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SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | OCTOBER 2020 5 By Jim Harris, Board Member Information for the community regarding our pool repair project: Our indoor pool, outdoor pool deck and indoor pool deck are in severe need of repair. I didn't realize how much the indoor pool plaster had deteriorated until several months ago when I joined an indoor pool Volleyball game, playing from 11 am to 1 pm. When we finished playing, I found that the bottoms of my feet were cut up and in dire need of care, taking about four days to heal enough to wear shoes again. Then I knew that besides the pool decking the indoor pool plaster was badly in need of repair. Let's first discuss the pool deck refurbishing. The Board selected a vendor to do the decking part of the project, stipulating it would be for both pools, a total of 11,640 square feet to be ground down, contaminants removed, delaminating material, and a "V-grind" of all cracks, including a urethane caulking and a primer of the completed resurfacing. After repairs, there will be texture and Colored Sealer applied. The time estimate quoted was approximately 10 days for the outdoor deck and 21 days for the inside deck. The Board also looked into the replacement of plaster for the indoor pool and spa. We obtained three quotes. Two Vendors quoted for the plaster to be hydro blasted off, removal of all floor tile, lights, wall steps and drain covers. New tile would be then be installed and new plaster spread throughout the complete pool floor and sides. The water line tile was not quoted but recommended to be cleaned with the Bead Blast system. The third Vendor quoted a Fiberglass system that would not require the power blasting of the existing plaster. It would include repair of all bad spots in the existing plaster with a concrete mix and bonding glue. They would then disk grind the entire pool surface and apply a bonding coat using a vinyl ester laminating resin. All floor tile would be replaced with a non-slip tile along and a non-slip coating to the steps ramp and pool floor. The Board decided to research the types or repair in order to make a more informed decision on vendor selection and the difference between Fiberglass and power blasting/plaster. Mr. Garcia and I asked Dana Kilpatrick (who spends a lot of time in the indoor pool), to join us on a trip to see different pools in three communities. The first pool was the size of our lower pool, refurbished with the vendor's Fiberglass method 13 years ago. We talked with the HOA's general manager who said it was the best thing they ever did. At another HOA we looked at a pool that was refurbished a year ago. We could not see a difference in the surfaces' fiberglass conditions between the two pools! The last pool we looked at was done, I believe three years ago, and again, it looked brand new. Both Dana and I got into the water to feel what the fiberglass bottom of the pool felt like on our feet comparing it to a plaster pool bottom. It felt great, much nicer than plaster and the non-slip surface was not rough on the bottom of our feet. Summing it up, the Board decided to go with the Fiberglass system for the above reasons, including a 15-year warranty on the fiberglass/10-year warranty on labor. This exceeds the warranties of the other two vendors. In addition, the vendor explained that their pools have been exceeding the 15-year life span. To meet the Riverside County code, they would install two new handrails to the indoor Spa and include the Bead Blasting to clean the waterline tile in both the pool and spa. The pool plastering quotes did not specify an exact warranty, although one stated a 10-year warranty against defective material or workmanship, a 5-year warranty on all tile and masonry and a 1-year warranty on mastic and silicone. There was no guarantee on cracking or settling. We also looked very closely at the cost of each project. The Fiberglass vendor quote for this large project was less than their counterparts with a better performance rating and they have included extra options that would be additional costs with the other vendors. Pool & Pool Deck Upgrade

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