First, a saw cut with a diamond masonry blade is made to undercut the tile line to preserve the existing swimming pool tile, unless new tile is being installed, then the old tile is removed. The pool is checked for loose plaster, which determines if we need to remove the plaster down to gunite, or bond coat the surface of the pool. While bond coat is the preferable way to prep your pool for plaster, sometimes the old surface is in such poor condition that all the old plaster has to be chipped off down to the gunite. All plaster chips and waste material will be cleaned up and hauled away.
Any other work to be done on the pool, including tile or equipment that is listed on your contract, will be done prior to the pool being plastered. Usually the pool will be plastered within 48 hours of the completion of the pre plaster inspection.
When plastering is complete, our plaster crew will start filling the pool with water. It is important that a hose is available to fill the pool. A protective cloth will be placed on the end of the hose. Additional hoses can be added, as long as they are protected on the end to prevent channeling the plaster. Hoses should not be allowed to whip or flail around in the pool. All hoses should be placed in the deep end. The pool “fill lines” should not be used until the water is within 6 inches of where the water comes into the pool. Water must not be turned off while the pool is filling.
The water should be shut off when it is about halfway up the tile line. If a spa is to be filled at the same time, it is important to turn the water off before it begins to flow over the dam wall into the pool (making sure water cannot leak through spa plumbing back into the pool) if there is any possibility of that happening, the spa should not be filled until pool is full. It is important that all irrigation sprinklers that may spray on exposed plaster are turned off during the pool filling sequence. Nothing should be added to the pool until it is finished filling. Nothing should be dragged across the pool surface nor should anyone be allowed to walk on the new plaster while it is filling with water. Your pool should fill in 24 hours.
If this creates a problem, our office should be contacted at 863-353-7793 for instructions.
The pool is now ready for start up.
POOLS plastered and filled following the above procedure carry a five-year bonding warranty, which guarantees that plaster will be watertight and will not peel, blister or delaminate provided that the pool structure remains sound, that start-up procedures recommended by the builder or service company are followed and the water chemistry after start-up is properly maintained.