Materials Guide

What a PebbleCrete finish is

A continuous cement-based finish with visible mineral or glass particles at the surface. The chosen aggregate is combined with the specified cement, modifier, colour components where required, and water to form a workable finishing mix.

Cement forms the matrix that holds the particles together. The applicator spreads, compacts and trowels the mix over the prepared pool, then removes a thin surface film of cement paste to reveal the aggregate. The cement between and beneath the particles stays in place and binds the finish together.

Think of the finished surface as particles held in a cement matrix. It is applied as a continuous layer that follows the shape of the pool. It is not paint, a flexible liner, loose stones glued individually to the wall, or a layer made entirely of resin.

Instead of a repeated grid of tiles, the interior reads as a continuous textured surface. The aggregate, the surrounding cement colour, the quality of the application and the water above it all contribute to how it looks. Planned joints, material transitions and movement details still need proper design.

Choosing your material and colour

Start with two decisions: the character of the surface and the appearance you want from the water. They are related, but they are not the same thing.

PebbleCrete Classic uses natural aggregate, glass crystals or a combination of the two, with glass beads as an accent in specified blends. PebbleCrete Supreme is built on glass beads, combined with natural aggregate and glass crystals. PebbleCrete Glass uses glass beads as its entire aggregate component. All three are cement-based finishes. Compare physical samples to understand their texture, colour and response to light.

Sample images are illustrations. They give a general idea of colour, texture and particle size and show the finish wet; the sample triangle represents about 12 cm of surface. PebbleCrete is made from natural stone, glass or both and is applied by hand, so colour and the mix of particles vary from batch to batch and from pool to pool. Lighting, screens, water depth and surroundings also change how a finish looks. These images are not a substitute for a physical sample. Always confirm your choice with a current physical PebbleCrete sample, viewed wet. Before work starts, we recommend that your applicator makes an on-site mock-up (test panel) for you to approve. The finished surface should be judged against the approved mock-up and physical sample, not against the images on this site. PebbleCrete supplies the material. Unless PebbleCrete has agreed otherwise in writing, the application, the mock-up and the finished result are the responsibility of the owner and their applicator. Use completed project photographs to explore the relationship between the finish, water and architecture. Depth, sunlight, shade and reflections change the overall impression; one pool can look different throughout the day.

For a clear specification, record the material family and exact colour together. Keep the approved sample with the project records. Review steps, shallow areas and the main swimming zone as parts of one design. Check current availability and confirm any custom blend before placing the order. A photograph of an earlier blend does not establish what is currently available.

The three families

The distinction is about the type of aggregate and the blend, not simply natural aggregate versus glass. All three form a cement-based finish.

Family	What defines it
PebbleCrete Classic	Natural aggregate, glass crystals or their combinations. Glass beads may provide an accent in specified blends. Glass crystals can form the whole aggregate in designated blends.
PebbleCrete Supreme	Glass beads in every blend, combined with natural aggregate and glass crystals. Proportions vary with the selected blend and colour.
PebbleCrete Glass	The aggregate component consists entirely of glass beads. Cement and the specified modifier remain part of the installed finish.

Choosing between the three

The families are not a good, better, best ladder. They are three different characters, and the right one depends on the water you want and the setting the pool sits in.

	PebbleCrete Classic	PebbleCrete Supreme	PebbleCrete Glass
Aggregate	Natural aggregate, glass crystals or both, with a glass-bead accent depending on the blend	Glass beads in every blend, with natural aggregate and glass crystals	Glass beads throughout
Surface character	Mineral or crystalline character, depending on the selected blend	More contrast between particles; natural aggregate and glass both visible	The most uniform of the three; the surface reads as one material
In water	Holds a natural, settled colour	Noticeable sparkle as light moves	The strongest response to light; colour shifts most with depth and sun
Typical use	Pools meant to sit quietly in a garden or landscape	Pools where the water itself is a feature	Feature pools, dark or jewel-toned water, architectural settings
Colour	Batched to order	Batched to order	Batched to order
Relative cost	The most affordable of the three	Above Classic	Above PebbleCrete Supreme
Physical sample	Supplied on request for any colour in any family. No photograph settles a choice made for water.

All three are cement-based and applied the same way, at the same nominal 10 mm. Maintenance, water chemistry and preparation requirements do not differ between them. As a planning figure, an exposed-aggregate pool finish is generally expected to serve for 15–20 years. This is an industry estimate, not a warranty term. Where an individual pool falls within or outside that range depends on substrate preparation, application quality, water chemistry and routine maintenance. Our material warranty is set out separately.

Two different forms of glass

Glass beads and glass crystals are separate aggregate types. The accent limit in Classic applies to glass beads; it does not limit the glass-crystal content. A Classic finish with glass crystals therefore does not automatically become PebbleCrete Glass — the family follows the specified blend.

Glass-crystal content and glass-bead content are different specifications. Keep those names distinct in sample requests, quotations and orders.

The aggregate ingredients

Each colour is a composition. Its appearance comes from the selected ingredients, their proportions and the cement surrounding them.

Ingredient	Its role in the blend
Natural aggregate	A natural stone aggregate, used on its own in Classic or combined with glass components in Classic and Supreme blends. It contributes its own colour and visible grain.
Glass beads	Rounded glass particles. In Classic they are limited to an accent; they are a core component of every Supreme blend, and they form the entire aggregate component of PebbleCrete Glass.
Glass crystals	A decorative glass aggregate used in Classic and Supreme blends. Distinct from glass beads.

The ingredients are only part of the finished colour

The visible cement between the particles also contributes to the result. Two blends containing similar aggregate can look different when the cement colour, accent distribution or degree of exposure changes. This is why a finished sample tells you more than a description of ingredients.

