The Language of Plaster

Pool plastering veteran and instructor, Jon Temple, believes the industry needs to rethink its approach to the cementitious surface installation process. That transformation, he says, should start by changing some of the language used to describe how plaster and exposed aggregate finishes are formulated, placed and maintained.

By Jon Temple

When you keep doing the same thing over and over, and keep thinking about what you’re doing in the same exact way, you can never evolve. You get stuck.

That’s where I see the plastering industry right now. For decades, we’ve been arguing the same points, using the same tired language, and in turn we’ve been repeating the same problems that have haunted pool plaster since the beginning.

I’ve been plastering pools for over 30 years, and from the start, I’ve never been satisfied with the status quo. I’ve plastered tens of thousands of pools, and throughout that time I’ve treated every single one as an opportunity to observe, refine, and learn. That ongoing process has led me to develop a very different way of looking at what we do—and more importantly, how we talk about and teach what we do.

In this new series for WaterShapes, and in my teaching with Watershape University, I want to begin sharing what I’ve learned. To start, I’d like to take a look at three common terms that, in my view, hold us back. Language drives thinking, and when we change the language, we open the door to change in process and performance.

Acid Wash → Chemical Wash

For years, the industry has used the term “acid wash,” by which we mean applying muriatic acid to remove scale, plaster dust, and expose aggregate. The problem is, muriatic acid is destructive to the cement matrix of plaster, and over time it leads to weaker, less durable surfaces.

In my company, we’ve eliminated the word acid wash. We call it a chemical wash, because we’ve replaced muriatic acid with citric acid—a gentler chemistry that accomplishes the same purpose without the long-term damage. The difference is enormous in terms of durability and customer satisfaction. The name matters, because it reflects a change in thinking and a change in practice.

Start-up → Maintenance Initiation

The second term I’ve done away with is start-up. In traditional plastering culture, “start-up” implies an extended, reactive interaction between the new plaster surface and the water—whether it’s through acid start-up, bicarb start-up, or any number of prescribed chemical gymnastics. The idea is that the water and plaster fight it out for a period of time, while the pool owner or service tech tries to “manage” the battle brushing the surface and vacuuming the plaster dust.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. If the plaster is placed and finished properly, there should be no ongoing “start-up” interaction with the water. Instead, the pool is plastered, filled, the equipment is turned on, and the water chemistry is balanced. Period. From there, the water is simply maintained—just like it will be for the life of the pool.

That’s why we’ve replaced the term start-up with maintenance initiation. There’s no drawn-out drama, no plaster dust to manage, no surface carbonating. It’s simply the first step of maintaining balanced water in a balanced system.

Hard Troweling → Compression Troweling

Finally, let’s look at hard troweling. For as long as I’ve been around, people have referred to the process of tightening the plaster surface as “hard troweling.” But that phrase obscures what’s actually happening.

The point of this step is to press the aggregates together at the surface, making the plaster denser, more durable, and more resistant to water chemistry. It’s not about being “hard,” it’s about creating compression. That’s why in our work we use the term compression troweling. It’s more accurate, and it helps our crews understand exactly what they’re aiming for in the process.

Beyond Semantics

Some people might think these are just words—but words shape thought, and thought shapes behavior. By refining the language, we refine the way we think about our craft. That opens the door to real improvements in how we plaster pools, how long those surfaces last, and how confident we can be in the product we’re giving to clients.

I’ll go further: if we truly advance our understanding and execution, we can eliminate the concept of “warranty work” altogether. That’s been my goal—to get as close to zero problems as possible. When you operate at that level, you don’t carry the same baggage. You’re steering clear of stormy seas, moving efficiently, and raising the bar for the entire industry.

It starts with the language. Change the words, change the thinking, change the work. And when we change the work, we change the industry.

Going forward, we’ll be taking a close look at the blending and pumping process, blend design, materials, the choreography of troweling, and ongoing maintenance.

Jon Temple is president and founder of Tempool, a pool-surfacing firm located in Jacksonville, FL. Temple founded the company in 1996, which has plastered more than 30,000 pools. He is a valued Watershape University faculty member.