Your pool, new again
Pool Resurfacing Services in Southern California
Smooth underfoot, clean bright water and a surface that looks like it went in last year. Plaster, quartz, mini pebble and StoneScapes finishes — quoted by the linear foot and fixed in writing before anything is demolished.
(951) 419-4206Free estimates. Financing available. Licensed — CSLB #1148412.
Run by Oscar Retana, twenty-one years plastering pools in Southern California, with his sons on the same crew. The same three or four people from the first day to the last.
Where we work most: Riverside, Redlands, Hemet, Murrieta, Corona and Anaheim — and across five counties: Moreno Valley, Temecula, Menifee, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, Fontana, Chino Hills, Irvine, Orange, Pasadena, Glendora, Whittier, Carlsbad, Oceanside, Vista and everywhere in between.
Oscar Retana and his sons — the crew that will be in your backyard. CA’s Finest & Quality Pool Plastering Inc, Riverside County.
Who will be in your backyard
The pool resurfacing contractor you are actually hiring
“I have been doing this for twenty-one years. I am not going to tell you a price on the phone and a different one when I get there.”
Oscar has spent twenty-one years on pool crews in Southern California, with more than a hundred pools behind him, and his sons work alongside him. The same three or four people are in your backyard from the day the old surface comes out to the day the water goes back in. Nobody gets handed off to a crew you have never met.
That is not just about trust, it is why the work holds. Resurfacing has a sequence — demolition, prep, the finish, the start-up — and on most jobs those are different people on different days. Here nobody is handing off, so nothing falls between them.
And it gets done the way we would want it done at our own house, because it is our own name on it. Most of our work comes from somebody who was sent by a neighbour.
You will have Oscar’s number. He tells you where the job stands every day the crew is on site, in English or in Spanish, whichever you prefer.
Is yours due?
When your pool needs resurfacing
Plaster is a wearing surface. It is meant to be replaced, the same way a roof is. The only question is whether yours is there yet.
A plaster pool in Southern California generally gives you somewhere between eight and fifteen years before the surface is done. Sun, hard water and the swing between summer heat and winter nights wear it down faster here than in most of the country. Pebble finishes last longer — often fifteen to twenty years.
What you are feeling and seeing is the plaster losing its top layer. Once that happens the surface gets porous, and a porous surface grabs everything: minerals, algae, dirt. That is why the staining gets worse every season no matter how much the pool is cleaned.
Resurfacing resets the whole thing. The old surface is chipped out, the shell underneath is prepared, and a new finish goes on. You get back a pool that is smooth to walk on, bright to look at and easy to keep clean — for another decade or two.
And if you are not there yet, we will say so. Send us a photo and we will tell you honestly whether you have another two seasons in it. There is no reason for us to rush a job that is not ready, and that is a conversation worth having before you spend anything.
The signs, in order of how often we see them
- The surface scrapes your feet or your kids’ feet
- Grey or brown staining that comes back after every cleaning
- Chalky white residue on your hand when you rub the wall
- Spots where the plaster has flaked off and you can see the grey shell
- Dark blotches that spread, especially in the deep end
- Cracks in the plaster, hairline or wider
- The waterline tile is loose, missing or permanently scaled
- An acid wash that used to help and now does nothing
The decision that moves the price most
Pool resurfacing finishes: plaster, pebble and StoneScapes
Same labour, three different materials. This is the part of the estimate people enjoy, and here is the honest version of each one.
White plaster
The classic pool interior and still the most common in California. Smooth underfoot, bright blue water, and the most affordable way to get a pool that looks new again.
Eight to twelve years of life when the chemistry is kept in range. There is also a quartz version — harder and better at shrugging off stains — covered on the replastering page.
the most affordable finish
Mini pebble & StoneScapes
Small stone aggregate in the finish. Fifteen to twenty years of life, far better at resisting stains, and a deeper, richer water colour — it is the finish that decides whether your water reads pale blue or deep lagoon.
Slightly more textured underfoot, and it comes in three stone sizes so you can pick how much. More on the pebble page.
longest lasting
Colored plaster
Darker blues, greys and greens, and it looks striking on the day it fills.
One honest note, because almost nobody gives it: pigmented cement commonly mottles within two to three years. That is how the material behaves, not bad workmanship. If you want dark water that holds, pebble is the way to get it — and we will show you both.
we will show you both
If you are choosing between plaster and pebble, the trade-off is usually simple. Pebble costs a few thousand more today and lasts about half again as long — which pushes your next resurfacing out by five to eight years. For most people who plan to stay in the house, pebble ends up being the cheaper decision over time. For a pool you are fixing up to sell, plaster is often the right call. We put both numbers in front of you and you decide.
We bring real samples to the estimate — tile, coping and finish — so you are choosing from something you can hold in your own daylight rather than from a screen.
Our testimonials
Real experiences. Real results.
Hear it from the people whose backyards we worked in. Then read the reviews straight from our Google profile, below.
