A Substitute for Pool Plaster

Pool Plaster Substitutes

• Two major substitutes are used for a concrete pool's plaster topcoat: vinyl liner or special pool paints. Vinyl liners used as substitutes for a concrete pool's plaster topcoat typically have to be custom-made. Swimming pool vinyl liners can be made to account for pool steps and for any depth needed. An in-ground swimming pool custom-made vinyl liner still often costs less than an extensive pool replastering job. Pool paint substitutes for plaster topcoats are priced by the gallon.

Vinyl Liner Substitutes

• To use a vinyl liner over a concrete pool's old plaster topcoat, some special engineering is required. Swimming pool vinyl liners "hang" by means of a covered track running along the top edge of a pool. Before installing a vinyl liner as a substitute finish for a concrete pool's plaster topcoat, you'll need to build a special vinyl liner track around the pool's edge. Custom-made pool vinyl liner and track kits are available for use as pool plaster substitutes.

Pool Paint Substitutes

• A concrete pool's plaster topcoat can also be covered over by two different types of specially formulated paints. Both epoxy based as well as chlorinated rubber pool paints will act as effective substitutes for a pool's plaster finish. Some epoxy-based pool paints last up to 15 years. Chlorinated rubber pool paints last from two to three years. Pool paint finishes are appropriate when the time comes to refinish a concrete pool's plaster topcoat, not as a concrete pool's initial waterproof topcoat.

Considerations

• The 2011 price for a gallon of epoxy-based pool paint finish is about $200. A gallon of pool paint finish covers from 100 to 150 square feet. Figure your swimming pool's total square footage to get an idea of how much pool paint finish to use as a pool plaster substitute. All custom-made swimming pool vinyl liners and tracks are also priced by individual size. For comparison, the 2011 minimum price for professional pool replastering runs from $2,500 to $4,000.