Killeen Pool Resurfacing: Commercial and Residential Pebble, Quartz and Plaster Finishes

Resurfacing replaces a pool's interior finish. The National Plasterers Council describes a pool finish as a special cement mix made for pools, placed and finished in one single application; it has no structural rating, though a pool's watertightness comes from the shell and the finish together. Fiberglass pools are refinished at the gelcoat, the colored resin layer on the surface.

Pebble Technology International lists the problems that usually start a project: leaks, cracks, mottling, mildew or algae, hollow pool walls and loose pebbles or tiles. The National Plasterers Council adds that white plaster changes over its life, from slight shading or scaling to, in extreme cases, staining, etching, cracking or delamination.

Yes. Gunite is dry-mix shotcrete sprayed over a steel reinforcing grid, and it is the surface a plaster, quartz or pebble finish goes onto. Makers differ on preparation: SGM and Premix-Marbletite bond new plaster over sound old plaster with a bond coat, while Pebble Technology International strips the existing surface first. Either way, the Council's average finish thickness is 3/8 to 3/4 inch.

It depends on the finish and the water. The Council's surface-life ratings are 5 to 8 years for white plaster, 10 to 15 for quartz and 12 to 18 for pebble, yet the same Council's FAQ says plaster can last up to 20 years with proper care, and Universal White Cement says 15 to 20 years is routine with good materials, sound application and decent water care. The Council ties any finish's lifespan to materials, workmanship and balanced water together.

National averages reported in 2025 run $6,000 to $15,000, with $11,000 the national average for resurfacing alone, not counting the refill. The most local figure, a 2021 cost report for Killeen, priced a basic white-plaster resurface at an average of $5.42 per square foot. A real price needs a look at the pool, and the estimate is free.

National figures for 2026 put standard white plaster at $4,000 to $6,500 for an average 15,000- to 20,000-gallon pool, and pebble or quartz aggregate at $8,000 to $15,000, depending on pool size and labor rates. Refilling 20,000 gallons from a Killeen home's meter adds $136.14 at the City's FY 2027 rates, sewer included.

Typical Austin-area pricing in 2026 runs $4,500 to $6,500 for standard white plaster and $6,000 to $8,500 for colored or upgraded plaster. Closer to home, a 2021 cost report for Temple gave $4.72 to $6.09 per square foot for a white-plaster resurface. These are published figures, not our prices.

Yes. Ramuc says any unpainted masonry pool can be painted with rubber, epoxy or acrylic pool paint, and calls painting a viable option when aged plaster has roughened and stained. Ramuc's own service lives run up to 2 years for its acrylic and up to 8 for its Hi Build epoxies, and national 2026 figures put a paint or epoxy coating at $1,500 to $5,000.

Pebble Technology International doesn't sell its pebble finishes to homeowners; only its trained Certified Builders, Elite Builders and Authorized Installers buy and apply them. Its process mixes the stone blend with cement, water, pigment and additives, sprays it on in two coats, hand-trowels it, washes the pebbles exposed and acid-cleans the surface before the fill.

No standard sets an air-temperature limit for plastering, the National Plasterers Council says; the risks to plan around are heat, humidity and above all wind, which can crack a fresh finish even on a mild 75°F day if it holds at 12 to 13 mph. Pebble Technology International wants a daily average above 40°F. NOAA's normals for Killeen put the last spring freeze by March 14 and the first autumn freeze by November 17 in half of years, and an August normal high of 96.6°F. Refill rules count too, since Stage 2 limits when a pool can be filled.

Pebble Technology International says a pool project can take a week or much longer, depending on scope. Some steps have set times: a bond coat cures at least 6 hours before plastering, a fill runs 18 to 36 hours, the filter then runs nonstop for seven days, and plaster-dust cloudiness typically lasts 7 to 10 days.

The 2024 pool code Killeen adopted says no permit is required for replastering or resurfacing an existing pool, but that is the model code's wording, not a City statement. Cutting into plumbing pipes, new wiring and replacing more than 25 feet of fence each need City permits. Ask Killeen Building Inspections before the work starts.

At Stage 1 the City asks for voluntary cuts and sets no pool rule. From Stage 2, filling or topping up a pool is allowed only on the address's designated watering days (Sundays and Thursdays for even-numbered addresses, Saturdays and Wednesdays for odd) and only from midnight to 10 a.m. or 8 p.m. to midnight. The City's posted stage was Stage 1 as of October 4, 2026.

Not into the street with chlorine in it. The City's handout says chlorinated pool water should soak into the soil on the same property, and its stormwater ordinance bans filter backwash and any pool water at 0.10 mg/l total residual chlorine or more from the storm drain system. TCEQ allows pool drain water to be reused for landscape irrigation, though not within five days of shock or acid treatment. Ask the City before sending pool water to a house clean-out.

Fiberglass pools are refinished at the gelcoat. River Pools says most never need it, but neglected water chemistry or an uncleaned surface can wear the gelcoat down, and Tallman Pools lists discoloration, chalking, fading, etching and scale as the signs. Vinyl liners aren't resurfaced but replaced: Latham puts a liner's life at 10 to 15 years and a professional replacement at 1 to 3 days.