Skinner Swim Pool Plastering

Our pool is 35 years old and has never been acid washed or replastered. It wasn’t pretty, felt like concrete and had suspicious cracks. I went through 6 – 7 companies before seeing one of Skinner’s trucks on the road. They were driving well, were courteous to other drivers and the truck was well organized and clean… and in our area.
I had been on the cusp of giving up finding a company that knew what they were talking about, weren’t trying to force an immediate sale, weren’t refusing to write a contract or at most willing to scribble cryptic notes and numbers on a piece of paper. The prices of the estimates varied widely and were always more than their «ad» said it would be.
Amazingly, Skinner was willing to come give an estimate even though I was not going to be home that day. A real, official estimate/​contract arrived in the mail within days. I couldn’t believe it. The prices were lower than any of the other companies. I had to wait several months for financing and when I called back they honored the original bid.
I wasn’t sure about colors and tiles. Izzy invited me to the store to surf through choices. Next I wasn’t sure whether I needed new coping or not. Bret came to the office to meet me to look at photos and discuss options. Following the removal of the plaster we were uncertain whether some of the cracks were large enough to require repair. Bret was onsite right away to evaluate and provide an estimate.
Each activity was done by a separate team that seemed to specialize in that part of the project. Everything ran like clockwork in spite of rain and repairs. Izzy kept the project going and made sure my paperwork always matched our discussions and my decisions. The plastering itself was well organized and orchestrated by Kyle. I couldn’t help watching as they seemingly effortlessly transformed the scarred hole into an awesome pool.
In short, the cost was a deal, communication was constant, my concerns were addressed, the yard remained spotless throughout the entire project and the pool looks great. I felt well taken care of from start to finish.

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY
We had our pool replastered and retiled about a year ago. When we met with one of the owners, Bret, he seemed like he knew what he was doing and said he was on site «frequently» which is one of the reasons we chose Skinner. After we signed with them, Bret’s work was done. I think he came one time during the work and that’s it. He has never seen the pool finished. He is impossible to reach. He refuses to call back and is not helpful in any way. The work was delayed for a million reasons. No one ever called to let us know. People just didn’t show up. Most of the people who did show were nice and did a good job but the communication with Skinner was horrible. They billed for things before the work was ever completed and sent on line bills and well. It is all about money for them. What caused me to write the review was that we had some problems with the cement in our backyard (Not Skinner’s work). We wanted them to replace some decoseal that we were planning to pay for. We called Skinner, my contractor called Skinner and Bret refused to call back. Izzy who does the scheduling said she gave the message to Bret. Several weeks with no call back. Finally Izzy just scheduled the person. It took 15 minutes to do and cost $ 300.00. These people are absolutely crazy. I don’t know how they stay in business. Do yourself a favor and don’t even start up with them. It’s not worth it. There are plenty of other people who can do the job just as well.

Brett came out and gave us on honest bid. I liked him immediately. This is a mom & pop pool replaster company that only does this type of work. Best warranty in the business and they have been redoing pools in the valley for over 40 years. Pool turned out great. Communication was fantastic. Thanks Skinner Pools!

Absolutely Amazing! Brett from Skinner Pools was the first estimate we got to re-​plaster our pool. We continued to get other bids because this is an expensive thing and figured we should shop around. But as each one after the other left… my boyfriend and I would look at each other and say…“uh no way!” Brett is certainly an expert and knows his stuff. Not only was he personable he knew what he was talking about, whereas the others to follow had no answer to any of our questions nor cared to share the process let alone point out other options available to us. Then came the crew… a different crew for each different stage and every single one of them were very nice, very helpful and cleaned up after themselves. Brett and Kyle always helped us and explained things with questions we had. Izzy and Karla in the office were always friendly and helpful. Our pool is GORGEOUS! Beyond my expectations! Overall, as you can read I can’t say enough about this company and do not go anywhere else!!!

I had them re-​plaster a pool and it went very smooth and turned out beautifully. Will use them again for a second property I have.

March 2013 Update
In conclusion, Brian did try and help me slightly on costs with other parts of the job (plumbing, concrete removal, etc.) but the coping was non-​negotiable in Brian’s eyes.
The net-​net, I had to replace my deck to match the slope of the new coping. It looks fabulous now. But it cost me an extra $ 12k for the new deck. Chalk it up to mis-​communication! :(
At the end of the day, I am 120% satisfied with every other aspect of the pool. Brian dialed the quartz color in beautifully, the new plumbing flows soo much better than the old plumbing, and I continue to get compliments on the Oceanside glass tile and new concrete deck.
My advice to any prospective pool remodeler; 1) know that you will spend more than the quote you’re given, 2) ask for everything in writing, 3) ask that your contractor be there on the major construction days (coping, plastering, tile set, etc.), and 4) consult a pool designer for help if you can afford to as it will differ some stress.
Good luck and happy remodeling!
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June 2012
I’m currently in dispute with Skinner regarding the coping that was installed on my pool on May 25^th, 2012. Brian Skinner refuses to repair it, despite his crew communicating one thing (¹⁄₈ of an inch slope) and doing another (½ and inch slope). Not to mention that it’s at twice the slope of the general «rule of thumb» (¼ inch per foot). This slope has the added benefit of providing multiple trip hazards, not a good combination for my children or their grandparents. As other pool contractors have said to me, their reputation is worth more than the price to fix this mistake. Though it doesn’t seem like that’s the same feeling Skinner has.
I will update this feed once there’s conclusion, but right now I’m not holding my breath.

I had Skinner plaster my pool and could not be happier with the results! Really beautiful job and very helpful and friendly people. The guys that did the work were friendly, on time and did a great job of cleaning up after themselves each day. There was no trash or remnants of the old plaster/​pool left for me to clean up at any point in the process. Izzy, the woman that answers runs the office was very patient with me as I grilled her about tile and all of the possible options. She just remained friendly even though I was having a hard time deciding. They did the job quickly with no delays. The topper was the pool guy I hired to do the start up of the new pool and said — «whoever did your plaster did a great job»! So glad I went with Skinner!

I had Skinner Pool replaster my pool. The white plaster was already discolored before the water had filled in the pool. They also plastered over the water feed line that goes in to the pool, as well as plastering the polaris fittings in the wall of the pool. They admit the plaster is not typical but there only solution was an acid wash which I am unwilling to do to a newly plastered pool. I believe they had their young sons or very inexperienced workers perform ed the job and also they used an inferior quality of plaster. My previously 20 year old plastered pool looked newer than my recently plastered pool. I have pictures of my horrible plaster job. I requested to have my pool replastered and they were unwilling to remedy the situation or refund me my money so I can get it redone by a reputable company. I have lots of photos to show the horrible quality.