Pool remodeling and replastering

A remodel is often a five- or six-figure job on a pool that already has problems. The interior finish, the tile line, the coping and the equipment usually go at once, and sometimes the shell itself needs repair. These are the points Randy Beard checks when a remodel goes wrong.

See licensed pool plastering and remodel contractors by county.

Replastering: preparation decides the outcome

• New plaster over old plaster is where most bond failures happen. Ask how the old surface will be prepared: chipped out to the shell, hydroblasted, or acid-washed and bond-coated, and why that method fits your pool.
• Debonding, delamination and spalling are different failures with different causes. Get the finish named by product in the bid, and keep the paperwork. Randy explains the difference in pool plaster delamination and surface defects.
• Start-up. The first weeks of brushing and water chemistry decide whether new plaster spots, streaks or discolors. Who does it, for how long, and is it in the price?
• Warranty. What the plaster warranty covers, and what it excludes as "water chemistry."

Cracks and structural repairs: the wheelbarrow problem

When a shell is cracked or a wall is moving, the usual fix is to jackhammer out the damaged section, drill in some new steel and hand-pack concrete mixed in a wheelbarrow. Those patches often crack again within a year or two. Structural repair of a concrete pool shell has its own standards, and a repair to a load-carrying wall may need engineering, a permit and inspection. Watch The Wheelbarrow Problem: why concrete pool repairs fail.

• Ask what caused the crack before you pay to cover it. Plaster over a moving crack will crack again.
• Get the repair method in writing: who designed it, whether it needs a permit, and who inspects it.

Tile, coping and decks

• Removing coping can damage the bond beam. Ask how it comes off and what happens if the beam is damaged.
• Name the tile, coping and deck materials, and the square footage of deck included.

Equipment and electrical

• A remodel is when equipment gets replaced. Get model numbers: see which pool equipment should I get.
• New lights and equipment must be bonded and grounded to the current electrical code, which may mean work the old pool never had.

Permits and safety

A remodel can need a building permit. In California, a permit to build or remodel a pool or spa at a single-family home requires at least two of the seven drowning-prevention safety features. Ask who pulls the permit and which features are in the bid.

Licensing

Replastering and remodeling a pool is pool work. The contractor who contracts with you for it should hold the C-53 Swimming Pool license. Every contractor in this directory does, checked against CSLB records.

By Randy Beard, licensed California pool contractor (CSLB #871188, C-53 Swimming Pool and C-27 Landscaping). Updated November 9, 2026. Practical guidance, not legal advice.