Hydroblasting For Your Swimming Pool

Choose the Best For Your Swimming Pool


When deciding between hydroblasting and traditional pool stripping to help start with your swimming pool, hydroblasting gives the best results.

“Hydroblasting is one of the best construction technologies to become available to the pool industry in several decades.”

– Tindall Engineering, Inc.

Many homeowners don’t consider the damage traditional replastering causes to the pool shell.  When performing swimming pool replastering on a pool or spa, the surface prep is key to get the new plaster to properly stick to the old surface.

Pool Hydroblasting versus Stripping

When it comes to swimming pool replastering, the prep work is everything. Until only recently, replastering meant stripping off the old plaster using pneumatic air hammers and jack hammers. This method has proved to be very harmful and destructive to the pool shell.

When stripping a pool, a certain amount of the structural gunite gets removed with it. Eventually, it exposes the reinforcing rebar and leaving a thin, uneven and weakened gunite structure. Once these issues start occurring future repair costs to the pool shell will be in the 10’s of thousands of dollars for replacing the gunite.

Luckily, new technology to correct this harmful practice is now available. Hydroblasting removal uses a 40,000 PSI water blaster to evenly remove or scarify the old plaster surface for a better non-damaging bonding texture. This method also carries an extended 10 year warrantee. Best of all, hydroblasting can be done over and over without the harmful effects of traditional stripping.

“It is important to differentiate between high-pressure hydroblasting will result in bond values up to 50% higher than more invasive methods. Also, surface preparation by hyderoblasting is minimally invasive to the underlying shotcrete shell and, when necessary, can be repeated for future resurfacing.”

– Pool Engineering, Inc.

Preparation Methods

Knowing the preparation methods of hydroblasting and stripping will help you decide which is best for your swimming pool replastering job.

Hydroblasting…

  • cuts plasters with high pressure water.
  • leaves an excellent profile for new material bonding. (Alan Smith Pools gives 10 year warranty.)
  • does not impact or weaken the gunite substrate.
  • does not expose structural steel.
  • leaves an ideal, uniform surface for new product placement.
  • does not cause structural trauma to the pool shell.

Most importantly, unlike stripping, hydroblasting does not damage your pool. Stripping can leave damages to the surface and structure, which can possibly cause problems later on. Hydroblasting, on the other hand, uses only water to erode the surface in a smoother way.

Contact Alan Smith Pools For Professional Pool Hydroblasting

Alan Smith is the owner of Alan Smith Pools. He is a founding member of the National Plasters Council (NPC) and chaired their research committee. He has also served on and chaired the NPC board of directors. In 2007, Alan designed and built the National Pool Industry Research Center at Cal Poly, Sans Luis Obispo, and chaired its Advisory Board under Cal Poly’s Environmental Engineering Department. Alan is a national speaker and lecturer on swimming pool resurfacing, construction, and engineering subjects.

If you’re looking to replaster your pool surface, hydroblasting offers all the benefits of traditional stripping, without the structural risk. With over 30,000 pool construction and repair projects, you can trust the work of Alan Smith Pools. Call us now at (714) 628-9494 or contact us online for a free estimate.

Hydroblasting For Your Swimming Pool | Alan Smith Pools

hydroblasting swimming pool plaster repair