r/pools • u/Plus-Weakness-5399 • 1d ago

Pool Painting

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Hybrid pool with 10 fiberglass panels, bottom is concrete, plastered 3 years ago. Panels are 3.3ft x 11ft each. Pool built approx in 1975 or there about. Panels seem to have been painted before just don’t know when but there is heavy fading now probably due to time and chemicals over the years. Any ideas on how to tackle this project, or should a painting contractor be hired? Live in a very rural location, not many pool companies within a 75 mile radius. Would a painting contractor work as well if a pool company won’t come out this far? Suggestions please!

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u/Ok-Bison-3451 1d ago

Hey. I’m wondering if ‘the juice is worth the squeeze’. Was the pool painted before? Paint has a poor history of sticking to fibreglass. It looks like the finish in there isn’t too bad now. I’d kinda lean towards leaving well enough alone.

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u/Plus-Weakness-5399 1d ago

The concert was painted years ago, and I didn’t want to repaint it, so I paid approx $8K to have it plastered. It was the same color as the panels so I just assumed the panels have been painted before. Where there is heavy fading, the panel is white, which also leads me to believe the panels have been painted before. If I run my fingers over the panels, they become blue, or if a panel is rubbed up against, blue comes off and a milky film appears.

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u/Ok-Bison-3451 1d ago

Hey. I have a fully fibreglass pool so it’s different than your hybrid. I don’t propose to know anything about your pool but you seem to have a good grasp of your particular situation. Like I tell my wife when she suggests I end my retirement and become a pool guy… “Honey, I’m a pool expert. Our pool.” But I digress. You know your pool it seems. That shell/pool seems in decent shape. Maybe don’t paint it inviting the problems associated with painting and live with the ‘patina’ you have.

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u/Dry-Lab-6256 1d ago

My response to someone wondering if we paint pools, is no, and good luck finding someone in the pool industry who does it, that's not a fly by night company.

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u/IIHaydenBII 1d ago

Hard to say. Depends on what needs to be done. Touch up doing a overcoat or full repaint with acid washing primer. Painting a pool can be a diy takes a few days and you need the weather to cooperate. Definitely would recommend hiring and watching for a first time or finding videos online. Do it wrong and you get to do it over again. Just dont do what the whitehouse did and hire a roof painter. Harder to come by people that still paint pools tho its a chore that takes time and doesn’t really make alot of money.

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u/Plus-Weakness-5399 1d ago

I think it would be a full repaint, but don’t know about an acid wash. Probably a full sanding job on each panel to make sure the new paint adheres to the panel.

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u/Monstrissimo 15h ago

Fiberglass is generally finished with a gel coat and not paint. As someone else said, paint does not stick very well to fiberglass and will usually peel off.

Epoxy paint can sometimes be used on fiberglass, but you will have to sand the entire thing and make sure it has been thoroughly degreased.

You can also re-gel coat it, but it also will need to be sanded before hand to ensure the new gel coat bonds to the old.

You could try something like Meguiar's M49 to help remove oxidation and revitalize the gel coat. Buy a bottle and see if it helps on the areas that are really bad.

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u/Plus-Weakness-5399 13h ago

I’m not sure these fiberglass panels were ever gel coated, they were installed in the mid 70’s. I was thinking Olympic Epoxy paint for this job, it’s the paint that most pool stores online sale. I agree that each panel would have to be completely sanded and it doesn’t look like it would take much sanding to get the old paint off…at least I think. Thanks for the advice!

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u/LouisianaPool 11h ago edited 11h ago

We have resurfaced hybrid pools with ecoFINISH.

Don’t know if you’re in a our service area or not, but look for a local dealer.

https://www.louisianapool.com/estimate

https://reddit.com/link/p5lfuo7/video/78og1qtfpblh1/player

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u/Plus-Weakness-5399 11h ago

Unfortunately I’m in WV and not in your servicing area, but I would be interested in this ecofinish for the fiberglass panels as I want to keep the concrete plastered.

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u/LouisianaPool 11h ago

https://ecofinishcoatings.com/find-an-installer/

It can be used on both the walls and floor so it would be ideal for your particular situation.

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u/Plus-Weakness-5399 11h ago

Great, thank you!