As spring approaches, we’re looking forward to a significant project that won’t occur until the swim season ends – a full replacement of the pool finish. As you can imagine, this project has been a board topic for years as it will require a significant financial investment.
Our pool is coated in a material called “marcite”. Marcite is a white plaster made of Portland cement, marble dust, and additives. It’s applied over the underlying concrete pool shell (called “gunite”) installed in 1967.
Over time, the layer bonds weaken, and the marcite starts to chip. In recent years, patching has been performed as many as 2 to 3 times throughout the season. Cracking occurs on faces near the water’s surface (such as the stairs).
Unfortunately, patching will likely be necessary again in 2022 since the project doesn’t begin until after the swim season. We will do our best to ensure that any holes that appear are patched promptly.
August 2022 Update: It appears we’ve found good luck – and no repairs have been necessary this season! At this point, it’s highly unlikely any repairs will be made.
The project is scheduled to begin on September 6th, 2022, after Labor Day (closing day). Demolition and construction are anticipated to take 2-3 weeks. The company we’ve hired uses a novel water blast technique to strip multiple layers of old and loose marcite. The surface is then prepped. New tiles are laid. Then, a finish coat is applied.
We have chosen Diamond Brite (instead of marcite) due to its enhanced durability and appearance. This material is composed of Portland cement and quartz aggregates.
More details about the project can be found here.
After completion, the pool will be refilled and operated for 30 days while the finish cures. During this period, proper chemical balance will be critical. Thankfully, heat is unnecessary (as the natural gas consumption could prove quite costly to counter brisk nights in October). The pool and facilities will be winterized around Halloween.
Other bits of information related to the project:
- Reputable pool contractors now only support significantly stripping existing marcite layers before applying new material. In the past, new marcite was often applied over existing layers. While less expensive, this also results in a far less durable finish. Since the pool will be stripped, all tiles (i.e., lane and stair markers) will be removed and replaced.
- As of February, we’re still evaluating the replacement of the underwater lights with LED fixtures and performing some valve replacement work in the pump house that can only be done with an empty pool.
- If possible, we will attempt to fix the slight slope to the stairs. This will be evaluated once the existing marcite surface is stripped.
- Our pool is approximately 203,500 gallons (per the original drawings). As you can imagine, this comes with a substantial water bill (we do not entirely empty the pool during the off-season).