Choose a result, then specify the blend

Start with the atmosphere you want and review actual samples: a quieter mineral character, stronger contrast between particles, or a more pronounced glass effect. There is no need to choose ingredients independently unless a custom blend is part of the project.

Composition does not by itself establish smoothness, grip or durability. Particle grading, placement, compaction, exposure and the complete pool system also matter. Review the wet surface and the intended use alongside its appearance.

Why the water changes the colour

A material sample, an installed dry surface and the water in a completed pool show three different views of the same finish.

A small sample helps you see the particles and the surrounding cement. Under water, light travels through the water before and after it reaches the surface, so the apparent colour changes with depth, sunlight, shade, viewing angle and reflections from nearby walls, planting and the sky. Pool lighting introduces another variable after dark.

A shallow step can look noticeably lighter than the deeper floor even where the same material was used. A photograph depends on camera exposure, white balance and editing as well. A colour selected only from a phone screen can create an expectation the real pool cannot reproduce.

A useful sample review

• Compare a short list. View physical samples together in the surroundings planned for the pool, in sun and in shade.
• Review the wet appearance. Ask to see the sample under water, and compare installed examples of similar depth and lighting.
• Approve a reference. For a design-sensitive project, agree a representative mock-up, record the product and colour, and keep the approved sample for comparison.

Slight variation in a hand-applied finish is different from a defect. The agreed sample and the project acceptance criteria should guide the review; pronounced irregularities should be investigated.

Aggregate finish or tile?

Both can be considered as part of a well-designed pool. The useful comparison starts with the effect and detailing required.

An applied aggregate finish creates a continuous surface appearance and can follow shaped pool geometry. Required movement joints still need to be designed and maintained. Tile creates a modular appearance, with tile dimensions, joints and grout becoming part of the design. The two materials can be combined, for example with a tiled waterline above an aggregate interior.

Compare the complete construction systems. Review substrate preparation, bonding, waterproofing, joints, transitions, maintenance and workmanship. Both finishes rely on appropriate installation and water care; neither should be selected on a promise that those responsibilities disappear.

For a renovation, establish what can remain and what needs removal before comparing prices. Include removal, repairs, fittings, access, filling and startup in the scope. Compare prices against the same measured finish area and responsibilities. Ask how a later repair would be carried out and whether it is likely to remain visible.

A seamless surface

In a domestic pool the finish is applied corner to corner as one continuous layer. Where the design calls for a movement joint there will be one — typically a sawn joint filled with PU, or a spacer — but these are few and deliberate, not a grid. Tile brings a grout line every few centimetres.

That matters over time, because on a tiled pool it is usually not the tile that ages but the joints and the bedding: grout erodes, deposits collect at the waterline, individual tiles debond and need re-fixing. An aggregate finish has no grout to maintain.

The aggregate

The aggregate of a PebbleCrete finish is natural aggregate, glass crystals, glass beads or a combination, depending on the line and colour. The Ice colours of PebbleCrete Classic are made with glass crystals. PebbleCrete Glass uses glass beads throughout.

Delivery and waste

PebbleCrete is supplied as a dry blend in sealed bags. There are no tiles to break in transit or cut on site, though project quantities should allow for substrate geometry and full three-bag batches (one 25 kg bag covers about 1.8 m² at 10 mm). Pool tile is typically ordered with an overage of 10–20%, depending on the pool’s geometry, to cover cuts, breakage and spares for later repair. Because shade varies between production batches, the whole quantity is usually ordered from one batch — which matters most when the tile is shipped from overseas and cannot easily be re-ordered.

At the end of its life

When an aggregate finish is eventually removed it breaks down into granular material. It does not remain as bonded sheet fragments with sharp edges, which is how tile and its bedding come off.

Fibre optics, waterlines and overflows

Lighting and edge details should be designed with the pool finish. They are difficult to treat as afterthoughts once the surface is complete.

For fibre-optic lighting, agree the intended pattern, cable routes, light-source location and service access before application. Coordinate the lighting specialist with the finish applicator. Record the concealed routes and components in the handover drawings so they can be located during future maintenance.

Explore coloured lighting, pool projection and fibre-optic points in our illustrated guide to white-base finishes.

Waterlines, overflow lips, exposed walls and waterfalls experience different conditions from continuously submerged surfaces. Confirm suitability for each location, including areas that repeatedly wet and dry. A consistent appearance may require different construction details beneath the surface.

Draw the transitions: where materials meet, how joints continue, where water runs and how fittings will be maintained. Mock-ups are useful for reviewing edges and the relationship between finishes. Confirm equipment and exposed details against the relevant manufacturers’ instructions and the project specification.

What to include in your specification

PebbleCrete finishes are cementitious aggregate finishes. The supplied material, the specified white Portland cement bought locally, and the application together form the finished surface. A result obtained with one tested combination should not be assumed to apply to every locally sourced cement or installation.

Record	Why it matters
Material family and colour	A colour name alone does not identify the complete finish. Include the agreed sample reference.
Areas and geometry	Measure the actual finish area: floors, walls, steps and other surfaces. The water-surface area alone is not the finish quantity.
Substrate and waterproofing scope	Identify who is responsible for structural repairs, render, waterproofing, water testing and acceptance.
Edges and interfaces	Show waterlines, overflows, movement joints, penetrations and transitions to tile or other finishes.
Supply and application responsibilities	Distinguish the material package, local cement, freight, site preparation, application and startup.
Required evidence	State the specific project requirement. Product documentation, a laboratory report and a project warranty serve different purposes.