Is Pebble tech a good surface?

[Pool User]

Aggregate pool finishes are the new way of the future in swimming pool finishes. Pebble Tec has ok products for pebble finishes. But we just started to install NPT's StoneScapes as a pebble finish. The results have been amazing. The whole product line has been awesome. I would reccommend looking at StoneScapes if you are looking at a pebble swimming pool finish.

[yuktopoolowership]

I had pebble tec redo my pool in 2000. Within a few years I started losing water, to much water. After several visits and a lot of because.....I had to drain the pool and when he pounded on the wall in the bad area it was hollow. The pebble tec never stuck to that part of the wall and water was seeping behind it. They repaired it and of course they could not match it. Today they are coming again because in the same area I have a 15 inch line of calcium (again) on the line of the crack. We will see what they say today. I paid extra for the better product with the life time warrenty ...perhaps they feel most people move and the warrenty does not go with the new owner.

[czechmate]

Interesting phenomenon is, when poor finish on gunite shell causes the water to leak out of the pool.
It does not matter if the finish is a plain marcite, DiamondBrite or Pebbletech. The gunite properly installed is a LEAKPROOF product.
Fishing ships in Alaska, that fish in most dangerous waters in the US are sometimes built same way. Armored concrete shot to form.
So to claim that some "finish popped of the wall" and you started loosing water is quite ridiculous.
Of course, if you had a crack in the structure in that particular spot (covered with pebbletech), that also later caused bleaching of gunite or whatever alkali etc, deposited, that is entirely different scenario.

[Pico]

I believe so.

[AppleStan]

I had my spa remodeled with a pebble tec surface, not Pebble Tec Brand, two years ago and have been happy with it. I used the smaller finer pebbles aka pebble Fina. What they don't tell you is that the color fades with time. Mine was a rather bright sky blue when it was installed, but is now more like the color I wanted, sort of a grey blue. I've heard that they all fade. It also had patches where the color is uneven that never went away. I think the trick is with the man doing the work...it's tricky and should be done by an expert. But I like it much better than plain plaster. There can still be staining, but it is masked by the stones and there is a lot less plaster between the pebbles to stain in the first place. Pebble Fina, or the smaller pebbles, are smoother and I have had no problem with it hurting my feet or hands.

[Pam Fitts]

We bought the house with a 4 yr old Pebble Tec pool surface.
The surface chews through the seals of pool vacuum units -I never had that problem with the gunnite pool we had for 8 years, never replaced a seal, now replace every year. Feet get cut up so bad I only go in the pool with swim shoes -just like on the coral-filled beaches of Waikiki.
I do have swaths of missing pebbles, they cause the remaining pebbles nearby to cut feet even better.
There was no discernible heating difference, the pool was too cold to use without using a solar blanket.
I would NOT Recommend this product -unless the body of water is just for looks- No one's actually ever going to have to use it...

[jeredh]

There is such a varying degree of opinions here. My PebbleTec surface is 2 years old and i have no complaints thus far. Time will tell.

I have to believe the quality of your finish, no matter what it is, relies on the quality of the install and the care given to it. I've owned this pool for 25 years, originally a gunite surface and resurfaced once with gunite and now PebbleTec. I selected PebbleTec b/c i prefer the texture of rough vs silky smooth. Mine does not affect my feet or childrens feet. I have not noticed any significant degradation of equipment as a result of PebbleTec. All I get on my pool is compliments.

Get a quality installer and maintain your pool surface & water qualities correctly.

Good luck.

[Teresa]

How does one rid itself of the dreaded cauliflower stain from fertilizer?

[czechmate]

Ask yourself why you want it first. Is it because you like it so much, or because you want to have a trendy pool? Than ask yourself how much can you rely on the crew, since you have no clue who will show up that morning. Selecting a pool surface is not like selecting a latex on your garage door or stain on your fence. Try to learn how to make your decisions by percentages stacking in your favor. You can get many favorable testimonies on a forum, but it is like buying stock based on the last year performance. You do not know how it will be installed, or even if they will use a proper materials in the mix, never mind the process. I personally had to send home a crew, that came to install Bond Kote for the Diamond Brite. Why? First they came in the late afternoon, (which is way late to start this), handled acid mix like washing a highway after spill and when I went to look how many bags of Bond Kote they had in the truck, I discovered sand bags and some acrylic mix crap. I have fired them and the plastering contractor immediately.
Smart selection of a pool surface starts with its own ability to accelerate the cleaning process. And that very essence is a smooth gunite, that will minimize the chance of algae to take hold on any crevice or even miniscule cracks, including places of flow impediment.
I will skip the story about the impact of loose pebbles on your pump impellers, etc.
Good Luck!

[LarryB]

I have a Pebble Tech surface in my pool that is 5+ years old. The original color is aqua but it is gradually turning black mostly on the steps and in the shallow areas. What can be done if anything to restore it to the original color and prevent this from happening?

[napalover]

We have had our Pebble Tec pool for over 15 years and we love it. Very low maintenance. I highly suggest it.

[jeredh]

I have a Pebble Tech surface in my pool that is 5+ years old. The original color is aqua but it is gradually turning black mostly on the steps and in the shallow areas. What can be done if anything to restore it to the original color and prevent this from happening?

I have a salt pool and when temps warm up, there are small areas of black, algae-like growth. These are about the size of a quarter at biggest. I use a soft bristled hand brush and brush these spots away. Does this sound like your issue?

[Dschmidt]

For everyone with stain issues, just use sparkle conquest. Problems solved

[amo]

Run from Pebble Tech - oh, sorry, unless you want a pool full of 7 year olds at a pool opening birthday party with bleeding toes and feet. Ditto the next day with our family pool party. 10 out of 12 kids had abrasions so bad on their feet they were flowing with blood. Blood. Am I crazy or if PebbleTech is such hot stuff why wouldn't they complete the job so children in a pool (repeat, children in a pool) don't have their feet cut up and abraided so badly they bleed. (I see the comments about a few weeks of scrubbing. REALLY? I would expect the pebbletech people have some pretty nice industrial scrubbers they could make part of the process to avoid, again, it seems crazy to have to write this -but- BLEEDING FEET in children in a backyard swimming pool - water color looks great though - at least we have that, even though no one wants their kids to swim in our pool - including us.

[hbs]

Before considering using a Pebble Tec pool finish, take the time to read the reviews in the pool and landscape forums. I did not, and the re-done surface failed, discolored, and deteriorated almost immediately. After sending an inspector (which took nearly one year), Pebble Tec has stated that the deterioration is a result of 'freeze and thaw damage'.
We use a professional pool service firm to maintain the pool. The pool is properly winterized each year. The surface failed almost immediately upon install. Neither Pebble Tec nor their approved, authorized installer has assumed any responsibility for the workmanship but instead have stated that they are "assuming you have not been informed as to how to winterize your pool".
I recommend selecting another pool finish, as do many others, as Pebble Tec's follow up and ability to stand behind their product is non-existent.