I am not a fan of Beadcrete. It's made of glass and that has two marks on it already. Glass and pools, IMHO, are not two things that go well together. We have freezing temps which leads to ice expansion. Glass loses. Glass that pops off in the Summer is very hard to see. If the bead breaks, we now have a potential sharp edge or two in the pool.

Scott

Have you seen pools in colder climates have problems with beadcrete?

When we remodeled our pool, we were considering pebble tec and pebble sheen, but were worried about how it would feel on our feet. We decided to use pebble fina (grigio) and love it! Its supposed to last a long, long time (20-25 years?). It is very smooth. Its like a colored plaster but much denser and it has these gorgeous tiny flecks of seashell (abalone?) in the mix that sparkle in the sunshine.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pebble fina info

I will openly and honestly say I have not seen any issues with Beadcrete, I don't want to be the one that suggests it though. I can foresee the potential for risks and don't want to hear about one of my customers having an issue. I have a thing about glass and pools, as I said earlier. I won't suggest glass tile either.

Scott

Thanks for the advice.

Poolguynj, you steered me away from the beadcrete, as did another installer in the area.

terriolsen, my problem with pebblefina is that it's really just a harder plaster. I want an exposed aggregate for the longest lasting finish possible.

I think we've settled on pebblesheen, hopefully it's smooth.

Jayp21, did you go with Pebble Sheen, how do you like it now?

If you are looking for a smooth finish check out Eco Finish. A true plaster alternative. It doesn't stain or get rough like plaster and last 2 x as long. Not many people have heard of it, but I will bet in 5 years it will be a household name.