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Retiling swimming pool nightmare


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My 30+ year old pool was losing water to the point I needed to retile it completely. What started as a "3 week, 50,000 peso job" has turned in to a 6 week 100,000 peso job and they are still not done. It is a large pool, and the tile alone cost 50,000 pesos, and now the issue is that the dry pega-piso used to adhere all the new tile has to be scratched out from between all the little mosaic tiles because they didn't peel the paper off the sheets and wipe it out as they set them, and this is taking FOREVER. Meanwhile the pool has been empty now for over a month and I am worried that this will cause it to fall inward. The ground outside the pool was saturated with water from the leaks, and WAS draining back into the pool cavity, but that stopped while they were readying the surface for the new tile. The trim tile I chose and bought for the upper edge turned out to be two different versions in the boxes ( discovered AFTER applying half of them) and now I am short several dozen tiles to finish the border the way I want. Cant find any more, anywhere, and might have to remove the one I like and start over with another design. I am still trying to find a grout color I like with the cobalt blue mosaic tile but nothing premixed looks good. I would love to hear about anyone else's experience doing a job like this, including any recommendations for an expert who I might consult to see this project finished faster.

Guac

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Holy guacamole!

They will have to do more than remove just the backing paper between the tiles, they're going to have to remove the tiles completely to remove the paper on the back of the tiles too. The cement on the tile backs is what holds them to the pool walls. Otherwise, it will look pretty for a very short time once it's "finished" and then the tiles will start falling off. The grout between the tiles is not going to hold those tiles in place for very long.

Go back to the tile supplier for advice, unless you bought them from the maestro you're using now.

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This is not their first pool. They are general contractors who have done at least three others, and they are all working. The "backing" paper is on the smooth "face" of the tile. It is a protective paper that keeps the shiny face from getting damaged in the box and while they are working after it is installed. The back of the tile is not papered and is textured to grip and is glued to the pool surface with a pega-piso made for pools. Yes, some tiles to come off when they are cleaning the pega-piso from the face. They get glued back on. If they come off after it is filled, there is another glue that works under water. The grout, also for pools, will fill the cracks between the little tiles and also bond to the pega-piso.

The leaks were all behind tile, soft spots in the cement with holes in them. Water leaked back in through them when they were exposed. They got chipped out and filled with good concrete. All the old concrete was laboriously removed and the interior surface of the pool is stone that they have hand textured. THAT took forever. I dont know how it was originally made, because you can't even see any joints in the stone. It looks like it was carved out of bedrock. The whole inside surface has this waterproof pega-piso for pools on it --behind the new tile. Theoretically that is going to last forever. And as soon as we find a good grout color, that makes another waterproof, flexible layer with the tile. The grout is supposed to be algae resistent and flexible. All the materials have come from a pool supplier.

I just can't believe how slow it is going. After my tirade yesterday they have put on three more guys and it looks like they might be ready to grout today, IF I get my color. I want DARK and it is hard to find. I may end up with that light blue Sue used.

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The Dark Cobalt Blue grout is easy to get. It is the one most often used. He should have a box of grout samples, like "sticks" for different colors.

You shouldn't have to be going thru all this, but the Contractor, his fault, didn't put on enough guys to do the job in the estimated amount of time or he didn't estimate correctly as many do. If your contractor quoted you 50,000 pesos to retile/repair the pool, that's all you pay him, no more. He cannot expect you to fork over more money because he underestimated time.

50,000 pesos sounds high to retile a pool. If your pool is large, I'd guestimate about $ 1,500 US in material. I have a guy who builds "new" pools for 180,000 - 200,000 pesos including equpment.

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4 years ago I retiled a pool for $27,000 MXN; dimensions are 25 ft x 12 ft oval x 5 ft deep.

That is about $50 MXN per square foot for materials and labor; add 20% for todays cost so approx $60 MXN per square foot.

If the contractor gave you a firm price quote that is what you pay; his screwups are his problem not yours.

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The Dark Cobalt Blue grout is easy to get. It is the one most often used. He should have a box of grout samples, like "sticks" for different colors.

You shouldn't have to be going thru all this, but the Contractor, his fault, didn't put on enough guys to do the job in the estimated amount of time or he didn't estimate correctly as many do. If your contractor quoted you 50,000 pesos to retile/repair the pool, that's all you pay him, no more. He cannot expect you to fork over more money because he underestimated time.

