We also struggled with this decision and I continue to second guess myself. We selected Hydrazzo. We didn't want regular plaster and were concerned that pebble-tec would be too rough for us. We have a neighbor that has Hydrazzo. The texture is great.

Good luck!

We wanted a color but still wanted it to be smooth. So, we choose 3M Colorquartz in Caribbean Blue (one of the premium blends).

Beautiful pool!! Is the coping on your pool cast concrete? The builders around here are all into brick coping..I can't stand all the mortar joints, begging him to try a coping like you have but he's hesitant...if it's stone any tips on what kind?

I'll check into the Hydrazzo...what does the texture feel like?
Thanks!
Tara

The texture is smooth. It is an exposed aggregate finish that gets polished.

Go with an off brand pebble finish like Stonescape. There are several others. Same as PebbleSheen but 1/3 as expensive.

A pebble finish will last much, much, much longer than a plain plaster finish including the quartz aggregate products. I use to have an email from the president of 3M colorquartz here in Texas who actually has a "Pebbletec" pool...don't tell anyone. ;)

Barco, thanks! The issue I'm having is where I live there are ZERO pebbletec installers, I wrote to Pebbletec and they said although I'm closer to Nashville that they could only recommend the installers in Atlanta, they have put in over 2,000 pebbletec finishes...when I called him he said they would drive the 3 hours to where I live to install (at a cost of up to 2k for the expense) it, and he'd charge me 9k (but said it'd come in a little less) for the Pebblesheen..he said to stick with the Pebblesheen since it is our goal to have summer camps for local kids and the pebbletec would not be good for kids feet...he did say they warranty it for 15 years, though...I'm just not sure I could find an installer that uses the off brands that would drive all the way out here...need to look up those like Stonescape and see if they can recommend anyone and if they offer the same warranty...thanks for your help!!

Tara

We have Pebble Fina Bella Blue. Love it!! We paid way more than $3,400 for it. We went with the Fina because we wanted a Pebble Tec finish, but not something hard on the feet. