Redoing your swimming pool can be a very costly exercise so make sure that this is definitely needed before taking the plunge! Unfortunately pools do not have an extended lifetime on the flooring which can get damaged due to a number of reasons. One of the main ones being poor workmanship from the get go. As a swimming pool is considered as the focal point of any outdoor area, proper maintenance and care must be done on your pool regularly.

Before going ahead with any repairs to your swimming pool, consult with experts in the field. If you feel that you are quite the DIY kind of person then you can go ahead and do the repairs yourself – just remember that it is time consuming and hard labour!

First off you need to minimise inconveniences that your repairs can cause:

• Move all items around the pool that can get in the way like plants and furniture
• Keep your windows closed to reduce dust in the home and noise
• If possible, keep your pets inside or in the front garden – the noise as well as the dust is not good for them

The next steps

• Drain the water from your pool. If possible allow the water to go into your garden and into the closest street drain
• Once the pool has been drained the interior surface of the pool needs to be prepared. If you are resurfacing the interior, then power tools are needed to chip out all the old plaster. The goal of preparation is so that there can be proper bonding with the new surface
• Now comes the fun part – plastering your swimming pool. Plaster is mixed and fed into the pool by a high pressure hose and sprayed on the interior. With hand trowels the plaster is smoothed on the interior so that the plaster can set
• Once the plaster has set, you can start filling up your pool with a garden hose

Do not, under any circumstances, turn off the water until your pool is completely full ie it has reached the required water line.

You will find that there will be plaster dust at the bottom of your pool, but do not worry about it. As your pool pump works it will start getting rid of the dust. Just a word of caution though – if your four-legged children enjoy taking a dip in your swimming pool, make sure that they do not until such time as the plaster has sufficiently settled. This can take up to a week.

Redoing your swimming pool seems like easy work, but there is a lot to it and as stated before, will require a lot of your time and it is very labour intensive!

If you want to get an expert opinion when it comes to repairing your pool, then you need to contact Pool Spa & Filtration. From pool repairs to swimming pool accessories, Pool Spa & Filtration will have just what your swimming pool needs! To find out more about the products and services on offer through Pool Spa & Filtration, visit their website www.poolspa.co.za