Pool Resurfacing Questions, Answered
The questions we get asked most often in Carrollton. If yours is not here, call (469) 699-4013.
How do I know if my pool needs resurfacing or just cleaning?
Run your hand over the walls: smooth means the finish is fine, sandpaper-rough means it is etched and failing. Stains that acid washing cannot lift, bare or dark patches where the shell shows through, hollow drummy spots, and water loss beyond evaporation are the other signs. Rough texture alone means start planning; two or more signs means the waterproof layer is going and the shell is next.
Plaster, quartz or pebble — what is the real difference?
Lifespan and cost. Plaster is the classic smooth white finish: cheapest, and 8-12 years in North Texas water. Quartz blends crystal aggregate in: harder, more stain-resistant, 10-15 years. Pebble exposes stone across the whole surface: 15-20+ years, best color, highest price. Per year of life, pebble is usually the cheapest finish you can buy — one pebble job outlasts two plaster jobs.
How long does resurfacing take, and can I swim after?
Most jobs run five to ten working days: drain, chip-out or prep, any tile, coping and crack work, the new finish, and refill. You can swim once the pool is full and the startup chemistry is balanced — typically within days of refill. The finish then cures underwater for about a month with specific brushing and chemistry, which we walk you through; those 28 days decide how the finish looks at year ten.
Is it safe to drain my pool?
Done properly, yes — and resurfacing requires it. Draining is a professional step: done wrong in the wrong conditions, hydrostatic groundwater pressure can actually lift a shell. Crews check conditions, use relief valves, and never leave a pool empty longer than the job needs. It is one of the quiet reasons resurfacing is not a DIY project.
What does pool resurfacing cost in Carrollton?
For most residential pools: plaster $5,500-$8,500, quartz $7,000-$9,500, pebble $8,500-$12,500. Waterline tile, coping, crack repair and deck work are itemized on top, and packaging them with the resurface prices below doing them separately. Size, depth and surface condition set the exact number — which is why the on-site quote is free.
When is the best time of year to resurface?
Fall and winter, decisively. Finishes cure better in mild weather than summer heat, calendars are open instead of backed up to June, and your pool is ready the day swim season starts instead of losing its first month to construction. Everyone calls in April; the smart money calls in October.
My pool has cracks. Is that a resurfacing job or something worse?
Usually better news than it looks. Fine spider-web crazing is cosmetic and disappears with resurfacing. A crack you can catch a fingernail in, one running through tile, or one paired with water loss is structural — those get stapled and injected during the resurface, and the repair vanishes under the new finish. The inspection tells you which you have, for free, before you commit to anything.
Do you replace tile and coping too, or just the interior?
Both — and doing them together is the right call. The pool is already drained and the crew mobilized, so packaged tile-and-coping pricing runs well below separate jobs, and new tile bonds properly against fresh finish. Nothing dates a renovated pool like old teal tile over new pebble; nothing finishes one like the full package.