Can you DIY plaster a spa?

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bobafet1

Active member
May 14, 2020
29
Fontana, CA
Hello All,

I bought a new home with a pool/spa...After a few months of noticing the pool always filling I found out my spa had cracks in the pebble tech. So, I called around..got a bunch of flakey contractors saying they're too busy to replaster the spa. I had one guy give me a price, I agreed, but then he never followed through or returned my calls. I'm over it. How hard can this be? Has anyone done their own plaster? I'm not sure yet but I believe the shell is constructed of gunite. I was going to chisel away the existing pebble tech, get some new mix, and spread it all over the place. Easier said than done? IDK..any help/info is appreciated.
 
They probably want a larger job to cover the time and effort setting up for the job. Unfortunately it is truly an artful craft. We see botched jobs from the folks who do it for a living on the daily. I wouldn't dream of trying to do better myself.

the-book-of-boba-fett-its-not-worth-it.gif

Keep calling around and hopefully you find someone skilled who has a small window in their schedule that would fit your job perfectly.
 
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Soooo….

I’m not sure I follow the logic here - your pool keeps filling from the spa and you think the cracks in the plaster have something to do with it?? That’s not how it would work. A spa backfilling into the pool is a plumbing issue. Cracks in plaster are an aesthetic issue.

I wouldn’t go fooling around with the plaster until the plumbing issue is resolved.
 
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bobafet1 said:
and spread it all over the place.
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This comment INSTANTLY took me back to my childhood. Chicken Heart routine by BillCosby, from his wonderfulness album...

"ooooooh, got my jello and started spreading it all over the kitchen..."

Link to that exact spot in the album...

 
JoyfulNoise said:
Soooo….

I’m not sure I follow the logic here - your pool keeps filling from the spa and you think the cracks in the plaster have something to do with it?? That’s not how it would work. A spa backfilling into the pool is a plumbing issue. Cracks in plaster are an aesthetic issue.

I wouldn’t go fooling around with the plaster until the plumbing issue is resolved.
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The spa plaster has cracks so it drains back into the pool and below the decking. So, when the pump is off the spa fills the pool up over the auto-drain level thus losing water. Who knows how much is going into the decking from the cracks on the seating area. I have the spa shut off and empty right now.
 
Newdude said:
They probably want a larger job to cover the time and effort setting up for the job. Unfortunately it is truly an artful craft. We see botched jobs from the folks who do it for a living on the daily. I wouldn't dream of trying to do better myself.

View attachment 474299

Keep calling around and hopefully you find someone skilled who has a small window in their schedule that would fit your job perfectly.
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I agree. I tried and tried but nobody wanted to follow through. My neighbor is having their new pool done right now. I almost wanted to piggy back off their job and have the guys come right over after they're done plastering his to do my spa since the crew/machines will be there already.
 
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bobafet1 said:
The spa plaster has cracks so it drains back into the pool and below the decking. So, when the pump is off the spa fills the pool up over the auto-drain level thus losing water. Who knows how much is going into the decking from the cracks on the seating area. I have the spa shut off and empty right now.
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I still am not understanding this. Perhaps you can add pictures.

In order for a crack in the spa’s plaster to leak, the gunite shell would also need to be cracked. The gunite is not waterproof, that much is true. But it’s not a sieve either. In order to achieve the kind of water loss you are describing, it would have to be more than a crack in the plaster.

Are you saying the shell is somehow compromised too?? Sorry, it just doesn’t make sense in my head …
 
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bobafet1 said:
The spa plaster has cracks so it drains back into the pool and below the decking. So, when the pump is off the spa fills the pool up over the auto-drain level thus losing water. Who knows how much is going into the decking from the cracks on the seating area. I have the spa shut off and empty right now.
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The most common cause of a spa draining is a bad check value. Normally it keeps a raised spa from draining down into the pool, but they seem to wear out over time. Replacing that is a DIY job for certain.

If it truly is a crack in the spa that is more than just cosmetic and causing your spa to actually drain, I would be worried about an underlying structural issue. If that is the case, you need to have the gunite fixed first, before you plaster over it.

Post pics of the cracks and your equipment and we can point you in the right direction.
 