A customer on how the job went, start to finish.
Another customer, another backyard in Southern California.
Real reviews from real clients
Every one of them written by somebody whose pool we worked on, in Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, Los Angeles or San Diego county. Several are in Spanish, because a good share of our customers are.
We would rather you read them before you call us than after.
What it costs
How much pool resurfacing costs
Most contractors will not talk about this until they are standing in your backyard. Here is how ours is worked out.
We quote by linear feet of perimeter — the distance around the edge of your pool. Not square feet, not gallons. It is the only unit that matches the work, and it is why two pools that hold the same water can cost very different amounts — which is also why we measure before we price.
What a resurfacing starts at
From $7,800
Demolition and a regular plaster finish on a typical pool starts around $7,800. The same pool in mini pebble starts closer to $10,500, because the material costs more and buys you five to eight extra years before you do this again.
From there it moves with what you decide to include — waterline tile and coping, a Baja shelf or a bench, the deck around the pool. Each of those is worth having and all of them are cheaper done now, while the pool is already open. But they are separate decisions, and you are allowed to do only the surface.
These are approximate starting figures for orientation only. They are not a quote and they are not a price promise. We do not publish a rate per foot, because the honest answer is that it is not the same in every city — and a number on a web page that turns into a different number at your house helps nobody. You get one fixed number in writing after Oscar has come out and measured it, free, and it does not move afterwards.
Financing is available. Ask about it when you call — it is worth knowing your options before you pick the finish rather than after. The gap between plaster and pebble is usually smaller than people expect once it is spread out.
Why we do not publish a rate per foot
Because the job is not the same in every city. Access is the big one — a backyard we can reach with a truck is a different day of work than one where every load of debris goes out through a side gate by hand. Beyond that: tile and stone cost more in some markets, some cities have their own rules about how the drained water is discharged, and the drive matters when a crew is on site for a week.
Anybody who gives you a flat per-foot price over the phone without asking where you live is either quoting high to cover themselves or is going to find a reason to revise it later. We would rather tell you where it starts now and give you the real number after we have seen the pool.
The estimate is free and the price is fixed in writing before anything is demolished. If we open something up and find a problem, you see a photo and you approve it before we touch it. No number changes on you halfway through.
What happens, in what order
How a pool resurfacing job goes
Four steps, and you know what is happening on every one of them because Oscar tells you himself.
Step 1
We measure it
Free, at your house, on your schedule. We measure the perimeter, look at the shell, the tile and the coping, and bring finish samples you can hold in your own daylight.
Step 2
Fixed price in writing
Line by line: the finish, the tile, the coping, what is included and what is not. You keep a copy before anybody picks up a chipping hammer. Ask about financing here.
Step 3
Drain, chip out, prepare
The pool is drained and the old surface comes out. If there is anything in the shell underneath, you see a photo of it and approve the fix before we move on.
Step 4
New finish, then water
The finish goes on, then we fill it and walk you through the start-up — the brushing and the chemistry for the first two weeks, which is what makes a new surface last.
How long you are without the pool
Demolition and plaster only: about one week. That is the straightforward job and it is most of what we do.
With new tile, new coping or anything structural: up to a month, because each of those adds days of its own.
We tell you which one yours is at the estimate, and we would rather say four weeks and finish in three than the other way around.
Not sure resurfacing is what your pool needs?
Some pools only need the tile. Some only need somewhere to stand. There is a table on our services page that matches what you are seeing to what it usually is — including when the answer is that you have a couple of seasons left.
Written guarantee on our workmanship
If something fails because of our workmanship within the first year, we come back and repair it. No cost, no argument — and it is in writing before we ever start, not promised verbally at the door.
Real work, real results
Recent pool resurfacing work
No stock photography — every project shown here is one of ours, in a real backyard around the Inland Empire.
off your first remodeling or new construction project
For every new customer, on top of whatever the quote already says — your first pool remodeling or new pool construction project with us. Veterans and active-duty military, always. And ask about financing while you are at it. Just mention it when you call.
Where we work
Pool resurfacing in Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, Los Angeles and San Diego counties
We are based in Riverside County and we resurface pools across five counties. A lot of these are pools that went in during the eighties and nineties and have never been redone — which in this part of California is an enormous number of backyards.
Riverside County
Riverside, Hemet, Murrieta, Corona, Moreno Valley, Temecula, Menifee, Perris, Lake Elsinore, Eastvale
San Bernardino County
Redlands, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, Fontana, Chino Hills, Upland, Rialto, Highland, Yucaipa
Orange County
Anaheim, Irvine, Orange, Yorba Linda, Fullerton, Tustin, Brea, Villa Park
Los Angeles County
Pasadena, Glendora, Whittier, Claremont, San Dimas, La Verne, Arcadia, Covina
San Diego County
Carlsbad, Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos, Escondido, Encinitas, Fallbrook
The practical questions
Pool resurfacing questions we get asked
Most of these are the ones Google itself shows when you search pool resurfacing anywhere in Southern California.
