Hey all, replastering and redoing my waterline tile and the feature tiling above that (whatever that is called).

First - my pool.



Second, the samples we are considering. We like the stone tile as the feature - going around the spa and the taller waterfall area in the back. Blue glass tile for the waterline. New "plaster" will be a light blue-ish quartz I think to give it a more blue look. Deck will be refinished, same stamped finish but will probably alter the color to something more light/neutral (looks kind of peachy now).



Trying to decide whether to go all 1X2 or do the mix variation on the waterline. I prefer it on it's own, but was wondering if doing 1X2 along with the stone would look odd? I asked about larger stone, and the installer guy says it would be more difficult given the pool's curves. Maybe we could do a larger stone on the waterfall (curves some but not a lot) and 1X2 around the spa? Or would that be strange?

Also, any thoughts to glass tile maintenance in SE Texas pools? Hard water and my pool is a complete disaster 2 months a year when oak trees lose leaves and pollen. Just goes swamp green and nothing we can do to fix it...chlorine, algaecide, cleaning/replacing the filters multiple times. Its just too much with the live oak canopy covering 90% of the pool. We literally empty the skimmers and vacuum 3-5x a day, clean the top constantly and its still not enough. Just wondering if glass tile and all that grout will take abuse that can't be fixed or PITA to clean. Or if glass tile in general will crack or fall off all the time.

Appreciate any opinions and advice!

My concern would be the rough texture of the stone tile. Hard to clean.

Keep a close eye on your PH and calcium hardness in the future. It can leach the calcium from your plaster and grout which makes the scaling worse.

Yeah, was thinking that too - but think the stone should stay above the water line. It won't be circling the whole pool, just the higher feature sections.

OK. I thought you said it was a waterfall.

Yeah, good point - I guess in my head was thinking the waterfall where it flowed would glass tiled but probably need to clarify with installer or think about that more.

I'm looking to do the same thing in the near future. Do you mind sharing the quote for that scope of work? Plaster, tile, decking.

When I redo mine I'm going to go with a larger tile to have fewer grout lines as that's where I found the most issues in the appearance going bad as it ages.

Awaiting a final quote after I give him my selections - but its looking like 15-18k range. Which is like half of some of the other quotes I received. He has good reviews, we'll see how it goes!

That sounds very reasonable. I like your selections. I prefer the 1x2 over the mixed, but both look solid. I'm in SETX too with a very similar setup and hundreds of trees on my property. Your experience sounds identical to mine with the leaf fall.

Keep us updated on how it turns out.

I'd do 1x2, the other one looks too busy.

A smooth glass like that should be easy to clean just like porcelain. I'd recommend using epoxy grout with glass instead of letting them use regular grey mortar. Typically holds better.

Hey all, what are your thoughts regarding removing all the old plaster in the process? Guess it's not standard but seems weird to me. But quick Google it doesn't seem bad unless there are real structural issues going on. My plaster is probably 20yo. But there aren't any noticeable cracks and the pool has never leaked. Significant rust stain in a spot but it's smooth to the touch.

Contractor seems indifferent to my decision but it's another $1450. Which still keeps the overall price reasonable to me. He really can't assess it as the pool is currently swamp green and you can't even see two inches deep.

I'd remove the old plaster. Cheap insurance to make sure shell is ok and can fix the rust area if needed. I think it's the proper way to replaster anyways.

I wouldn't go with glass tile again for waterline especially in an area with hard and/or frequently imbalanced water. If you really want it, go with even bigger pieces such as 2x3, etc. Other poster nailed it with grout lives e being your enemy. The less you have the better it will look.