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bobafet1 said:
almost wanted to piggy back off their job and have the guys come right over after they're done plastering his to do my spa since the crew/machines will be there already.
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I've scored doing similar a couple of times.

But let's start over to ensure its even necessary with pics and more details. :)
 
Ok ok...here are pics... I bought the house and the seller claimed everything was awesome..until it wasn't. He always had the pool running when I came to view the property. But lets not get into what should have transpired to prevent the situation. Long story short, I hired a leak detection company and they checked everything out. The main spot where it leaks is the gap/crack by the return line in the spa. I also notice water coming through the gunnite and leaking onto the stone as evidenced by the calcium stains. Since the previous owner let the spa drain, and most likely hot weather, the plaster started to crack all over the place...this was our best take at what really happened. Considering I probably need an acid wash and the pool is 20 years old I'm wondering if its best to just do a plaster patch in the spa until I save the money to replaster the pool/spa at the same time. I'm just trying to get it ready so the spa doesn't keep sitting empty.

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Do not acid wash plaster. You will just make the surface more rough and porous and degrade the plaster even further.

If that tiny gap (is that a return or drain? Looks like a drain line because of the cover ring) is your leak then you can simply seal it up using pool putty 2 part epoxy. The cracks in the benches and rolled edges are very common in spas and they are superficial at best. You can drain the spa, dry it out and blow out the cracks with compressed air. If you want to tool them wider you can but be careful as you can start removing large chunks of plaster if there is a void behind it. You can use a light weight rubber mallet to tap the plaster shell to listen for hollow spots. Once the cracks are exposed, you can either use plaster patch or epoxy to seal them. Once they are all sealed, you can refill the spa and see if it holds water.

I would simply live with the ugliness of the plaster until you have saved up enough for a remodel. There’s no point in wasting money replastering the spa only to have an ugly plaster pool. Do it all at once along with whatever remodel you want to do to freshen up the design and then you’ll have plenty of contractors knocking on your door to bid the job. Right now, spa cracks are small potatoes and they can’t waste their time on your pool.
 
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JoyfulNoise said:
Do not acid wash plaster. You will just make the surface more rough and porous and degrade the plaster even further.

If that tiny gap (is that a return or drain? Looks like a drain line because of the cover ring) is your leak then you can simply seal it up using pool putty 2 part epoxy. The cracks in the benches and rolled edges are very common in spas and they are superficial at best. You can drain the spa, dry it out and blow out the cracks with compressed air. If you want to tool them wider you can but be careful as you can start removing large chunks of plaster if there is a void behind it. You can use a light weight rubber mallet to tap the plaster shell to listen for hollow spots. Once the cracks are exposed, you can either use plaster patch or epoxy to seal them. Once they are all sealed, you can refill the spa and see if it holds water.

I would simply live with the ugliness of the plaster until you have saved up enough for a remodel. There’s no point in wasting money replastering the spa only to have an ugly plaster pool. Do it all at once along with whatever remodel you want to do to freshen up the design and then you’ll have plenty of contractors knocking on your door to bid the job. Right now, spa cracks are small potatoes and they can’t waste their time on your pool.
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Yeah, I'm thinking of this route. Just called a contractor and they want 5k for the spa...doing pool/spa will run 12-15k, which I rather do since everything will be updated and most likely last a lot longer. Thanks for the tips. I had seen there are patch repair kits that I can buy for $100-$300 bucks, which will probably suffice for now.
 
Certainly some annoying plaster issues, and sorry the previous owner was a ding dong who let the spa drain and damage the plaster.

I'm still not convinced that you don't still have an issue with the check valve. When your spa drains down, is it at the same level as the pool water height? Even if there is a height difference in the drained spa water and normal pool water levels, a check valve is like $50 and may be worth a shot to see if that solves one of your problems.
 
JJ_Tex said:
Certainly some annoying plaster issues, and sorry the previous owner was a ding dong who let the spa drain and damage the plaster.

I'm still not convinced that you don't still have an issue with the check valve. When your spa drains down, is it at the same level as the pool water height? Even if there is a height difference in the drained spa water and normal pool water levels, a check valve is like $50 and may be worth a shot to see if that solves one of your problems.
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its not the check valve. already did all the tests and hired a company to diagnose it
 
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