DIY Tips for Restoring Your Pool and Patio Paint

Is your pool looking cracked? Perhaps the patio surrounding your pool has started to discolour? You don’t need to replace your whole pool in order to get it to look brand new again. Instead, dedicated DIYers can take a weekend to clean and restore their pool and pool patio with pool paint. The result is a fresh, unblemished pool surface.

Benefits of DIY Restoration vs. Replacement

Why go to all the trouble of choosing pool primers and paints, when you could just get your pool replaced? The primary reason to restore your pool is cost savings. Buying a few cans of primer and paint is much more affordable than replacing your pool.

Restoring your pool is of particular benefit to those who are looking to sell their home. If you’ll be moving soon, you don’t necessarily want to invest in a brand-new pool. However, making the pool look as if it is new can help you sell your home quickly and for top dollar.

Also, for some people, it is more convenient to restore your pool yourself rather than have it replaced. There’s less mess and you don’t need to let pool contractors into your home or worry about getting a pool that is the same shape and size as your current pool.

If you’re going to restore your pool, then you will need to choose your primers and paints carefully. With this guide, we’ll explain everything you need to know about how to restore your pool, so you have the confidence to take on the project yourself.

Steps to Restore your Pool

1. Identify Your Pool’s Present Condition

The prep, primer and paint you’ll need depend on your pool’s material and current coating. You can contact your original pool installers if you’re no longer sure which pool material was installed. If you didn’t install it, you can send a small chip of it to your pool professionals who can identify it for you. They may also be able to identify the coating placed on your base pool material (if your pool has a coating, in which case it will need a primer), or you may be able to identify it yourself.

To do so, take a small chip of your pool. If it dissolves in isopropyl alcohol, it has an acrylic coating, and you should choose an acrylic pool paint.

If the paint chip dissolves in a rubber base solvent then it is a rubber coating and you should use a rubber pool paint or use a conversion product to allow you to use an epoxy paint.

If your paint chip does not dissolve in either solution than it has an epoxy coating and you need an epoxy-based paint.

2. Choose Your Product

Chance are you’ll need more than just one type of pool paint. You’ll need a:

• Pool prep solution
• Primer (if your pool is uncoated)
• Pool paint
• Pool patio paint

If your pool has a rubber coating, you may also want a conversion product to allow you to use an epoxy paint. Use the chart below to discover the products you need, and how much surface area a can of each product will cover.

3. Prepare Your Pool Surface

Once you’ve chosen the right tools for the job, you’ll need to prep your pool surface. Your first step should always be to completely empty and clean the pool and deck/patio. Then, apply your primer and/or conversion solution.

4. Apply Your Paint

Once your pool and/or patio surfaces are prepped, you need only apply the paint. Our guide goes into more detail on the process. With our tips, it should be a quick process and your pool should dry quickly and look brand new for years.

5. Maintain Your Pool

Once you’ve gone to the trouble of restoring your pool, you’ll want to keep it beautiful now and over time. You can extend the life of the surface of your pool with a few simple maintenance tips:

• Use Algaecide: Even small algae problems can end up causing discolouration on your pool patio or the pool itself.
• Maintain pH: High and low pH can both increase the odds your pool surface will weaken or become stained.
• Repair quickly: Your first chips ad cracks shouldn’t appear for years, but when they do, repair them quickly to prevent them from growing.
• Remove debris: Those late fall leaves may be doing more damage to your pool surface than you think. Remove debris quickly, and use a pool cover in the off season.

One weekend of work and you should have a new pool surface that lasts for years and keeps your yard looking it’s best! Have questions or need further guidance on choosing a pool paint? Give the expert team at Pool Supplies Canada a call today.

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