the installer over-troweled the surface while the underlying plaster paste was wet but the surface cement was dry.
If your pool plaster had flakes in small sections, you can fix it by sanding the surface. However, for extensive damage, you have to replaster the entire pool.
Protect Your Pool Plaster from Defects Today
Does your pool plaster have any of these defects? If so, there’s a chance your installer didn’t do a satisfactory plastering job. You need to replaster the pool to restore its curb appeal.
Don’t gamble with quality when it comes to pool maintenance. Contact us today for professional plastering services, scheduled maintenance, and expert advice on how to extend the durability of your pool.
