Costs & Benefits of Pool Resurfacing

How much does it cost to resurface a concrete pool? That’s what we’re going to talk about today.

The average cost to resurface a concrete pool, which is required about every 10 to 15 years is somewhere between $10,000 and $20,000.

Now, there’s a couple different factors that are going to affect the ultimate cost and that’s what we’re going to cover here.

Right out of the gate, the condition of the pool surface itself is going to play a big factor.

How deteriorated is that finish in your pool and how much work is going to be needed to prepare the surface to accept the new finish? So, basically what we’re down to is how bad is it and how much time is it going to take to prepare it for the next surface? The more time it takes to prep, the more expensive the project will be.

Where you live in the country is also going to play a large factor in how much it’s going to cost to resurface that pool. Typically, what we’re seeing in industry is that the further north you go, the more expensive the material and labors are. Compare that to down south where concrete pools are more prevalent, thus the industry is stronger for concrete pools and perhaps a bit cheaper to have work done on them.

The type of interior finish you select is also going to affect the cost. There are three different options when it comes to selecting the interior surface finish material. Plaster, aggregate, or tile.

Plaster is the cheapest, aggregate would be the second most expensive, and of course, tile would be the most expensive option.

Plaster finish on a concrete pool is what we’ve all seen. It’s simply a white finish that everyone is used to when they go to a concrete pool. An aggregate, is simply that, it’s going to have much more of a texture to it. It’s going to be finished off with a pebble or some other added material and give it a totally different look.

The last option and the most expensive would be tile. Now we’re talking ceramic or glass tile. But this is obviously the most expensive option to go with, because it takes a lot of time to lay it in smoothly without any sharp edges, and of course, apply all of the grout in between the tile.

So the type of material you choose to finish the surface of your pool with is significantly going to affect the price. The other thing that you need to consider, typically when the resurfacing of the pool is necessary, it’s also necessary to redo the perimeter tile, or the waterline tile around a concrete pool.

This is simply because when you’re removing the old finish, it’s very difficult to do that and maintain the existing waterline tile. Chances are it’s probably outdated in its look anyway, and time to be changed as well.

So, you have options here, there’s glass, there’s porcelain, ceramic, stone, there’s a number of options that you can choose from. Of course those materials all come with different price tags.

The amount of square footage space you’re having resurfaced on your pool could also affect the price, obviously. The more surface you’re having done, repaired, the most cost there is going to be.

So, what other options are there for you? You’re no doubt looking at the cost of ownership over a longer period of time. You’re either considering purchasing a concrete pool for the very first time, or you’re considering the cost to continue maintaining one over time.

Vinyl liner pools are a little bit cheaper in long term ownership than a concrete pool, because it’s cheaper to replace the liner. Then again, fiberglass pools on the other hand, are the cheapest of all to maintain over lifetime in terms of cost, because they don’t need any surface to be replaced, no surface needs to be replaced in the lifetime of the pool.