Advice please. Pics of Tropics Blue Stonescapes pools much appreciated.

I'll break the news to you now.
You'll get no support whatsoever from either your plaster applicator or his supplier of the product. You'll have better luck working the finish in the manner I described to you or having your startup man/service handle it for you.

Note to all readers,
I'm not here to pitch PebbleTec products but I'll tell you for fact that this is the simple truth of pebble finishes.

"A pebble placed in cement is just that, a pebble placed in cement."

What your paying for when you purchase a PebbleTec finish is the applicators expertise and for the manufacturer to stand behind the product and the applicator too. This is why they're so selective in whom they choose to be licensed applicators. If you called them with a complaint like this they'd respond to your request immediately and do everything in their power to resolve your complaint.

Try the wet acid wash and lots of brushing, it'll do wonders for your less than desirable finish.

See ya,
Kelly

I have stonescapes and am very happy with the finish. From what I have experienced, and read, on this forum is that no finish is perfect. Our finish has "darker" and "lighter" areas, but nothing as severe as what you are describing. Here are a couple of pictures of our Midnight Blue Stonescapes for your comparison. If you search for "Jeff and Sharon's" pool, I think you will find some more pictures of a stonescape pool. Sorry about our pictures, they aren't perfect for comparison, but I hope they can give you an idea of what a darker finish looks like.





















I truly hope you are able to find some sort of recourse and solution to your problem!

Regards,

Mike

I am so sorry & I hope they are able to fix it. You paid enough it shoud be right!

From what I've read, no pebble finish is perfect. I've read posts from people with pebble Tec whose finishes were splotchy. It's all about the person doing the application. We went and looked at pools our plaster company had done. We were also told that the darker the pebble finish, the more likely it is to get some uneven areas.

When we first added water and noticed splotchiness we called our pool company, our builder came out right away, looked at the finish and said brushing should do the trick, but if we weren't satisfied with that they would have done a no-drain acid wash. Lucky for us the brushing did the trick.

Hopefully some good brushing and maybe an acid wash will work for you. Maybe you could e-mail some pics to your builder and ask them about doing an acid wash.

Don't feel bad for not choosing Pebble Tec.

Our pool builder uses the same crew to do all their pebble work. They said they have had better results and less warranty issues doing this versus when they used Pebble Tek.

It would be great if you had a picture to share. I think the color of Dogpaddles Tropics Blue looks great. When was your pebble finished and how long has your pool had water in it?

What I learned:
(1) I'm scared of pebble finishes given my experience.
(2) I was told I couldn't go with vibrant colored plaster because of mottling in color w/chemicals over time. I have it with Day 1.
(3) Shop your contractor's work thoroughly. Wear polarized sunglasses. Harsh sun hides lots of mistakes. Turn off the waterfalls if possible and check contractor's finish work early morning or later afternoon. (before glare)
(4) See the color you think you like at different times of day. May not be attractive color many times of day.
(5) It must be easier to hide finish mistakes in a lighter pebble. I would check dark pebble anyway for contractor rating purposes.
(6) Really watch the color of the stone they're attempting to put in your pool. Just because the bag is marked with a name - what color specification is the supplier actually held to/committing to?

My thought on pebble versus plaster was that I was scared of plaster. I thought we'd have lots of problems if we didn't brush it enough or just right. Also, I was very concerned about what they say is natural mottling with 3M quartz and plaster.

I hope you get your concerns with your stonescapes finish resolved. Does your contractor or the plaster company have other customers with that same pool color that you could see for comparison? Perhaps that would help you validate your pool builders assessment of the situation. If you think you have a true issue with the quality of the workmanship you may need to seek help from the registar of contractors or a similar agency.

..Doyle

Can you send me a picture of your Tropics Blue Mini Pebble? How deep is your pool. I am considering putting in a shallow play pool.

Steps are typically the 1st place any wear will show. This is especially true for the leading edge.

Testing your water with a quality test kit on a regular basis is strongly encouraged. Dip strips are notorious for subjective, often inaccurate results and should not be the sole indicator anyone uses. They can give indications that additional tests should be performed only.

Scott

I have the tropics blue and it looks just like the pictures dogpaddle posted. It is a beautiful blue color and not dark at all.

Have you given your startup chemicals time? On initial fill the water will look darker and greener. Should clear in a few days.

We also were the victim of a shoddy stonescapes job - there were dark splotches all over that did not go away after 2 weeks of brushing. Had to do a drain and acid wash to fix. Also have a less than perfect trowel job which frustrates me but nothing can be done about it and PB considers it normal.