glass tile

The procession started more than 20 years ago, when those who apply interior finishes to pools, spas and other watershapes began looking beyond white plaster: First came the colored plasters, then pebbles and colored aggregates and, more recently, the polished aggregates. Now, says Kirk Chapman, more new materials and the advent of hybrid approaches are carrying surface specialists to new possibilities limited only by their imaginations.

Subtle at the Surface

Back in 1987 and particularly in California and Florida, the surfacing industry found itself in the middle of an unfortunate wave of plaster failures. Some people blamed the material, others blamed application techniques - and traces of the debate continue to this day. The situation was truly desperate in some areas, so much so that it drove many plasterers to seek new materials and techniques - anything to escape the cycle of negativity. Our firm in San Diego, for example, moved early and became the first in our county to apply exposed-aggregate finishes. Today, more than 80% of