How much does it cost to replaster a 40,000 gallon pool?
Gallons are the wrong unit, and that is worth understanding before you compare quotes. We price by the perimeter, because the work is resurfacing the walls and floor — not filling the water. Two pools can both hold 40,000 gallons and have very different perimeters depending on shape and depth.
That said, demolition and a regular plaster finish on a typical pool starts around $7,800, and the same pool in mini pebble starts closer to $10,500. Waterline tile or coping are on top of that if you are doing them.
Those are approximate starting figures for orientation only — not a quote and not a price promise. Your number comes after Oscar has seen the pool, because the city, the shell and the access all move it. The visit is free and the price is fixed in writing.
What is the most affordable way to resurface a pool?
Standard white plaster, and nothing else in the same visit. That is genuinely the cheapest correct way to do it, and it gets you a pool that looks new again.
What makes a job bigger is adding tile, coping and other work at the same time. Those are real improvements and they are far cheaper done now than later — but they are separate decisions, and you are allowed to do only the plaster. We will tell you honestly whether waiting on the rest is sensible for your pool.
Two things we would steer you away from. Pool paint is cheap and it typically fails within two or three years, and then it has to be stripped before anything proper can go on. And an acid wash is not resurfacing — it removes a thin layer of what is already there, so on a thin or flaking surface it makes the problem worse rather than buying you time.
If the budget is the obstacle, tell us the number at the estimate, and ask about financing. It is a more useful conversation than pretending it is not there.
Do you offer financing?
Yes. Ask about it when you call and we will walk you through the options.
It is worth asking before you pick the finish rather than after. The gap between plaster and a longer-lasting pebble finish is usually smaller than people expect once it is spread out, and plenty of people end up with the surface they actually wanted simply because they asked early.
Do you need a permit to replaster a pool in California?
It depends on your city, and we find out before anything starts. Requirements are not the same in every jurisdiction — some treat a resurfacing as a repair to an existing surface, and others ask for a permit on it.
What is consistent is that anything structural is reviewed: modifying the depth, altering the shell, or reworking plumbing or electrical. Some cities also have their own rules about how the drained water is discharged.
We check what applies to your address and tell you at the estimate. If a permit is needed we handle the filing, and you get that timeline in writing separately so you always know which part of the schedule is ours.
What is the difference between replastering and resurfacing a pool?
In practice, most people use them to mean the same job, and so do we.
If you want the precise version: resurfacing is the category — taking off the old interior finish and putting on a new one. Replastering is resurfacing where the new finish is plaster specifically. So replastering is one kind of resurfacing, and putting on a pebble finish is another.
It matters when you compare quotes, because two contractors can both say “resurfacing” and be pricing completely different finishes. Ask which finish is in the number.
How long does a new pool surface last?
White plaster, eight to twelve years in Southern California. Mini pebble and StoneScapes, fifteen years and often more. Colored plaster looks its best for the first two to three years and then commonly mottles.
What actually decides it is water chemistry, and that is exactly why we walk you through the first two weeks of brushing and balancing when we fill it rather than handing over a full pool and leaving. That start-up period does more for the life of the surface than anything else you will ever do to it.
Can you just patch the spots instead of redoing the whole thing?
Sometimes, and we will tell you when. If you have one or two failed areas on an otherwise sound surface, a patch is reasonable and we do them.
What a patch will not do is match — new plaster against old plaster is visibly different in colour and texture, and it stays that way. And if the surface is failing in several places, patching is money spent twice.
Send us a photo and we will tell you which one you have, including if the answer is that you do not need us yet.
Do I have to be home while you work?
No. Most of our customers are not. You need to be there for the estimate and for the final walk-through, and we need access to the backyard and to water and power.
Oscar sends you an update every day the crew is there — what got done and what is happening tomorrow — so you know where the job stands without having to be in the yard for it.
What happens if you find damage once the old surface is off?
You get a photo of it and a price for it, and nothing happens until you say yes. That is the whole policy.
It is not common, but it happens: a crack in the shell, a bad previous repair, a plumbing fitting that should not be buried again. Finding it is the normal part. What matters is that it never turns into a bill you did not agree to.
Is the work guaranteed?
Yes — a written one-year warranty on the finish, handed to you with the paperwork, not promised verbally.
We are also a licensed California contractor, CSLB #1148412. You can look that number up at cslb.ca.gov and see the license status for yourself in about thirty seconds. We would encourage you to do that with every contractor who gives you a quote, including us.
¿Hablan español?
Sí. Oscar y su equipo hablan español. Llame, escriba o mande fotos en el idioma que prefiera y le contestamos en el mismo.
Get your free pool resurfacing estimate
Send a photo of the pool, close enough that we can see the texture of the surface. That is usually enough for us to tell you roughly where you stand. Free estimate, fixed price in writing, financing available.