Pool resurfacing and replaster.
An interior finish has a service life. When it reaches the end, resurfacing gives the pool a new surface, a new color and, done properly, a shell that has been checked and repaired underneath it.
Resurfacing means removing the old interior finish, repairing the shell, applying a bond coat and a new plaster, quartz or pebble finish, then filling and running a chemical start-up. The signs it is due are roughening, staining that will not lift, bare spots and delamination. On unincorporated Santa Barbara County parcels a straight replaster is exempt from a building permit; structural, equipment and gas changes still need one. From drain to first swim runs approximately two to three weeks.
How to tell it is time
The interior tells you. A surface that has gone rough enough to scrape skin, staining that no longer responds to chemistry, bare patches where the finish has worn through to the shell, and hollow-sounding or lifting areas, which is delamination, are the four signs. Copper and iron staining can sometimes be treated without resurfacing; the other three cannot. If the pool is also losing water, we find the leak first, because a new finish over an unrepaired crack is a short-lived finish.
What a resurfacing actually involves
- Drain. Water is discharged to the sewer clean-out or as the local water agency directs, and on a high water table we install a hydrostatic relief valve so the empty shell cannot float.
- Chip-out. The old finish is removed around the tile line, fittings and any delaminated areas, or in full where the condition calls for it, which is usually the better job.
- Repairs. Cracks are cut and dowelled, hollow spots are removed and patched, and fittings, main drains and light niches are replaced with current-code parts while the shell is open.
- Tile and coping, if they are part of the scope, are done now, because the new finish is cut to the tile line.
- Bond coat. A bonding agent is applied so the new finish adheres to the old shell rather than sitting on it.
- Finish. Plaster, quartz or pebble is hand-troweled by a plaster crew in a single continuous placement.
- Fill and start-up. The pool is filled without stopping, then balanced daily for the first weeks so the new surface cures without scale or etching.
Choosing the finish
Most of our resurfacing work goes to PebbleTec, the most durable interior we install and the one that keeps its color longest. Plaster remains the classic look and the most economical. Quartz sits between them. If the pool runs on salt or will convert to it, the finish choice matters more, and we will say so. The finishes guide covers each option in detail.
Permits
The County of Santa Barbara lists replastering an existing swimming pool among the work exempt from a building permit. Anything beyond the finish, such as structural repair, new equipment, gas work, or changes to the barrier, is permitted normally. Inside the City of Santa Barbara and in the other cities we work in, we confirm the requirement for your parcel before the drain-down, and a replaster in the City of Los Angeles runs through LADBS's express process with the state safety act applying.
Timing
From drain to first swim, a straight resurfacing runs approximately two to three weeks, most of it the finish crew's schedule and the cure. Add tile and coping and the window grows by approximately a week. Add structural repair, a new spa or new decking and it becomes a remodel with its own schedule, which we set out in writing before we start.
Sources
Requirements change and every parcel is different. Verify with the jurisdiction before relying on any figure here; we do, on every job.
Questions we are asked
How long does a pool finish last?
It depends on the material, the water chemistry it has lived in, and how it was applied. Plaster has the shortest life, pebble the longest, quartz in between. A finish that has been kept in balance lasts far longer than one that has not, which is why the start-up after resurfacing matters so much.
Can you resurface just the bad spots?
Spot repairs are possible for a small area of delamination, but a repaired patch never matches the surrounding finish in color or texture. For anything beyond a small patch, a full resurfacing is the job that looks right.
Is this the time to change the color?
Yes. Resurfacing is the one moment the whole interior is chosen again, and a darker or lighter finish changes the water color more than anything else you can do.
Can you add a Baja shelf or a spa while the pool is empty?
Often, yes. A shelf can be formed within the existing shallow end and a spa can be tied into the shell with dowelled steel and a new bond beam. Both are engineered and permitted as new construction, and both are far easier to do while the pool is already drained.
Tell us about the property.
We walk your property, talk through grade, access and what your jurisdiction will look for, and follow up with a written proposal setting out every line of the scope.