5 Types of Plastering Defects You Must Identify in New Pool Plaster

Every pool owner appreciates the durability and smooth finish of new pool plaster. With proper mixing, applying, curing, and maintenance, pool plaster can last more than 15 years. Pool plastering is not a DIY task because of how industrial the preparation process can be. At times, plaster jobs fail, and you are left asking yourself, does my pool have plaster defects? Discussed below are some of the most common defects that can happen with a newly plastered pool.

Discolorations

The discoloration is often caused by the use of excessive calcium chloride set accelerator. Mottled discoloration can be difficult to remove without damaging the plaster finish. Discolorations can also be in the form of acid washing, “trowel burn” sanding, or torching the surface. Unfortunately, this defect can be hard to eliminate and may damage the plaster finish.

White Spotting

This problem is often common in new dark or white-colored plaster pools. Often, these unsightly white spots start appearing a year after the plastering has been done, and it is one of the things that ruin curb appeal. The issue is commonly referred to as spot etching by plastering experts. To make matters worse, when calcium chloride is added to the plaster mix, it contributes to shrinkage, porosity, and microcracking. When certain plaster surface areas become porous, the spots become lighter than the surrounding areas, hence spotting.

Crazing or Cracking

This type of defect will leave you asking questions like, do I need new pool plaster? Crazing is excessive surface shrinkage cracking which unfortunately provides an excellent environment for algae and dirt. This type of defect can be caused by excessive plaster drying before a pool is filled or from additional water in the pool while trowelling.

Spalling or Flaking

The term spalling is commonly used to mean shallow surface loss. Scaling means depositing calcium carbonate onto the plaster surface of the pool water in the pool industry. The problem can be caused by hot, dry, and windy weather or poorly timed trowel passes.

Etching

This is somehow different from spalling and delamination. It occurs when new plaster separates from previous plaster layers. It is particularly common on swimming pool steps, around wall fittings, and swim-outs. These defects indicate the degradation of small spots of plaster. One of the reasons this happens is when a person plastering the pool uses excess fine aggregate or sand in the plaster mix.

Despite these defects, a bigger percentage of new plaster finishes are done well, and you will not notice any defects as long as the pool is well maintained. However, even with new plaster, defects can still happen. Instead of DIY and making such mistakes, you can get in touch with the Can Do Plaster Crew. We have more than 30 years of experience and have worked on many pools before. Get in touch with us about new pool plastering.

Categorised in: Pool Renovations

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