Pool Finish

Maintenance

• Keep chemicals in balance at all times. Unbalanced pool chemistry may result in "spot etching" of the marcite finish.
• Avoid acid washing wherever possible. Covering the pool off-season greatly reduces the need to acid wash.

Replacement

Plan

As of the 2020/2021 seasons, the plan is to complete marcite replacement in the fall of 2022. Work is planned to commence as quickly as possible following the pool closure to members (perhaps the Tuesday after Labor Day). The pool will need to be chemical treated and heated for 30 days following job completion to allow the marcite to fully and properly cure.

Quotes

Preliminary quotes for the job were obtained in late season 2020 for budgetary purposes. Due to the potentially sensitive nature of the pricing, the details are not included here. B&G has full records on file. Pricing was adjusted/estimated as best as possible to include expected increases for 2022.

Quotes should contain the following line items:

• A marcite only and/or marcite plus quartz finish (improved durability over marcite only), where applicable. A pebble finish is not currently being considered.
  • Finish to 3/8" to 1/2" thickness (some variation due to imperfect gunite finish expected).
• Chip and/or waster blast strip preparation. The former is more common. Some companies will do a full strip (down to gunite), while others recommend stripping at least two layers (the more the better, in general).
• Tile replacement (cobalt blue or equivalent). Features include:
  • 180 ft for step edge markers
  • 6 x 75 ft of lanes and targets
  • A break marker (depth indicator)
• Caulking

Depending on the quote, some of the line items above might be included in base pricing.

Additional requirements:

• A warranty period of at least one year. Two years appears to be standard for a marcite plus quartz finish.
• Local references

Ideally, the contractor should NOT utilize a sub-contractor. This will add cost. The job is estimated to take 2-3 weeks to complete in total.

Preparation

The current best practice is to strip as many layers of marcite as possible.

The stairs should be stripped, too. This may result in some corners of the gunite breaking off. The stairs may need to be re-built as a result. This may be desirable, as the stairs are presently slightly sloped downwards

Engineering Support

It has been suggested that an engineering firm is not required for this project. The biggest concern for any contractor is dealing with the hydrostatic pressure.

Curing Process

• Fill the pool to the proper level as quickly as possible to minimize shrinkage.
• A metal sequestering agent may need to be added to the pool - verify with the contractor.
• Chemicals must be balanced as quickly as possible to protect the new finish.
  • Adjust alkalinity and pH (pH may be kept slightly on the acidic side, though within the 7.2 to 7.6 range)
  • The chlorine level should be brought up slowly.
  • Water balance will be more difficult than usual due to the very high calcium level in the marcite product.
• Use a nylon brush on the walls and floor at least once per day for the first two weeks, then 3-4 times per week in the last two weeks.
• Regular backwashing will be necessary, as pressure will build more quickly due to the marcite dust in the water.