As the weather warms up, thousands of New Zealand swimming pool owners start preparing for another summer outdoors. But before you uncover the pool and invite family and friends over, it's worth taking the time to inspect both the pool surface and the water.
A little maintenance now can prevent expensive repairs later and help ensure your pool looks fantastic throughout the swimming season.
Whether you own a concrete, plaster or epoxy-painted swimming pool, here's how to get it ready for summer.
1. Inspect Your Pool Before You Fill It
The first thing to do is carry out a thorough visual inspection.
Look for:
• Peeling or flaking paint
• Chalking or fading epoxy coatings
• Hairline cracks
• Exposed concrete or plaster
• Hollow or blistered areas
• Rust stains around fittings
• Damage caused during winter
These are often the first signs that your existing coating has reached the end of its service life.
If left untreated, water can penetrate beneath the coating, making repairs more extensive and significantly more expensive.
The earlier problems are identified, the easier and more affordable they usually are to fix.
2. Don't Leave Pool Repainting Until Late Spring
One of the biggest mistakes pool owners make is waiting until October or November before thinking about repainting.
Professional pool painters become extremely busy as summer approaches.
If your pool requires repairs or recoating, booking early gives you:
• More choice of contractors
• Better weather conditions
• Plenty of curing time before swimming
• Less chance of missing the swimming season
If your pool is showing signs of coating failure, now is the time to act.
3. Remove Winter Chemical Build-Up
If your pool has been treated with winter chemicals, you'll often notice the surface feels slippery when you first uncover it.
This is usually caused by chemical residue rather than damage to the coating itself.
A simple chemical balance adjustment normally removes these deposits.
As a general guide:
• Lower the pH to approximately 6.5 to help dissolve surface deposits.
• Allow the filtration system to remove the suspended material.
• Once complete, rebalance the water to approximately 7.2 pH before swimming.
Always follow your pool chemical supplier's recommendations and test the water before use.
4. Is It Time To Repaint Your Swimming Pool?
Most painted pools don't fail overnight.
Instead you'll notice gradual changes like:
• Colour fading
• A chalky surface
• Rough patches
• Peeling paint
• Staining that won't clean off
• Increasing difficulty keeping the pool looking clean
When these signs appear, repainting isn't just about appearance.
A quality epoxy coating protects the underlying concrete while making the pool easier to clean and maintain.
Why We Recommend Rust-Oleum 9100 Epoxy Pool Paint
Not all swimming pool paints are the same.
Rust-Oleum 9100 is a high-performance immersion-grade epoxy coating designed specifically for concrete swimming pools.
Unlike ordinary paints, it provides a hard, durable finish capable of withstanding constant water immersion, swimming pool chemicals and years of family use.
Benefits include:
• Excellent chemical resistance
• Tough epoxy finish
• Smooth surface that's easier to clean
• Outstanding adhesion
• Long service life
• Suitable for residential, commercial and public pools
Whether you're restoring an ageing backyard pool or repainting a commercial aquatic facility, Rust-Oleum 9100 has been trusted throughout New Zealand for decades.
A Well-Maintained Pool Is More Enjoyable All Summer
Your swimming pool should be a place where family and friends relax—not a source of ongoing maintenance problems.
Spending a little time inspecting the surface, balancing the water chemistry and addressing small issues before summer arrives can help protect your investment and ensure your pool looks its best for years to come.
If you're unsure whether your pool simply needs maintenance or it's time for a fresh epoxy coating, we're happy to help.
Our team has been supplying specialist swimming pool coatings throughout New Zealand for more than 30 years and can recommend the right system for your project.
Need Advice On Swimming Pool Paint?
Whether you're repainting your own pool or working with a professional applicator, we'll help you choose the right coating system and answer any questions you have about preparation, application or long-term maintenance.
Talk to the team at Modern Maintenance Products today.
Contact us for more information
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