From Fugly To Fabulous in Five Hours! April 12, 2011
Posted by Cathy in Ducks, Stupid shit.
trackback
We had a pretty pool. But we wanted an AWESOME pool. So a couple of weeks ago pool was emptied for work to start. Old tile and plaster were chipped away, old plumbing parts were hacked off, skimmers were dug out, removed, and replaced. The old surface even got a pasty-white-facial-masque.
Jackhammer Demo
And this morning, after all the prep work and thunderstorms, our pool looked like this… FUGLY!
Pool BEFORE View - Morning of April 12
We’ve been patient people. Pool Guru, Josh, assured us that by evening today we’d be filling the pool. *Yea-Right* Trucks backed into the driveway and mixing of the plaster was started. Hoses were connected to allow the plaster to be shot through the hoses and sprayed onto pool surfaces.
Pool Plaster Mixing and Pumping
So a half-dozen guys climbed into the pool and the plaster spraying party gets going!
Spraying Plaster Looks Like Fun!
Check out their cool boots on stilts! We chose a dark color plaster for a more natural look and to keep the water warmer. But the primary reason is so that my Pool-Boy-Batman won’t obsess about every little effin’ speck of crap he sees on the bottom of the pool. Retirement changes priorities in a good way.
"Everybody in the Pool!" Takes On a Whole New Meaning.
These guys look like they know what they are doing. Good thing, huh.
Almost done...
Plaster application is done. Now for the smoothing of the plaster on the surfaces while the plaster firms up and begins to dry. Sunshine and crisp dry air has got to help. Perfect day. As the plaster got firmer, the crew changes their stilt boots and shoes to pillow-covered alternatives.
View of New Tile and Dark Plaster
Notice the placement of tiles in the plaster so that guests will know where benches and steps are located.
Pool AFTER View - Afternoon April 12
Done! Now the crew cleans up and begins filling the pool… gently filling with hoses… to protect the pool surface. Pool should be completely filled about 2:00 a.m. we figure. Tomorrow chemicals will be added to the water to reveal the coveted aggregate surface. Should be ready for swimming in about a week. Dang! She’s pretty, and FABULOUS!!!!
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
Cathy
you have a lovely pool.
However plaster is water soluble. Marcite however is white pool stuff!
I was a plasterer
And a stucco man.
OK dad was a full plasterer. While I did the years I was not a journeyman plasterer. Ever.
Looks awesome!
WOW!!!
Which if your dyslexic spells, MOM!!
If you look at those guys in Cathy’s pics, I can tell you some things about them.
1. Only one, Carlos, speaks a semi-passable English. Their immigration status is uncertain.
2. They work their asses off. These guys put in long days in the sun.
3. Their work is actually highly skilled. They know what they are doing, and there is clearly an apprentice system going on where the younger guys work their way up to the more skilled tasks. Reskinning a pool, including the tile, is not a simple task.
4. As a labor force, they are a challenge for the contractor. With us, the contractor missed a deadline because one of his workers was in jail after the weekend and a truck was gone missing.
5. In other words, this is Texas.
D.A.M.
Mothers Against Dyslexia
Looks good Cathy. It actually will look darker with the water in it. Nice.
One of the few things I didn’t get to watch em do on ours was the finish.
so that my Pool-Boy-Batman won’t obsess about every little effin’ speck of crap he sees on the bottom of the pool.
hahahaha! I remember sitting there watching Michael watch a little leaf blowing toward the pool. Closer and closer…..he was tense and ready to spring into action with the skimmer…
Yeah I know.
I mighta been up on the balcony with a handful of little leaves, droppin one every couple minutes or so. For an hour and a half.
It was way more fun than a dog and a tennis ball.
Very nice. Hope to see it up close some day.
However plaster is water soluble. Marcite however is white pool stuff!
I hear ya, Vmax. It’s called plastering by the pool guys and is listed as ‘dark specialty plaster on the bill. It goes on over the gunnite.
Skinny, I hope you and your sweet woman get a chance to visit here and swim in it someday. You know you are welcome.
Michael and I are in the middle of watching the Netflix copy of “The Eiger Sanction” that arrived today.
We recognized Monument Valley shots and the Narrows.
*hopes Geezer shows up*
I think that was one of my first ‘movie’ jobs.
Since I was kinda green, I did what the old geezer told me… until I figured out that when he sent me a block and a half to get the ‘shiny board’ or some heavy piece of equipment, he would meet me right around the corner from my destination. Then HE would bring it to the Key Grip and get the credit.
Good times.
I do have pleasant memories of Clint. He was just like one of the guys.
I do have pleasant memories of Clint. He was just like one of the guys.
