Hillside Pool & Spa removes stubborn stains and restores plaster brightness with a professional acid wash that is measured, controlled, and safe for your surface.
An acid wash is a targeted treatment for stained or dull plaster, not a routine clean. Here is what we handle on every acid wash from start to finish.
Round Rock fill water carries enough calcium to leave a visible scale line on the plaster, and the open lots in Forest Creek and Paloma Lake bake that scale on through the long summer. We tell scale stains from organic and metal discoloration before we recommend a wash, because acid only lifts certain types and guessing wastes your money.
We drop the water to a working depth and mask off the tile, the returns, and the deck so acid never touches anything but the plaster. The tighter equipment pads in Teravista and Meadows at Chandler Creek sit close to the house, so we cover the pump, the heater, and the salt cell before we open a single bottle of acid.
We brush a measured muriatic acid solution across the plaster section by section, starting at the deep end and working up so no zone sits in acid longer than the rest. The hard-water scale ring at the waterline on Forest Creek pools often needs a second controlled pass to break through the crust. Working in sections is what lifts the stain without over-etching the finish beneath it.
Once the discoloration lifts, we kill the acid with soda ash and flood-rinse the surface until the runoff tests neutral. Hard Round Rock fill water will redeposit scale on freshly washed plaster the moment the hose starts, so we neutralize thoroughly and pre-treat the fill before the first gallon goes in. A clean rinse is what keeps the brightness from undoing itself on day one.
We refill and bring the chlorine, pH, alkalinity, and calcium into range as the water rises, not after the pool is full. Hard water here means the calcium drifts high on refill, so we dial in the alkalinity first and keep the pH on the low side of the range to prevent fresh scale from forming on the newly brightened surface. Balancing as we fill is what locks in the brightness.
We hand you a written summary of the plaster condition, flagging any spots where scale has pitted the surface or where the finish is getting thin enough that a resurface is coming. That record gives you a baseline to compare against on the next wash, so you can plan ahead instead of being caught off guard. Honest reporting is what helps you stay ahead of the plaster.
We use professional-grade muriatic acid mixed to the stain type we diagnosed, never a uniform pour that ignores the surface. The older plaster pools near Downtown Round Rock and Round Rock West often need a lighter solution, while the newer finishes in Teravista and Paloma Lake can take a standard mix. After the wash we neutralize with soda ash and rinse until the surface tests clean. Matching the acid strength to the plaster is what keeps the wash from doing more harm than good.
On refill we rebalance with chlorine, pH adjusters, alkalinity increaser, and calcium from brands we trust like BioGuard and Leslie. Round Rock fill water runs high enough in calcium to scale freshly washed plaster if it is not balanced right away, so we test the fill water as the pool rises and dial in the alkalinity before the calcium can settle. Getting the hard-water chemistry right during the fill is what holds the bright finish.
We drain, assess, wash, neutralize, and rebalance so your plaster comes back bright and your water is safe from the first refill.
We pump the water down to a working depth and inspect every inch of the surface to confirm the stains will respond to acid and the plaster has enough life left to take a wash.
Before any acid goes in the pool, we hand you a plain-language written quote covering the wash, the neutralization, and the hard-water refill balance, no pressure.
We apply the acid in sections, neutralize and rinse the surface, refill the pool, and balance the chemistry as the water rises so the finish comes back bright and the hard water does not scale it again.
The calcium in Round Rock fill water leaves a scale crust that brushing and balanced chemistry will not break through, and once that crust sets, an acid wash is the next step. These signs tell you the plaster is ready for one.
We read the plaster first to confirm the discoloration is scale or organic, because acid makes an etched finish worse, and we never drain a pool that does not need a wash.
An acid wash makes sense when the plaster is healthy but dulled by hard-water scale and summer staining, because it lifts the discoloration at a fraction of the cost and downtime of a full resurface. If the finish is cracked, etched, or too thin, a wash will not help and can accelerate the damage, so we tell you straight when a resurface is the smarter path. Many older Round Rock pools near Downtown and Round Rock West fall in the middle, and we help you weigh the honest tradeoff.
We hand you a free written quote after inspecting your pool, no pressure, so you can weigh a wash against a resurface with the real facts in front of you. When a wash will handle it, we tell you, and when the plaster is too far gone, we tell you that too. The aim is the right fix for your surface, not the larger invoice. We never push a resurface when a wash will bring the shine back.
Tell us what your plaster looks like and we will send a clear written quote, no pressure.
Get A Free QuoteFrom the hard-water scale on the older plaster near Downtown Round Rock to the summer-stained finishes in Teravista and Paloma Lake, we know which surfaces respond to an acid wash and which need a different fix. That familiarity is what keeps the wash effective instead of generic.
Stains and plaster wear in Round Rock trace back to the calcium in the fill water and the full-sun lots that bake it onto the surface. Here is what we plan around on every wash.
The calcium in Round Rock fill water leaves a crusty scale line at the waterline, and the open, full-sun lots in Paloma Lake and Round Rock West bake that scale onto the plaster through the long summer. Brushing and balanced chemistry will not break through a baked-on scale crust, and an acid wash is what dissolves it. We adjust the acid strength to how thick the scale has gotten so the surface brightens without being over-etched.
The older pools near Downtown Round Rock and Round Rock West often have original plaster that has thinned with age, so we measure the surface carefully before recommending a wash. A thin finish needs a lighter solution or a resurface instead, and we tell you plainly which is the safer call. Honest reporting on the plaster condition is what keeps an acid wash from doing more harm than good on an aging pool.
Beyond acid washing, our team handles the weekly maintenance, repairs, and remodel work that keeps Round Rock pools clear and running right.
Answers to what Round Rock homeowners ask before hiring a pool acid wash.
Call now or request a free quote and we will send a clear written plan for your pool.