50,000 pesos sounds high to retile a pool. If your pool is large, I'd guestimate about $ 1,500 US in material. I have a guy who builds "new" pools for 180,000 - 200,000 pesos including equpment.

Welcome back John and/or Joec. Pedro has taken your place on TOB.

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50,000 pesos sounds high to retile a pool. If your pool is large, I'd guestimate about $ 1,500 US in material. I have a guy who builds "new" pools for 180,000 - 200,000 pesos including equpment.

Ajijicis4me-could you tell us who can build new pools for 180,000 - 200,000 pesos?

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Re: grout. I had a pool built several years ago and, like you, wanted a dark blue grout. After several tries and a lot of frustration, we used plain old grey (concrete color) instead and it blended into the blue tile just fine. I probably won't try the custom color mixing thing again here in Mexico. Too hard to get it right, and you don't know how it will end up.

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Re: grout. I had a pool built several years ago and, like you, wanted a dark blue grout. After several tries and a lot of frustration, we used plain old grey (concrete color) instead and it blended into the blue tile just fine. I probably won't try the custom color mixing thing again here in Mexico. Too hard to get it right, and you don't know how it will end up.

So your contractor didn't know what he was doing. EVERY pool I've seen in Mexico has different colored grout accprding to tile color and owners preference. The most easy for Dark Cobalt tile is Cobalt blue grout. With gray, iot would look horrible.

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Ajijicis4me-could you tell us who can build new pools for 180,000 - 200,000 pesos?

He's a great contractor and a nice guy, but very busy, so wait for him as it will be worth it. His name is:

CONSTRUCTION - ALL TYPES - ROOFS - TILE - POOLS - ELECTRICAL - PLUMBING

RAYMUNDO BLAS (Speaks English) - Written Estimates - Reasonable Prices

Tel: 766 1456

Cell ph: 045 331 141 5638

constructionsray@hotmail.com

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Guacamole:

I have read your post twice and I'm still a little confused. When we had our pool built, we selected a glass tile. They came in boxes aprox. 12'X12" - with a paper backing. The paper was covering the face of the tile. They used a cement suggested by the tile store and then laid the sheet of tiles on to the cement. As they continued on - another workman used a sponge to apply water to the paper backing (which was now on the top) and peeled off the paper. After the tile had set - they then used some kind of cleaner to remove glue, paper, etc. We used a dark cobalt blue for the grouting, but after several years it is much lighter.

They did the bottom of the pool (and one sheet up the side) first and in one day. Before they left, they put enough water in the pool to cover the tile for protection. When I read a couple of the posts, it seems as if your maestro was trying to remove the paper and then glue the tile?????

Hope everything turns-out the way you want and that you can get back in to your pool soon.

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Related to this thread - but a slightly different slant.

Does anyone know if you can glue a few missing tiles that came lose at the bottom of the pool WITHOUT having to empty the pool. Is there a glue that you can use to do it this way? if so, how ? where to buy?

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Related to this thread - but a slightly different slant.

Does anyone know if you can glue a few missing tiles that came lose at the bottom of the pool WITHOUT having to empty the pool. Is there a glue that you can use to do it this way? if so, how ? where to buy?

Tecno Aqua told me you can use white cement or sellador that comes in a tube that you use in a sealer gun. I've tried both and had better luck with the sellador. I used Sista Flextec FT 201-sellador para juntas de alto movimento. I used white as my grout is white. I put the sellador on the tile and while wearing goggles go under water. I've had 4 tiles come off. They were all on the bottom so I had to have someone hold me done while I was smoothing out the sellador around the tile.

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Thanks - long enough to make it well worthwile. I am buying that Sista Flextec FT 201-sellador para juntas de alto movimento you recommended. Going to Home Depot in Guad. on Monday, otehrwise will try Tecno Agua locally.

Muchas Gracias

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Thanks - long enough to make it well worthwile. I am buying that Sista Flextec FT 201-sellador para juntas de alto movimento you recommended. Going to Home Depot in Guad. on Monday, otehrwise will try Tecno Agua locally.

Muchas Gracias

I bought it Lakeside. Either at Walmart or a hardware store.

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