Finishes & Color

Plaster, pebble and tile: how the finish you choose changes the color of the water on the first day and the hundredth.

From the job site

Homeowners pick a water color from a photograph, then choose a finish from a chart. The two are the same decision. The finish is the color; the water only lends it light.

This issue breaks down the three finishes we install, what each does to the color and feel of the water, and the tile choices that stay good-looking for twenty years.

White Plaster, Pebble and Quartzp. 01
Waterline Tile That Does Not Datep. 02
What Shade Does to a Blue Poolp. 03

Materials · 6 min read

White Plaster, Pebble and Quartz

Three finishes, three budgets, three very different blues.

White plaster is the classic: a bright, even water color, the lowest cost, and the shortest life — seven to ten years before it starts to show. Pebble finishes are aggregate blends that last twice as long and give the water a deeper, more textured tone. Quartz sits between them on price and reads smooth and consistent.

The trap is choosing a dark finish from a brochure and expecting a light pool. A dark finish with shallow water and full sun reads jewel-toned; the same finish under a covered patio reads almost black. We set samples in the actual pool depth before anyone commits.

The Hardworkers · April 2026

Craft · 5 min read

Waterline Tile That Does Not Date

Why the smallest surface in the pool decides how new the whole build looks.

The waterline is where scale forms and where the eye lands. Glass mosaic in a simple band, set straight and level, stays quiet for decades. Heavy patterns and strong colors date a pool faster than any other decision.

We keep the waterline within a family of tones that already exists in the deck or the house, and we always lay it to a story pole so the top course is level all the way around.

The Hardworkers · April 2026

Design · 4 min read

What Shade Does to a Blue Pool

The same water looks like two different pools depending on what is over it.

A covered section of pool reads deeper and cooler than an open section, which is an asset if you plan for it and a surprise if you do not. We model the shade pattern in the design so the transition looks deliberate.

If the pool sits under a cantilever or pergola for part of the day, a mid-tone finish usually holds its color best across the divide.

The Hardworkers · April 2026

Project spotlight

Freeform Pool Under a Cantilever

“We tested three finishes in the shallow end. The one we picked changes color all day.”

Where: Queen Creek, Arizona
Scope: Freeform pool, sheer descent, porcelain tile, pebble finish
Timeline: 13 weeks
Materials: Pebble finish, porcelain waterline tile, cantilever shade structure

Departments

Notes from the crew

Field notes

Test in your own light

Samples in a showroom are lit for selling. We set them in the yard, at the depth of your pool, and look at them at noon and again at six.

Ask the builder

Does a dark finish show dirt?

It shows dust and hard-water scale more than white plaster does. If the pool sits under trees or near a gravel yard, a mid-tone is usually the easier finish to live with.

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