Fibreglass is much stronger than Plaster / Pebblecrete.   

Fibreglass has its own structural integrity regardless of what it is applied to, while Plaster / Pebblecrete is brittle and relies upon the surfaces it is applied to for most of its strength.    Click Here to Read More

When the pool is first made, steel rio is installed to form and strengthen the walls. Over time water penetrates into the concrete, causing the steel within the concrete to rust. Concrete Cancer is what results from the rust. Concrete Cancer presents as rust marks in your pool. These discolorations effect the structural integrity of your pool. The affected area needs to be cut out from the pool and then replaced with a sealant. After this is completed, you are able to place a new concrete sealer over top and carry on using your pool as is. There is a downside to this; Concrete Cancer will occur as long as you have water making prolonged contact with your pool’s concrete shell. How can you avoid Concrete Cancer and secure the long term life of your pool? The best solution for preventing Concrete Cancer is to choose fiberglass pool resurfacing! The reasons for fibreglass’ superiority over concrete are numerous, not including the fact that you won’t experience Concrete Cancer again. The fibreglass shell acts as a non-porous barrier system, preventing any water from passing through to the concrete. In the rare occasion that water does make prolonged contact with the concrete, the fibreglass shell will keep the rust contained in the concrete, preventing it from entering your pool. In this fashion, the fibreglass will ensure a prolonged lifespan for your pool (up to 40 years!), and will drastically reduce the likelihood of any concrete cancer re-occurrence. With fibreglass pool resurfacing, you can kiss Concrete Cancer goodbye! If you have any questions about fibreglass pool resurfacing or are interested in a no-obligation quote, we encourage you to contact us today! Has Your Pool Seen Better Days? Request a Quote for a no obligation visit by one of our trained professionals Free Quote

The first step in our process is to drain and dry your pool. This step is probably obvious to most people, but we can’tstructural renovation stage 1 resurface your pool until all the water is drained out and the surface is completely dry. This is necessary because the product we put on your pool requires a dry environment in order to cure and seal properly. This process is weather dependent, but usually we budget 1-2 days of time to ensure the coating has had enough time to cure. Also important to mention, we will be careful to avoid any hydrostatic relief during this process, as explained in our How-To Winterize Your Pool blog.

After the coating has cured, we use a vinyl-ester resin to seal it up and protect it from the wear and tear of normal use. The sealing process usually takes up to 1 day.

Using a 450g Chop Strand Matting, we line your pool with the fibreglass laminate that will become the new surface of your pool shell. This process is critical, as the fibreglass will be the surface that will be absorbing the most use in your pool. After the laminate is on, we bond it to the vinyl-ester resin. This process will again take up to 1 day.

Once the laminate has hardened, we give it a light grind to remove any imperfections from the application and smooth structural renovation completethe surface out. After this is done, we apply a resin-based filler coat to the fibreglass shell.

Now that the filler coat has dried properly, grind it to remove any imperfections. After this is completed, we apply a top-coat of gel that will give the pool it’s smooth protective layer. This layer ensures that no water will enter the shell, and is one of the reasons that our Pool Resurfacings can last for up to 20 years! One final grind is applied to again remove any imperfections and uneven applications of the gel coats, but we are done after this process! Your pool will take generally 7 days to harden and seal, but after this you’re free to use it again!!

All told, a start to finish resurfacing job will take from 9-14 days depending on the weather, size of your pool, and if there are any unforeseen complications. This estimate doesn’t consider if you are having custom work done, like waterline tiles, stairs, or paving done around the pool.

We hope this information was valuable – if you have any questions or are interested in a no-obligation quote be sure to contact us!

Size of the pool

The most basic factor is: How big is the pool that requires resurfacing? Most pool resurfacing companies will use the dimensions of the pool to calculate the total square meterage. This is a great way for getting a baseline for the price, as it gives the contractor an idea for how much material will be required for the job. It also tells us how many hours the job will take, which will impact the cost of labour. While the pool size is a large factor, there are other things we look at that can either decrease or increase the cost of the pool resurface.

