Marking its evolution with composite materials
By Farheen Sikandar
Established in 1990 in California, at a time when basic white pool plaster was the only option for pool resurfacing, AquaSpray Pool Resurfacing offered an advanced solution to traditional pool resurfacing. This was well before the introduction of specialty plasters, such as pebble and quartz, and at a time when issues with plaster arose. Pool operators started seeking something more durable and with a longer lifecycle.
AquaSpray’s owner, Peter Gibson, brought forth experience in glass fibre-reinforced thermoset resins—introducing a refined process for pool resurfacing using composite materials. Composite materials are known for their longevity and corrosion resistance, as opposed to cementitious materials that break down in pool water and chemicals.
After spending decades in the application of composite coatings and linings to pool interiors, AquaSpray Pool Resurfacing made a notable name for itself in this industry. To further extend its reach and offerings across Canada, the company offers applicator training in Laval, Que. Gibson is recognized as the thought leader in the field due to his extensive knowledge of the base materials used in the process, as well as his background as a corrosion engineer.
Pool & Spa Marketing (PSM): What distinguishes your company and sets it apart from its counterparts in the industry?
Peter Gibson (PG): Technical knowledge of resin systems and fibre reinforcements enable AquaSpray to stay abreast of the latest resin chemistries that are applicable to pool and spa finishing, for example, immersion service. AquaSpray does not rest on its laurels, but we are willing to implement and change for the better and modify how the process is executed. Most firms do not have a firm grip on the technical aspects of the materials, which leads to no changes and improvements being implemented.
PSM: Could you describe the range of services your business provides?
PG: As we are a technical business working with an array of chemicals, our focus is narrowed down to pool resurfacing using composite materials. We decided not to dilute our primary business (i.e. pool resurfacing). For all other aspects of pool renovation, we have high-quality tradesmen to perform the other work involved, allowing the sole focus to be on our core business, and this has over time yielded superior outcomes. Another benefit has been being able to dedicate more time toward intense training of applicators.
PSM: What are the types of pools your company specializes in?
PG: Composite coatings and linings are the most versatile materials for pool resurfacing and renovation projects. Plaster, paint, and vinyl have limitations where they can be used. Composites are compatible with carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, concrete, fibreglass, as well as water park projects. They can also be used for vinyl pool conversions, and concrete forming products such as insulated concrete forms (ICFs), as well as other forming systems such as the Trevi Marinal system. Currently, vinyl rolls are employed to finish the interior of these forming systems, but as pool professionals get informed about the application and performance characteristics of composite coatings, it will be an easy switch to offer their customers this product. In addition, we also revitalize pools that have been repeatedly resurfaced with epoxy paint and now want a more durable product to eliminate repeated reapplication. We have also noticed a lot of failures where thermal spray products were used but then failed before the advertised service life. Thermal spray products work well on plastics but are not suitable for concrete finishing.
PSM: What recent projects has your shop been actively involved in?
PG: The hotel Manoir Saint-Sauveur in Montreal, Que. Three candidate products were assessed and reviewed; namely paint, plaster, and AquaSpray. The maintenance engineer chose AquaSpray after analyzing the long-term benefits and performance. For past resurfacing projects, paint and plaster did not perform adequately, and required periodic reapplication at a higher cost.
PSM: What are some of the most memorable or challenging projects your business has undertaken?
PG: We’ve also completed other projects in Las Vegas. After a rigorous material review by the Las Vegas Health Department and casino operators, AquaSpray is now the de facto material of choice for prestigious casino resurfacing projects. The maintenance engineers on the properties also examined a number of candidate materials such as vinyl, paint, and polyurea to find a product that is superior to cement-based products. The hotels have very large bodies of water, and in order to keep maintenance costs down, they wanted a product with exceptional durability and longevity. Additionally, esthetics retention was very important, as plaster did not offer this characteristic. Another area of concern was that hot water in spas is very aggressive on plaster, requiring periodic resurfacing due to appeal issues and surface deterioration. AquaSpray performs well in very high-water temperatures with high bather loads as the tile-like finish does not get rough or degrade.
PSM: What equipment is currently utilized by your company to complete its projects?
