Why Shouldn't You Paint a Concrete Pool?

From www.swimmingpo... this video talks about a commonly known "rule" about concrete pools in that you should not paint them. This may come as a surprise to millions of pool owners who own a painted concrete pool but Steve talks about why paint is considered to be a lower quality product, with a shorter service life than other interior surface options for concrete swimming pools like plaster, pebble or tile.
#poolpaint #poolplaster #swimmingpoolsteve #concretepools

[@Steven-ow8re]

Thanks for the video Steve. My concrete pool was built in 1981, I have original pictures from when it was built. Really cool to see how they made the shape/form all out of wood. There was an insane amount of rock when they dug. I see in the original pic, that they painted it from the beginning and the original owner kept repainting time to time. Bought the house back in 2019 and painted it myself for the first time in 2021 but was very careful to follow the instructions. (The weather requirements are tricky, especially being in Montreal lol). I used INSLX Waterborne Semi-Gloss. It faded a little now but ain't too bad. Anyways just wanted to share!

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

Pool painting is most common in cold climate areas as the plaster surfaces do not weather the cold well. Also there are very few experienced concrete pool workers in the NE so things like plaster are even more expensive than normal.

[@purpleblueunicorn]

Also live near Montreal (Laval) and most people paint their concrete pools. The city just painted our nearby parc concrete pool. Paint lasts 3 years, costs 200$ for acrylic, takes 3h to paint. Just hate that I have to empty the water with it's chemicals and find a 7 day stretch without rain. Would love to plaster it myself, might try a section, but could not find white sand and white porter cement in my area. And with the winter ice CSI will kill the plaster.

[@Nateconleykayakfiahing]

@@SwimmingpoolsteveI have a concrete pool that is painted and it clearly needs to be redone (areas showing without pool paint). I’m getting that white chalky film on the walls and floor, you quickly mention that in this video. What is causing that film and can I do anything about it until I re-paint or re-finish the pool?

[@anthonymcinnis6588]

I built my pool myself and painted it with epoxy. Steve is awesome and without his help I would not have been successful. My paint seems after one year to be a great job. We will see if I can get 5 or 7 years out of it. I don't know what plaster feels like. I have felt peeble and I can assure you my epoxy paint feels a ton better. Also, my decision to paint was based on budget. We will see how long my paint lasts. Thanks Steve you are Incredible.

[@MuddRats]

98% of the pools in my area (southwestern ontario) are vinyl liner pools. We don't even have the equipment to do anything but vinyl inground builds. Liners run around 7 to 10 grand. They just don't look as nice as concrete. However a nice black liner does look sharp.

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

I am in this area and one of the extremely few in the area with the experience to build / renovate concrete pools. It's a nightmare here for concrete pool owners!

[@AHHGEORGE]

I just had a quote of $50,000 to replaster my pool and it is not any larger than a standard kidney shape (less than 33000 gal ) I can't afford to have that done. The paints I have tried so far, have not lasted more than 3 years before becoming chalky, and at ~2000.00 for paint and supplies not to mention the time it takes to prep the surface there has to be a better alternative. because I am about to turn it into large planter.

[@srantoniomatos]

I would diy my self for 3k...or get someone to do itbfor 6k...where do you live?

[@jjgalletta66]

Same here. $50K? F that. I’ll keep repainting until I win the lottery when I will be too rich to even care and will donate house to charity. 😂

[@rossfoulkes8856]

Hi Steve. Thanks for the vids. Any thoughts on water-based epoxy as a sealer applied over an old concrete pool before resurfacing? You typically seed the tacy surface with fine sand to resolve any adhesion issues with subsequent coatings.

[@paweprzewocki4137]

Do you have any videos or advice on adding a sealing agent to a concrete mixer in order to make the concrete more waterproof? Is that a thing in the US? Cuz I’m building a very small “pond” that’s under 2ft deep and I saw someone add a “sealing agent” in powder form to their mix…

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

You are likely looking for colloidal silicates

[@sybo10]

How about just a new thin coat of plaster like sider Crete? any experience with that? looks to be twice as expensive as painting though

[@automatonpilot5040]

About to use their product soon. I am stripping all the paint off from previous owners. Not sure what to expect. I’ll try to respond with results if I remember.

[@markspringssr8455]

​@@automatonpilot5040any updates

[@bestly510]

Thank you for the video Steve, I am wondering how can you tell if the swimming pool is concrete or fibre? My pool was painted by the previous owner and the paint got chalking so I have to repaint it, and now I am thinking is it concrete?

[@bafa000]

same here :(

[@scorellis]

for plaster that is in good condition, but has become very rough, what do you recommend I do? It seems like tearing out the old plaster and replacing it is both wasteful and expensive. The plaster is a sort of blend of quartz sand and plaster I think. Isn't there some plaster product that I can apply as a thin layer to smooth it over?

[@Paul-jp8zz]

I'm dealing with a hybrid pool built in 1972 that's got a concrete bottom and fiberglass walls.. Functionally it's great, good condition and no leaks, but it's ugly due to a crappy and degraded paint job. What would you suggest to resurface it?

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

That is a hybrid pool. Not common. Here is a video where I talk about about these unique pools: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sGfGeZaGeN2UmdE&ab_channel=SwimmingPoolSteve

[@AlexanderOno-nd8ss]

I have the same pool!! I’ve used a liner that worked pretty well. Time to replace and I’m considering something else.

[@Paul-jp8zz]

@@AlexanderOno-nd8ss you put a liner in a hybrid fiberglass/concrete pool??

[@rogernadal3999]

I’m in the process of building a concrete pool. Is there a DIY plaster you would suggest.

[@patricksquires77]

Can says “Lasts 7 years”. What they mean is- -The north facing wall it will look good for 8 months. -South facing wall it will look good for 3 weeks. -Look bad for entirety of remaining 7 years on some surfaces. -Completely flake in 20 random spots in 14 months.

[@dustinlittle3099]

Not if you have a high quality paint. Mines 3 years and still great.

[@patricksquires77]

@@dustinlittle3099 Paint a spot on south facing sunny rim and let me know.😀 All good… still not half way to 7 seasons. What color and what brand and what area are you at?

[@igorwsx8320]

I am from Spain, Tenerife. And I have an old swimming pool covered with mosaic tiles and I want to paint it with chlorinated rubber paint because there is a leak on one wall. It has already been repaired several times, but the leak appears again and again. What do you say?

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

@igorwsx8320 chlorinated rubber paint, nor any pool paint, will stop and active leak in a concrete pool. You need a more aggressive solution to find the leak origin or potentially waterproof the entire structure. Not with paint...

[@igorwsx8320]

@@Swimmingpoolsteve Thanks for the quick reply. But I don't understand why? A layer of this paint holds water 100 percent. If a similar product is used to paint roofs, why isn't it suitable for a swimming pool?

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

@igorwsx8320 pool paint is not a waterproofing barrier. It is a cosmetic finish. Concrete is porous and should have a waterproofing system like Hydroban by Laricrete or Basecrete as some examples.

[@igorwsx8320]

@@Swimmingpoolsteve gracias, amigo.

[@UBGood]

👍 Pool Ownership is not for the cheap 😆 Well trained and educated pool professionals are hard to find 😢

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

Can't argue with that!

[@J_Strong]

What about polyurea?

[@SimpleKowalski]

Steve in Your opinion if you would build new pool , which type of pool you’d choose or which one is the best.

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

Concrete pools are the best pools in the world

[@intrpolfan1]

So if the pool has been plastered but it is now old. Can it be painted?

[@Rich2037]

Yes.

[@tonieplacide-oy4xx]

Man not everybody has enough money to spend in a pool. I will paint my concrete pool anyday

[@dustinlittle3099]

Yup I did. Used epoxy from supreme pool paints. I love it. Been 3 years and just fine

[@starahercegovina369]

@@dustinlittle3099, Hello,which product,name of this?

[@jjgalletta66]

We just painted our concrete/plaster pool. White. 1974 build. Never refinished. Looked like crap. Leaked. Filled the cracks. Sealed the bottom with epoxy. Sides with acrylic. Looks amazing and (best part) doesn’t leak. 👍

[@aboudezoa]

@@jjgalletta66I’m in the same situation! What specific product did you use ?

[@jjgalletta66]

@@aboudezoa - Dyco acrylic for the sides. Flex Seal for the bottom and steps. I know, I know…Flex Seal?!?! I made some repairs to the same pool a few years ago using Flex on a small patch job. It was the ONLY thing that didn’t show any signs of wear. So, I said, F-it, let’s see how it works on the bottom. It’s awesome! It filled the holes and cracks like a champ. If I had it to do over again, I would use Olympic acrylic for the sides as it’s better than Dyco. But, I was under a strict budget and short timeline, so I had to go with what I could source from local Lowe’s. Good luck!

[@patricka.crawley6572]

Repaint my small concrete pool...$60.

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

Which concrete pool paint cost $60 for enough to paint the pool? Normally it would be $1000 or more for the paint.

[@patricka.crawley6572]

@@Swimmingpoolsteve Philippines.

[@seephor]

@@Swimmingpoolsteve $1000 for paint alone? no way. I purchase the epoxy paint from my local Lesie pool supply for $120 a gallon. My pool takes two gallons of paint to cover. I applied primer the very first time but after that I just sand the surface and reapply the epoxy paint. The cost is about $300 for the material excluding my time and water of course. A plaster job in my area is around $4000 and a pebble is around $7000. I've been painting every 3 years and so far so good. If I were to hire someone to do it, I'd rather pay for a more permanent solution but if I'm doing it myself, it's worth my time and the cost.

[@JoesCaribbeanVanLife]

​price are similar in Puerto Rico @seephor

[@ralphrodriguez1977]

Mines need to be redone but i aint paying 8,000