Can you paint the concrete shell instead of replastering your pool?

Answer 1

I figured I wouldn't have the money to replaster a pool until a few years down the line when my kid is out of college - so I thought I would do small repairs and paint my pool myself (I'm a single mom)because it needed some attention immediately. Well, it was a challenging job!!! - but it is possible. You need patience and expect a lot of prep work. I rented a pump to drain water ($40) from a pool store. Then washed the surface down. Then filled all the small cracks and holes with pool plaster/concrete mix stuff you also get at the pool store. Then you have to brush over that with acid to etch it. Then wash it all down again. Then you had to find the paint - not easy. There are 3 types but mine was epoxy which meant it had to be mixed and has a short shelf life. You paint it and then have to wait a minimum of 7 days to let it dry. I live in Hawaii so it rained very lightly but then I had to add more waiting time. So in all it took a few weeks but I saved several thousand dollars. I realize this is a temporary measure only and would still love to get my pool tiled in a few years but I can be smug to know I did this all by myself. And it looks like new!!!

Answer 2

Sure you can. Choose a good epoxy pool paint with a primer. Make sure the dry film thickness will be more than 14 mils (350 Microns) or it could fail.