keywords: pool composite fiberglass pool resurfacing
Excerpt from Aqua Magazine featuring our Expert Specifying / Corrosion Engineer Peter Gibson
The Composite Materials Revolution
Fiberglass Pool Resurfacing
By Peter Gibson
Have you ever wondered why boats and surfboards are made of fiberglass? You don’t need to be a materials scientist to recognize that fiberglass is the containment material most resistant to the corrosive effects of water.
In the same sense, containment material is one of the most important choices made by swimming pool builders and repair/renovation specialists, followed by the techniques they use to apply it. It’s the difference between long-term performance of the chosen finish versus inevitable and often premature failure.
For years, I’ve been both amazed and frustrated by the status quo of the pool, spa and water feature surfacing and resurfacing businesses. By and large, plaster has been the material of choice, which, objectively speaking, is far from the best option. The main problem is that any cementitious material is susceptible to a range of issues/defects including staining, mottling, etching and scaling, among others. And industry professionals have insisted on placing this vulnerable material in constant contact with water, the universal solvent, treated with powerful oxidizers.
As a corrosion and composite materials specialist with years of experience in multiple industries, it’s long been my view that the pool industry needs to rethink its preferred surface materials.
It’s not just the reliance on plaster that needs to change; the same can be said of vinyl, steel and even tile, as they all are susceptible to damage that inevitably occurs when exposed to water.
That’s all part of why I have become an ardent promoter of fiberglass as the best material for use in contact with water. The reason is simple: years of field experience demonstrate that fiberglass can dramatically reduce construction or renovation cost, limit maintenance and extend the life of a swimming pool or aquatic facility. Fiberglass is not sensitive to out-of-balance water chemistry and it does not leach material like cement-based surfaces.
Fiberglass provides superior strength, far beyond that of conventional plaster, coatings or vinyl liners, and is not susceptible to corrosion like steel. Yet for whatever reason, that verifiable set of facts remains obscure to the mainstream pool and spa industry, which has all but refused to see fiberglass as a wonderful option for both resurfacing existing vessels and as well as finishing new ones.
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Peter Gibson
Our Expert Specifying / Corrosion Engineer
Technical Affiliations:
SPI – Composites Institute
ACMA – American Composites Manufacturers Association
SSPC – Society for Protective Coatings
NACE – The Corrosion Society
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Interested in more information about Fiberglass swimming pools? Check out Aqua Magazine or read our Certified Pool Resurfacing brochure.
