After many years of enjoyment, your once lovely gunite pool can begin to show signs of wear, and your landscape may start to feel dated. Making a few smart updates to the pool, as well as the landscape surrounds, can jointly enhance the entire pool area in your Riverhead, NY backyard. This will no doubt maximize your summertime fun, particularly if you use the area for personal use as well as hosting guests at your home.
Gunite Resurfacing
If a gunite pool has reached the point where it has unremovable stains, a roughened texture, or leaks, a new finish for your pool is definitely in order. This process can take up to two weeks, providing time to plan the rest of your landscape makeover. During this time, the pool is drained, cleaned, prepped and then replastered. The new gunite coating will then be given time to cure. Your contractor will then follow this step with a fresh coat of paint for a new looking pool. Once the paint has dried, your pool can be filled up and be put back to good use.
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Pebble Finish
Rather than resurfacing with gunite and paint, you may decide to try something a little different for a more natural look. A pebble finish contains a variety of small stones mixed in with the plaster. Apart from the range of colors, patterns and interesting textures available to match the look of your pool area, pebble finishes provide better durability than regular gunite and offer good protection for your investment.
Quartz Finish
As with the pebble finish, a quartz finish contains quartz aggregate mixed into the plaster, making it even more durable than a pebble finish. Quartz finishes offer a unique crystalline look for your pool and are generally easier on the feet and hands than both pebble finishes and regular gunite.
Tiles and Mosaic
For long term durability, stunning aesthetic and easy cleaning, ceramic pool tiles provide a fourth option for your pool resurfacing. Tiles and mosaic provide a unique opportunity to achieve stunning underwater designs on the floor and steps of your pool, add high contrast and surprising color combinations. On the downside, tiles do make for a longer installation and tend to trap algae along the joint lines.
Upgrade Decks and Coping
Another clever way to upgrade your pool area is to address dated decking and coping. With the variety of paving and coping options available, adding a fresh look can be a convenient and affordable way for you and your landscaping contractor to redefine your pool space. While determining the style preferred, don’t leave your overarching architectural style out of the equation. This element should remain consistent with your home or landscape theme even as you update the look.
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Add Water Features
With a simple pool integrated waterfall or water jet, you can incorporate sight, sound, and movement into your pool area. These can be as modern as individual arching jets of water spurting from fixtures embedded into your decking, or as rustic as a naturalistic waterfall and rock feature. Either way, water features add life to a pool area and can also contribute to effective filtration and water aeration.