Age Old "Fiberglass vs. Gunite"

Construction or upgrading of new or existing
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NoIdeaWhat2Buy
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Age Old "Fiberglass vs. Gunite"

Postby NoIdeaWhat2Buy » Thu 04 Nov, 2010 21:25

Hey guys,

I'm purchasing my first home with my wife in Houston, TX and am in the market for a pool. Frankly, we're not crazy about the prices we've seen for traditional gunite pools. Are fiberglass pools a good alternative? It seems as though every forum or blog on the net has a great arguement for either side, followed by a website showing that they deal strictly with that type of pool. I'm hoping to get the pros & cons of both from you experienced pool pros. Price and maintenance are our biggest concerns, considering the photos we've seen appear that you really can't tell the difference between the two. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Also, I've read that the installer is essential in the success of the pool. The local fiberglass installer here deals only with Viking Pools. They look great but I read that Viking recently filed for BK last year. That obviously doesn't give a consumer that warm fuzzy feeling. Any insight on that would help as well. Thanks a lot!


NoIdeaWhat2Buy
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My Pool: TBD
Location: Houston

Age Old "Fiberglass vs. Gunite"

Postby NoIdeaWhat2Buy » Sat 06 Nov, 2010 00:08

Beuller??
floridapooltech
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Age Old "Fiberglass vs. Gunite"

Postby floridapooltech » Sat 06 Nov, 2010 10:21

NoIdeaWhat2Buy wrote:Hey guys,

I'm purchasing my first home with my wife in Houston, TX and am in the market for a pool. Frankly, we're not crazy about the prices we've seen for traditional gunite pools. Are fiberglass pools a good alternative? It seems as though every forum or blog on the net has a great arguement for either side, followed by a website showing that they deal strictly with that type of pool. I'm hoping to get the pros & cons of both from you experienced pool pros. Price and maintenance are our biggest concerns, considering the photos we've seen appear that you really can't tell the difference between the two. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Also, I've read that the installer is essential in the success of the pool. The local fiberglass installer here deals only with Viking Pools. They look great but I read that Viking recently filed for BK last year. That obviously doesn't give a consumer that warm fuzzy feeling. Any insight on that would help as well. Thanks a lot!



Here is a post we placed up awhile back. This will give you a little insight on the difference, cost comparisons and life of the finishes.


Fiberglass:

less costly compared to pebbletec or quartz, however, after about 5 years, you will start noticing a breakdown process of the resin. Also, Fiberglass is prone to a number of stains the other finishes will not have.

Marcite:

also, less costly compared to pebbletec or quarts, however, will show signs of wear after 5-10 years (chips, deterioration)

Quartz:

costly, however, lasts between 15-20 years before any noticeable wear on the surface. Also, there are many colors and styles to choose from!

Pebbletec:

The most costly, however it will also last between 15-20 years before any noticeable wear or missing stones. As with quartz, this also comes in many different colors.
swimmingpoolbuild
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Age Old "Fiberglass vs. Gunite"

Postby swimmingpoolbuild » Sat 14 May, 2011 10:48

I build all pools.

When it come to Fiberglass vrs concrete it depends on what you want.

Fiberglass is less expensive to build (in my region) and costs less to maintain than Concrete pools. The downside is they are usually smaller pools and you can not do anything custom.

Concrete pools cost more money all around. They cost more to build and maintain. But you can build anything you want with concrete.

Chad

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