Guide to Selecting Your Pool Surface
Today’s pool and spa owners have many reliable and beautiful swimming pool finish options available to them. From the straight forward simplicity of standard white plaster to the rainbow of multi-colored glass finishes and a spectrum of options between, the choices can be exciting. But the selection process can also be somewhat daunting without reliable information.
To help guide you through the process of choosing the best finish for your home’s pool or spa, we have assembled some of the most important information you should keep in mind.
Finishes in pools and spas are constantly submerged in water. This obvious fact means that any pool finish will be exposed to varying water chemistry conditions over time. Some pool surface materials are harder and better able to handle varying water chemistry. Unfortunately, no pool surface material is immune to problems and degradation if a pool or spa is improperly maintained. Consequently, the decisions you make regarding your pool surface material is critical to the long-term appearance and condition of your pool. We have identified five basic types of pool surface materials for you to review, attempting to identify important benefits and characteristics of each.
Standard White Plaster Finish
The combination of white cement, white marble aggregate and water make for an economical choice that will give you that classic swimming pool look.
It is important to know that white plaster is the most susceptible to attacks of improperly maintained or fluctuating chemical conditions. Therefore, it is only reasonable to expect that during the life of the product, it will change in appearance. These changes in appearance may be subtle or minor, perhaps slight shading, staining or scaling, or far more dramatic in the form of pronounced staining, etching, spot etching, cracking, or even delaminating in extreme cases.
For the purpose of selecting standard white plaster it is critical to be fully aware that it is a relatively soft finish compared to other pool surface options and one that is more susceptible to the effects of water chemistry than some newer innovative products we offer.
100% Quartz Finish
The combination of white cement, 100% quartz and water make for a very durable finish. 100% quartz finishes offer a broad range of colors, from vivid blues, to more subtle colors such as beige and even plum.
It also has the advantage of creating a much more durable surface than standard plaster, one that is harder and far more resistant to fluctuating chemical conditions. While there are other formulations of quartz (50% or 75% quartz) available in the industry today, never settle for anything less than 100% quartz. For the traditional white swimming pool surface, there is no better solution than 100% quartz.
Please select Buoy 1 at the top of your screen and click on “100% Quartz” to learn more about these finishes and begin the review process.
Gemstone Pebble Finish
Gemstone pebble finishes consist of small, smooth river pebbles embedded throughout the finish. Gemstone pebble finishes are among the most reliable, flexible and aesthetically beautiful on the market today. Gemstone surfaces are extremely natural in appearance and come in a wide range of color options.
Because the stone material that comprises river pebble is chemically inert, it is unlikely to react with swimming pool or spa water and is therefore less susceptible to attack or alterations in appearance.
Please select Buoy 1 at the top of your screen and click on “Gemstone Pebble/Gemstone Sandstone” to begin the review process.
Hydrazzo Finish
Hydazzo pool finishes consist of white and colored marble aggregates, white Portland cement, graded color aggregates and other proprietary ingredients to produce high cement strengths.
With unique color selections and natural variegated appearance, Hydrazzo complements all poolscape designs. This polished pool surface creates a finish that is naturally resistant to spot etching, topical stains, permanent scale and algae adhesion.
The secret to a Hydrazzo finish is the final step: polishing the surface to a brilliant luster, and thereby unlocking the marble’s natural beauty, and its extraordinary strength. The color is breathtaking, achieving a soothing, color intensifying effect. Hydrazzo pool finishes are friendly to fingers, toes and swimsuits.
Please select Buoy 1 at the top of your screen and click on “Hydrazzo” for more detailed information on this swimming pool surface material and to begin the review process.
Beadcrete Finish
Beadcrete is a simply unique architectural pool finish that creates magnificent light refraction in the water, spectacular by day, sensational at night with the pool lights on.
Beadcrete finishes use small retro reflective clear glass bead spheres combined with selected colored quartz that mirror light under the surface of the pool’s water and create a vibrant sparkling finish of astounding aesthetic appeal.
Beadcrete is the very latest functional development in polymer modified cement/aggregate technology, this results in improved durability, colorfast performance and a slip resistant, smooth textured concrete pool finish that is easy on the skin and less likely to cause the cuts and abrasions typical of traditional aggregate pool finishes.
Please select Buoy 1 at the top of your screen and click on “Beadcrete” to begin the review process.