Why in the world would u get pepple tec.....

[Max]

I went to a pool yesterday that had a dimond brite finish and a pepple tec finish in the spa... The dimond brite finish was so smooth to walk on when i step on the pepple tec it felt rough why would anyone want to walk on tiny pepples vs a smooth finish? Also the water in the dimond brite pool was a nice light blue and in the pepple tec spa it was like a clear water on color in it.. I'm gettin a new pool and alot of people are pushing pepple tec mainly becuase it look nice but dimond brite feel better please help me understand the logic.... thank you.

[geeman]

pebble tec is not nice to walk on. it must be for people who like to look at their pool but rarely get in it.

[Buggsw]

Marketing ploy, personal taste and preference for aesthetics? They tell you it lasts longer than plaster - but the jury is still out on that. I've seen people have problems with the pebble finishes, too. Usually a finish will last if you properly care for your pool. I have a 26 year old plaster pool, that has the original plaster. Even with, I'm sure poor care over the years, it has held up. I've only owned it for about 7 years, but I can tell you the prior owners didn't take care of it. Yep, it's stained permanently even though I've acid washed it, it still has some light stains. I'm considering having it replastered this winter, though.

I'm like you, I prefer smooth plaster like the Diamond Brite. If you stay in the pool long enough, even a smooth finish hurts your softened toes. I cannot imagine what it must be like in a pebble pool. My kids tell me that they don't like the pebble finishes at their friends homes, precisely for this reason.

Here's my other objection to pebble surfaces - little valleys that dirt and algae can gather and hide. If you keep an immaculate pool, no problem - however, so many people don't keep on top of their pool all the time. Probably more that don't than do, I'm guessing.

[kim]

we just put in a new pool and definently selected the diamond brite over pebble tec because of the smoother surface. our diamond brite doesn't hurt our feet or the feet of our young children and we've been in it daily for the last 3 weeks. however, one problem that we've noticed with the beautiful midnight blue color is that there are huge white streaks in the color...places where the pebble is mostly white in huge contrast to the blue and you can definently see the sweep marks in it. there is nothing "natural" looking to it. anyone else have this problem?

[tug]

There are several reasons to go with pebble tec.
1) it is available in very dark colors to give a dark blue lagoon look, Diamond bright and marcite require dying which often results in any imperfections in the plaster showing and they can fade after time.
2)Pebble finishes use less chemicals.
3) It lasts longer before needing to be redone. I have owned both, Our 1st pool was done 18 years ago in Pebbletec and still looks great.

Reasons to avoid
1) It is rougher than Diamond brite which is rougher than plan marcite.
2) It is more expensive.

[forrest gump]

A fool and his money are soon parted. 3m color quartz finishes are garbage. The quartz in the mix is impervious to to anything the worst service tech or home owner can throw at it. However, since it's mixed with crushed marble it's nothing but glorified plaster. To make matters worse the start ups are generally much more aggressive than a conventional startup which exposes the soft and porous crushed marble. Pebble tec is rough and if you use the pool on a regular basis or have kids you had better invest in some reef walkers or an over abundance of bandages. For looks and durability the only thing that beats pebble tec is pebble sheen. Pebble Tec uses a larger aggregate than pebble sheen and the tec is not polished where as the sheen is. Diamond Bright is superior to color quartz because I don't believe they use crushed marble as a filler. It's smooth and much more durable than plaster but if you're getting a colored finished the dyes are susceptible to the pools chemistry. As the dyes breaks down the quartz stands out and your pool will have a speckled appearance. A pools finish is only as good as its service tech and home owner. Even Jesus couldn't keep a pool etch, scale or stain free by servicing a pool once a week. Some participation by the home owner is essential to a long lasting beautiful pool surface.

[Guest]

I had my marcite pool refinished this year with Stonescapes which I suppose may be the same as PebbleTech.
We did have some intial concerns over the roughness, but the finish came in either small pebble or large pebble.
We went with the small pebble and used the pool all summer without any problems for anyone's feet. We had plenty of family and friends over without a single complaint. We also have two little girls age 6 and 7, and they never complained even after being in the pool two hours at a stretch, day after day. Sure, there may come a day when someone with more tender feet than my little girls' complains, but I suppose they can go elsewhere to swim if that happens.
So, maybe I'm fortunate with job, or maybe there's a difference between Stonscapes and PebbleTec, but thus far I'm satisfied with mine.

[BlindSite]

Diamondbright is pretty similar to quartzon, which means you need to use a chemical to prevent calcium building up on the surface and need to watch your calcium levels.

Pool builders will never tell you this.

With Pebble you need to make sure your hardness is above 150ppm but below about 600ppm so there's a lot of room to move.

Pebble is also really easy to work with for rennovations.

[Mkhinkle]

In response to the 3m Quartz comment.. I have had 3m Quartz for going on 7 years now, it is as beautiful as the day it was put in, no problems whatsoever, not a stain one and the color is stunning.

[FL Gal]

We have had pebble tec for 16 yrs now and it still looks great which is saying a lot considering we have very high iron in our well water. It doesn't seem all that rough to me, never scrapped my feet on arms on it. It actually has a more natural feel to it and seems more durable that other finishes. In my previous house the pool was gunite and started chipping and flaking within 8 yrs. We got the aqua blue plaster with white and tan pebbles. It may have stained some but not really noticeable since the pebbles don't seem to absorb stains. The blue is just not as bright as it use to be. My brother got a pool at the same time and he is also on well water. His diamond brite pool started showing stains within only a few yrs.

[aragon pool plaster]

Pebble finish looks nicer and last alot longer because of its strength. It was invented for that same reason . there's places on this planet where regular plaster cracks because the land movement is much greater thats why it was invented to be strong and smoothness comes by a good finish i recommended mini pebble its alot smoother then regular pebble. But of course diamond brite is a much better product its just alot more expensive. Look in too a product called hydrazzo or quartz scapes both very smooth and nice looking

[czechmate]

[quote="aragon pool plaster"] But of course diamond brite is a much better product its just alot more expensive.
I have installed DiamondBrite 4 seasons ago. I am still very grateful for the extended research I did before pulling the trigger. BTW, shifting ground will not have as much effect on cracking of the surface if pool is designed properly. It may settle due to uneven moisture disposition around the perimeter, but should not crack if there is sufficient re-bar structure and proper gunite mix in proper thickness. It will crack though, if freeform presents abnormal weight difference in deep and shalow end in a L shaped pool. It should be expected and avoided in unstable soils.