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  Rod Ogilvie September 1, 2010 at 6:26pm

  I would have to agree with Kim in the most probable cause would have to be installer error. I am a builder, and I gotta admit that most problems I encounter are builder/installer error magnified by poor water balance and poor general care.
  
  A pool should never be touched with a chipping hammer! There has been a lot or research on the effects of hammering off an existing finish, and the results show undeniable/unrepairable damage to the shell. I would only recommend a high pressure media blast to remove the existing finish. If that is not possible, sand blast the rock to remove the paint/soft and loose plaster, pressure wash, bond coat and re-plaster
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  Kim Skinner August 31, 2010 at 4:56pm

  Brody, I agree with you that out-of-balance water can cause certain reactions with cement. In this instance, when water is aggressive enough for a long enough period of time, then it is theoretically possible that enough cement material can be removed (etched) to cause the pebble aggregate to fall or pop out. But I wonder just how aggressive water needs to be and for how long to cause this damage? Do most pebble pools that have “no drain” acid washes or a “zero alkalinity” process performed on them result in pebble rocks falling out? Those processes are normally more acidic and aggressive than typical out-of-balance pool water.
  
  Under normal circumstances, it would take a long, long time (years and years) for age alone to result in the gradual erosion and loss of pebble aggregate from a finish. And the relatively mild aggressiveness encountered by occasional bad chemistry would have to be repeated very often and left very long to even remotely approach the aggressiveness of a single acid wash, which pebble surfaces are designed to not only withstand, but look better after.
  
  When plastering a new pebble finish, as a result of the curing and finishing activities a lot of the extra surface cement is removed (via spraying, acid washing, or brushing, etc.) to expose the pebbles. If too much of the surface pebble is exposed during this process, or in other words if too much cement is removed in certain areas, wouldn’t that also predispose some pebbles to fall out?
  
  I also agree that starting over and resurfacing would be best.
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  Patrick Smith August 31, 2010 at 3:20pm

  I would agree with Brody. They are going to have to start all over. I can't imagine painting over a pebble surface.
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  Brody Anderson August 31, 2010 at 11:53am

  He did WHAT?! His only option is to remove all of the paint via chipping hammers or sandblasting, bond coat the surface and then resurface. If his Pebble was rough or the pebbles were coming off, check the chemistry. Rock and cement does not react to balanced pool chemistry.