Condition of the Pool

Pool Resurfacing and Osmosis Removal Before

Many times when we inspect a pool, said pool will have water in it. In some of these cases, the water will be black/murky, making it difficult for our staff to see what lies beneath the surface. Some things under the surface that may be concealed include osmosis, drummy, and general decay of the pool. These things are many times revealed after the job has begun, and cost extra time to tackle vs if the pool was in decent condition. Hidden issues like this will impact the amount of time the job will take, and likewise will increase the cost of the job.

Additional Features

A great way to think about additional features to your pool is to compare them to buying a new car. You can purchase the basic model of the car that you can drive off the lot that day, or you can add additional features and options that will increase the time and corresponding cost of the job. When it comes to resurfacing your pool, this is much the same. Are you looking for a simple resurface, or perhaps something more? Many times when we resurface a pool, the customer will request additional work such as adding waterline tiles, patio paving, pool coping, pool fencing, additional water features, stairs swim-up landings, etc. All of these things are extras, and will impact the overall cost of the job. That being said, it is always best to decide on these things before you begin the job, as the resurface should be the final part of the job if there is other work being done around the pool.

Access

Access to the job site can sometimes be an important factor in the cost of the job. While most resurfacing jobs are simple open-shut cases where access is not a factor. Some larger jobs can be time-costly with regards to moving heavy and bulky materials onto the site. This extra time required can in some cases increase the labour cost, and grow the cost of the quote.

That about sums it all up! There’s of course a few other minor factors here and there that will impact your quote price, but these are the big ones. If you have any questions or want to see our quotes in action, request a free quote or contact us today!

Are you a registered/insured business that carries liability insurance?

This is extremely important, and should be your first question when discussing a job with a contractor. Any qualified business will carry extensive liability insurance, which will cover an employee if they get hurt. The importance of this cannot be overstated. Without liability insurance, an employee of the contractor who gets hurt on the job can potentially go after you (the homeowner) for damages. This insurance protects more than just the contractor, but you as well!

How long have you been in business?

Removing osmosis at the source

When dealing with a contractor that gives extensive warranties, the amount of time they’ve been in business can serve as proof of their skills. Giving a long term warranty on a service is great, but what happens if the contractor closes their business before you need to claim against that warranty? As a rule of thumb, if a business is offering a 7 year warranty, hopefully they’ve been around longer than this. This way you can be sure that they produce good work, and have not had to redo many (if any) jobs.

Have you done a job like this before?

You want to be sure that when you choose a contractor that their experience is in line with the scope of work. Ask the contractor what other jobs they have done in the past that compare to the one you’re offering, and if they have any references that they can give for the quality of their work.

What is the timeline from start to finish?

Most residential pools can be resurfaced over a 7 to 10 day period. Many companies use tents and tarps to cover the pool while work is being done, but there are some cases where the weather becomes a hindrance to the timeline. When dealing with fibreglass, resins and gel coats, the elements can take a real toll on the production. Under perfect conditions, 7 – 10 days is very reasonable, however it is always safe to add an additional 3-5 days for adverse weather conditions.

What precautions are taken to prevent damaging the pool or having it pop out of the ground?

We’ve all heard stories about hydrostatic relief causing pools to pop out of the ground, or the walls of a pool collapsing in (particularly in fibreglass pools and modular pools). A qualified pool resurfacing pro will take all the necessary steps to ensure that this doesn’t happen to you!

These necessary steps include:

Ensuring that the hydrostatic valve is operational, in order to relieve pressure under the pool

Bracing the walls of your pool to safeguard them against a collapse

Closely monitoring the pool while it is being emptied to observe any early signs of structural weakness

 

Is the bid an estimate or a quote?

