Signs a pool needs resurfacing
How to tell the difference between a surface that looks tired and a surface that has failed, and which symptoms mean you can wait another season.
Pool surfaces fail gradually, which makes the decision to resurface easy to postpone and easy to rush. The useful distinction is between cosmetic wear, which you can live with, and surface failure, which gets more expensive the longer it runs.
Symptoms that mean the surface has failed
- Rough or abrasive plaster that scrapes feet and swimsuits. This is the surface eroding, not just aging.
- Exposed aggregate or visible substrate showing through the finish in patches.
- Delamination: hollow-sounding areas when tapped, or sheets of finish lifting away.
- Structural cracks that hold a line rather than crazing randomly, especially if they follow the shell.
- Persistent, unexplained water loss once you have ruled out evaporation and plumbing.
- Rust-coloured staining that keeps returning after treatment, which can indicate rebar corrosion under the finish.
Symptoms that usually do not mean resurfacing yet
If the finish is still smooth underfoot and holding water, most of these are cosmetic. Whether that is worth resurfacing over is a preference question, not a maintenance one.
- Surface staining that responds to acid washing or stain treatment.
- Fine crazing or check cracking, which is a common surface characteristic rather than a structural fault.
- Discolouration and mottling in an otherwise smooth surface.
- Isolated chips around fittings, which can often be spot repaired.
Use the lifespan as a cross-check
Published lifespans give you a rough expectation to test your observations against. Paint lasts 5 to 7 years, standard plaster 7 to 12, quartz plaster 10 to 15, and pebble 15 to 20 or more.
A plaster surface failing at year 6 suggests something went wrong with the original preparation or the water chemistry. A plaster surface failing at year 11 is simply doing what plaster does. The distinction matters, because the first case is worth investigating before you pay for the same finish again.