If you’re anything like me growing up the only thing you know about pools is that you had to go to your friends down the street or the city pool. I never knew much about pools other than they held water. When I Heard about Gunite pools I had no idea what that was. So I’ll share what I learned today about Gunite and some of its benefits for installation in Texas.
Can I was actually invented by a taxidermist in 1907 who liked to pay around in industrial construction when he wasn’t stuffing animal carcasses.
The term “gunite” actually refers to the process through which concrete is transformed from a pile of cement into a beautiful swimming pool. Gunite uses pressurized air to push dry concrete through a tube or hose. This dry mixture combines with water in a nozzle at the end of the hose, which shoots the now mixed concrete onto the surface it is directed at. The result of this process will be a thin layer of wet concrete, which is blasted at high speed and pressure onto any surface to which it can adhere. So basically gunite is nothing more than concrete but the process to which it is mixed with water and spoiled is different than what we normally think of with concrete applications.
Once the hole is dug and all plumbing installed the gunite can be applied. Because this is concrete the curing time will be the same. You will want to wait a solid 28 days to fully cure everything to best hope all the weight of the water that will be in the pool. Moving forward to quickly could cause cracks and leaks in the future. After the gunite is completed and cured, generally a tile or some type of finish will be put on to give it that finished look.
The big question everyone has now, how long does it take and how much does it cost. As a general idea a gun a pool could be 3 to 6 months from start to finish, much is dependent on supply availability and also the schedule of the companies providing the service. As we keep battling the heat here in Texas more people are wanting pools and that is pushing some of the scheduling back. For most Gunite pools you can expect to pay between $55,000-$100,000. That would be depending on any extras such as lights fountains and the size of the pool and surrounding concrete.
Some pros of a gunite pool, they are highly durable, do not require a liner, easy configuration of size and shape.
And of course the cons, if it is ever needing to be drained that could be an issue with the ground shifting when the weight of the water is removed, has a little bit higher maintenance cost, some people feel the bottom could be a little rough on the feet, also the installation time can be longer.
So should I get a fiberglass pool or a gunite pool? We will discuss fiberglass pools next week.
Dave Flaishans
Project Manager
DC&H Construction
469-474-9555