How many of us have brought in a contractor to perform work under a given quote, and then receive a sticker shock at the end when you learn the quote wasn’t even close to the true cost of the job. Naturally, you want to know that the price that you are being provided is a firm and accurate. Furthermore you should request to see a formal statement of work, with every key deliverable item included in it.

Outdoor Pool Recently Resurfaced

Things that you want to make sure are in the statement of work:

Pool draining

Hydrostatic Valve replacement or repair

Pool preparation (drying and grinding)

Any built in items such as stairs or swim up landings

Resurfacing (and the associated steps)

Refilling instructions

 

Fibreglass Osmosis Bubbles

Here we have a pool that has osmosis behind the watertight seal.

Osmosis and Swimming Pools

The scientific definition of osmosis, which refers to the movement of molecules through a semi-permanent membrane, is a basic concept in high school biology, but the application of the term as it applies to pool surfaces is far less commonly known. In essence, osmosis, also known as black plague, refers to bumps or blisters that appear on a pool’s surface based on a failed watertight seal.

These imperfections exist permanently, or may come and go over time. The bumps that arise are often one to four inches in diameter, feel hard or porous to the touch, and may not pop or crack when stepped on or pressed. Some may leak a brown or black tar-like substance, causing alarm in pool owners concerned with possible safety consequences. Treatments like staining or popping will not diminish the effects, and shocking with high doses of chlorine can only exacerbate the problem.

Osmosis Signs and Causes

Grinding epoxy filler to eliminate osmosis

One of our teammates, using a grinder to smooth the epoxy filler we use to eliminate decay left by osmosis.

Osmosis occurs when air and water seep through a pool’s lining, an issue often caused by poor consolidation of laminate or the presence of an unreacted cobalt accelerator. These issues can arise in any number of ways, but are generally related to the installation and care of a pool.

Faulty Construction Techniques

Many osmosis issues have to do with the quality or kind of laminate or poolcoat placed on the pool’s interior surface, and are often connected to the outdated technology used to seal pools over the last several decades. Most fiberglass pools are coated with a cloth mat soaked in resin that is covered by a gel coat. This construction technique isn’t perfect, however, leading to water saturation in portions of the cloth mat. When this occurs, the brownish black blisters arise, separating the gel coat from the mat and creating an expensive fix for pool owners.

Over the last several years, however, manufacturers began including an additional layer of vinylester resin between the mat and gel coat in order to provide a watertight barrier. This addition provides an extra layer of protection, preventing water from seeping through to the cloth mat. This is most effective when gelcoat is sufficiently thick enough, and the gelcoat is allowed to cure for the proper amount of time; otherwise, even an enforced lining can succumb to osmosis damage.

Poor Maintenance

Another successful pool resurfacing

Another New South Wales pool saved from osmosis by the outstanding Fibrestyle team!

When maintenance and operating conditions of a pool are ignored, osmosis is far more likely. Excessive exposure to heat can speed up the process; as such, pools kept at a high temperature are much more likely to suffer consequences. Pools expected to be kept warmer than 86 degrees Fahrenheit at a regular basis should be constructed with heat and chemical resistant resins rather than standard products.

Chemical use can also be a factor. When chlorine levels are too high, especially in conjunction with high temperatures, black plague is more likely to occur. Pool shock can be an especially dangerous factor; increased use of shock can rapidly accelerate the process, leading to osmosis signs years ahead of schedule. To reduce this risk, ensure your pool’s pumps are functioning normally, and track both chlorine and pH regularly.

Osmosis is an unwelcome sign in any pool, but understanding what you’re up against can help you find the right fix. At first sign of black plague in your pool, it’s important to seek professional attention to diagnose your issues and provide an appropriate remedy, bringing your pool back up to par as quickly and affordably as possible. If you think you may have an osmosis problem, give us a call or request a quote and we will investigate any issues you may be having.

As pool resurfacing experts, we are often asked the question, “How do I know that it’s time to think about resurfacing my pool?” These are some common indicators that it is time to consider pool resurfacing: