Lake Nona Pool Maintenance

Pool Resurfacing in Lake Nona

Pool resurfacing is one of the highest-cost, highest-impact maintenance interventions in the residential and commercial pool service sector. This page covers the classification of resurfacing materials, the phased process contractors follow, the scenarios that trigger resurfacing decisions, and the regulatory and permitting context applicable to Lake Nona pools within Orange County, Florida. The scope encompasses both the structural and aesthetic dimensions of pool interior finish replacement.

Definition and scope

Pool resurfacing refers to the removal or preparation of an existing pool interior finish and the application of a new surface layer to the shell of a swimming pool. It is distinct from patching, tile replacement, or coping repair, though those services often occur concurrently. The pool shell itself — typically gunite or shotcrete in Florida residential construction — is a structural element; the interior finish is a sacrificial coating applied over that shell and subject to chemical wear, mechanical erosion, and UV degradation over time.

Finish materials fall into three primary categories:

  1. Marcite (white plaster) — a blend of white Portland cement and marble aggregate; the lowest-cost option, with an expected service life of 7 to 10 years under standard Central Florida water chemistry conditions.
  2. Quartz aggregate plaster — Portland cement blended with ground quartz crystals; mid-tier cost, service life of 10 to 15 years, with improved resistance to staining and etching.
  3. Pebble/aggregate finishes — exposed aggregate systems (branded examples include PebbleTec and SGM products); the highest-cost category, with manufacturer-stated service lives of 15 to 25 years, offering the greatest texture variety and chemical durability.

Fiberglass resurfacing — the application of a fiberglass gelcoat or vinyl liner over an existing shell — is also available but is less common in the Lake Nona market, where the predominant pool construction type is gunite. Types of Lake Nona pool services provides broader classification of the service categories within which resurfacing sits.

Scope boundary: This page covers pool resurfacing as practiced within Lake Nona, a master-planned community located within the southeastern sector of the City of Orlando, Orange County, Florida. Permitting authority rests with Orange County's Building Division and, where applicable, the City of Orlando's permitting office. Communities in adjacent jurisdictions — including Osceola County (Narcoossee area), Kissimmee, or St. Cloud — fall under separate building departments and are not covered here. HOA-layer requirements specific to Lake Nona's residential villages (such as those governed by the Lake Nona Master Community Association) may impose additional approval steps that are outside the scope of Florida state code alone.

How it works

Resurfacing follows a structured sequence that typically spans 5 to 10 business days for a standard residential pool, depending on surface area, material chosen, and cure time requirements.

Phase 1 — Draining and surface preparation. The pool is fully drained, a process that intersects with Lake Nona pool drain and refill service protocols. Drain-and-refill operations in Florida require adherence to St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) guidelines on water disposal and reuse, particularly where pools are drained to stormwater systems.

Phase 2 — Chipping and acid washing. Existing plaster is mechanically chipped to expose the shell or scarified to create a bonding profile. A dilute acid wash removes calcium deposits and contaminants. This step determines whether the shell requires structural repair before the new finish is applied.

Phase 3 — Structural repair (if needed). Cracks, delaminated gunite, or corroded rebar are addressed at this phase. Structural repair to the pool shell may constitute work requiring a building permit under Orange County's Building Division, depending on the scope and depth of repair.

Phase 4 — Surface application. New plaster, quartz, or aggregate material is hand-troweled or pneumatically applied by a licensed pool contractor crew. Florida Statute §489.105 defines the "Swimming Pool/Spa Contractor" license classification; all structural and resurfacing work on a pool shell must be performed by or under the supervision of a licensed contractor holding a CPC (Certified Pool/Spa Contractor) or RPC (Registered Pool/Spa Contractor) license issued by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR).

Phase 5 — Start-up chemistry. After the pool is refilled, a precise 28-day start-up chemical protocol — commonly the National Plasterers Council (NPC) Start-Up Procedure — governs pH, alkalinity, and calcium hardness adjustments. Deviations during this curing window are the leading cause of early finish failure. Pool chemical balancing in Lake Nona describes the ongoing chemistry framework that follows.

Common scenarios

Three operational conditions most frequently drive resurfacing decisions in Lake Nona's pool stock:

Finish erosion. Plaster surfaces exposed to Central Florida's high-evaporation environment and frequent chemical adjustment develop a rough, chalky texture as calcium leaches from the surface. Etching depth greater than 1 millimeter across more than 50 percent of the pool surface is a commonly referenced threshold for resurfacing candidacy, though no single universal standard governs this determination.

Staining and discoloration. Organic staining (algae, tannins from landscaping), metal staining (iron or copper from source water or equipment corrosion), and calcium scaling are endemic in Orange County's water supply region. When pool algae treatment in Lake Nona and water clarity interventions fail to resolve staining, the finish itself may be compromised beyond chemical remediation.

Structural water loss confirmation. When pool leak detection in Lake Nona identifies seepage through the finish layer rather than through plumbing, resurfacing becomes the indicated repair, often in conjunction with shell crack injection or epoxy injection.

Decision boundaries

Resurfacing versus repair is not a binary choice uniformly governed by age alone. Key decision variables include:

Safety considerations governed by the Florida Building Code (FBC) and the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (federal, Public Law 110-140) apply when resurfacing work coincides with drain cover replacement. The VGB Act requires compliant anti-entrapment drain covers; resurfacing contractors disturbing the main drain area are expected to verify VGB compliance before returning the pool to service.

A resurfaced pool should be evaluated as part of a broader pool equipment inspection in Lake Nona to confirm that circulation, filtration, and chemical delivery systems are compatible with the new surface chemistry requirements — particularly relevant when transitioning from marcite to a quartz or aggregate finish with different pH tolerance profiles.

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