How long does pool resurfacing take in Phoenix?

The timeline, step by step

1. HOA approval. If your neighborhood has an HOA, get its sign-off before any work starts. How long that takes depends on your association.
2. Draining: 1 to 2 days (Shasta). In Phoenix, drained water goes to your sewer cleanout at no more than about 12 gallons a minute, so a 15,000-gallon pool takes about 21 hours to empty.
3. Prep and removal of the old surface: Shasta gives 2 to 3 days for demolition and preparation. Pebble Tec describes this step as stripping the existing surface to make a smooth base for the new finish.
4. Applying the new finish. Plaster, quartz or pebble goes on, pebble finishes are washed to expose the stones, and the finish is left to set. Pebble Tec says how long it sits depends on the finish you chose.
5. Curing and acid wash. Shasta says the final surface takes a few days to a week to cure. For pebble finishes, Pebble Tec says an acid wash removes the remaining film before the pool is filled.
6. Refill. The National Plasterers Council (NPC) says to fill without stopping, as quickly as practical, and to keep people and pets out of the pool while it fills.
7. Start-up. The first 28 days of brushing and water balancing. Swimming usually waits about a week of this.

HOA approval for pool work in Arizona

Bigger jobs take longer

Shasta puts a simple resurface at about 1 to 2 weeks before start-up, and a full remodel with new tile, coping or equipment at about 4 to 8 weeks.

What a full pool remodel costs

After the refill: the 28-day start-up

The NPC publishes a start-up procedure for new plaster finishes. It is advisory, and your contractor may use their own, so ask which one they follow. The NPC's version includes:

1. Run the filter nonstop for at least 72 hours..
2. Brush the whole surface at least twice a day, and keep up the daily testing and brushing through the first 14 days..
3. No chlorine for the first 48 hours. On day 3, bring chlorine to 1.5 to 3 ppm.
4. No heater until all plaster dust is gone, which the NPC says is typically between day 4 and day 10..
5. No salt for 28 days. The NPC says waiting up to 6 weeks to add salt may help.
6. No wheeled devices, robotic cleaners included, until after the 28-day start-up..
7. No shock for the first 30 days..
8. On day 7, vacuum out any plaster dust that's left with a brush vacuum..

More on replastering and start-up

When can you swim again?

The NPC says not to swim until the water is balanced and sanitized, and it doesn't give a day. Orenda says to wait at least seven days after filling, assuming its start-up method, because new plaster is still hardening and feet can leave lasting marks. Orenda also advises no heater until at least day five, and no wheeled, tracked or robotic cleaners for the first 30 days. If your start-up runs differently, it can take longer, so ask your contractor for the go-ahead before the first swim.

What can slow the job down

1. Weather. Shasta tells Arizona homeowners to be ready for delays during the summer monsoon, and summer heat changes how crews plaster.
2. Permits on larger remodels. Shasta says permits usually take 1 to 2 weeks and can hold up the whole project, so apply early.
3. Tile, coping and repairs found once the pool is empty add days..
4. Busy season. Shasta says off-season work can move faster because contractors have more availability.
5. HOA approval, if your association requires it..

Best time of year to resurface

How to plan it

1. Want to swim by spring? Start the conversation in fall or early winter..
2. Get the schedule in writing: drain date, application day, refill day and who handles start-up..
3. Ask whether the start-up brushing and chemistry for the first weeks are included in the price, or yours to do..
4. City of Phoenix water customers: the city sets your sewer charge from January to March water use, so refilling outside those months avoids raising it..

How to choose a contractor

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