Glad to hear you say that, Geezer. My mom met him when she worked for TWA as a reservation agent and he was coming through the airport. She said he was kinda quiet.
He’s gotten a lot better at his craft, but I did enjoy the movie tonight.
Thanks, Cath.
Pool looks great, hope we can see it someday.
Clint Eastwood? Just one of the guys?
That is blasphemy. He just acted that way so you would not go around cringing and crying all the time in his mighty presence.
Great looking pool. Can’t wait to do a cannonball from whatever window you took those pics from.
Looking forward to seeing the aggregate surface. That stuff is PRETTY.
4. As a labor force, they are a challenge for the contractor. With us, the contractor missed a deadline because one of his workers was in jail after the weekend and a truck was gone missing.
If people knew how many of their moving crew were halfway-house convicts, they’d never let anybody else handle their goods again.
…and although halfway house guys can be rather convenient (they’re virtually your captive as employees), they do have a funny habit of suddenly ending up back in the pokey because halfway house rules are so stringent. Even possessing a cell phone is a violation.
If you ever need a cellphone, go to a halfway house and rummage around in the shrubs. You will find a bunch of them stashed here and there.
Then run like Hell, because you are about to be severely murdered.
Looks great, Cathy.
Before and afters are my favorite.
*Geezer frantically scrutinizes the photos*
Not one shot of the Puking Lions ™.
Geezer, Puking Lions ™ will be restored or replaced and put back up a.s.a.p. You can see them sitting on the ledge of the raised flower beds in the close-up picture.
Lions are gonna look fantabulous up there.
I thought it was beautiful before, but think now it’s going to be more beautifuller.
Hey PattyAnn!!!!
*waves east*
lauraw is surprisingly well informed about the shadow culture of halfway houses.
A Severe Murder?
Didn’t C.S. Lewis write that?
lauraw is surprisingly well informed about the shadow culture of
halfway housesmoving companies.hush yo mouf
From Fugly To Fabulous in Five Hours!
Isn’t that Dave’s goal prior to every meat-up?
Verra nice, Cathy! Beautiful color, too.
So, you get warmer water for a longer time?
I’ve experienced warmer water suddenly in the pool.
I was standing next to Dave at the time.
Coinkidink? I think not.
Hey, I like you and all that wiser, but I ain’t spendin five hours to pretty up for you.
Hey, I like you and all that wiser, but I ain’t spendin five hours to pretty up for you.
… it’s for Rosetta.
Hey, I like you and all that wiser, but I ain’t spendin five hours to pretty up for you.
Yeah, I guess if it ain’t gonna git any better after 5 hours, why bother even starting, amirite?
What you see is pretty much what Mrs. Wiserbud gets, yeah.
The product was Quartz Scapes St. Martin Shade. I have looked up the definitions of marcite and plaster. Remarkably marcite and gunite have not made the dictionary but many slang words have. I can say that I do use a non Hispanic crew about two times a month and I do have socials for a few of the guys. Cathy and Michael have been great to work with even with the couple of change orders. I wish we had a picture of Mark trying to remove a skimmer. It took my underpaid laborer 1.5 days to get two out.
Sorry Michael I referred to you as Mark. Does not help to type smart remarks when one is exhausted.
Sorry Michael I referred to you as Mark. Does not help to type smart remarks when one is exhausted.
No problem, Josh. At least you gave us a chance to click on your blog and see your hot wife. Now I know why you work so hard.
We have the pool filled with water. Color looks great and it’s only going to be better after the acid bath exposes the crystals. Overall, the waterline and the tile look perfect. Except that one tile around the fill line is not right. It’s blocking the pipe.
It took my underpaid laborer 1.5 days to get two out.
That guy worked his ass off. He did not even stop to pee on my banana trees.
Michael teases about the workers, but I could communicate with most of ‘em. Several spoke excellent English, but I think they stayed quiet until I spoke directly to them. My Spanish is not good, but I gave it a try a few times.
All great guys and I hope they come for a cook-out when their work load slows down a bit in the summer.
Thanks, Josh.
Pat Caddell on the radio this morning; ‘Republicans ignore the Tea Party at their own risk.’
Also re: the budget deal; ‘Republicans led with their chin.’
The libs in Washington are insane.
Time to call the guys in white coats, lock ‘em all up and throw away the keys.
Hi Cathy,
We are considering Quartzscapes St. Martin Shade as a choice for our new pool. Would you mind posting or emailing me with pictures of the filled pool? Aloe haven’t found any photos of that color on the manufacturer’s website or elsewhere, so that could be very helpful for us.
Thank you!
Suze