PG: Our product is a spray-applied application. The spraying of coatings offers elevated results over rolling methods as all high-performance coatings are spray-applied. The equipment is self-contained in a trailer that houses the high-volume-low-pressure (HVLP) sprayer with a 60-m (200-ft) hose, and stationary 18-HP 1.55 m3/min (55 cfm) compressor. A syphon is inserted into 208-L (55-gal) resin drums and then pumped out to the pool site, then the resin is catalyzed in the gun head. The material can be sprayed down to 5 C (41 F), with a cure time of less than 10 hours. AquaSpray has a structural version that can be used to rehabilitate cracked and distressed pools. It is also a great choice for working on elevated steel pools in high rises such as hotels and condominiums. The application and fast cure time resolves long disruptions to guest facilities. With our method, no costly epoxy injection and stapling of concrete is required, saving the pool owner the expense of such treatments.
PSM: How has your business evolved or expanded since its initial launch?
PG: The early days saw two crews working on residential pools. Once this process was improved upon, we started to take on commercial projects The application was further evolved to adopt an application version that offered stronger bonding and a much shorter time on the job. Today, by using this process, we train certified applicators for selected territories in United States and Canada. We also offer technical guidance to aquatic consultants and assist in writing specifications for composite coatings and linings for large, new, and renovation aquatic projects. We also provide guidance for fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) slide restoration and pool work in water parks and large competition-class pools.
PSM: What is the key factor in maintaining long-term success within the industry?
PG: The key factor to maintaining long-term success is not to be complacent; it is always being open to new ways of doing things and being aware of any new products to incorporate into the system. It is common in the industry to not make any improvements that can increase performance results, and while most operators in the field are not technically inclined to do this, it can and has led to performance issues. Unfortunately, in this industry, there is no governing body, leading many people to enter the field without any technical resources. Fortunately, our company has a technical director to guide the organization on a sound technical footing. We always tell pool owners we are not working with a product, but rather chemicals that need to be applied in a very specific manner.
PSM: What is one of the significant obstacles your company has faced, and what strategies were employed to overcome it?
PG: The biggest challenge in the industry itself is pool owners not being familiar with polymeric coatings and linings. The pool industry is a cement-based business, making polymeric materials a foreign subject. Polymer materials, such as glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP), are well-known in the fibreglass pool business, but that is still a very small segment of the pool industry. Even when new fibreglass pools are installed, there is little discussion about materials. When it comes to resurfacing concrete pools, pool owners automatically gravitate toward plaster or paint as they assume it is the only available choice. Using composite coatings and linings is not common knowledge. Our goal is to educate pool operators about the benefits of composites for pool interiors and how they offer exceptional durability and long-term performance, eliminating periodic refinishing and high chemical cost. A further goal is to show pool contractors they can bring their resurfacing projects in-house and not rely on subcontractors. We can train them through the applicator program.
The benefit of offering AquaSpray is the ability to tackle new pool and pool renovation products with an exclusive product that has little competition.
PSM: Is there anything else you would like readers to know about your business or your personal journey as a business owner in this industry?
PG: Having been involved in the composite coatings and linings industry for decades, I have seen many iterations of the process come and go. There have also been many versions of epoxy paints, thermal spray products, and others—all making unsubstantiated/exaggerated claims about product performance. This has been problematic for the pool industry because this industry does not have a body of knowledge where it can gain information about polymeric materials, so pool operators rely solely on the word of manufactures who oftentimes extend the truth about product performance.
For example, pool plasterers cobbled together the National Plasterers Council, to demonstrate technical information is available; and while it is not perfect, it at least provides some guidance to contractors. When it comes to polymeric materials for pools, no such association exits. Contractors offering these products do not have the technical knowledge to make adjudications between products, which leads to application failures.
My participation in this industry has been a long one working with these resin materials. From working on small residential pools to prestigious projects in Las Vegas, and all around United States and now Canada.
With all the experience I have gained, I can now mentor and guide new entries into the field. This is why I have set up a certified applicator program to extend into the pool industry. I have applicators in United States, but we are now focused on offering AquaSpray in Canada. We offer applicator training in Laval, Que., or we come out to you to help you become a certified applicator. I encourage all contractors engaging in pool finishing to investigate these products that can be used for new construction and renovation.
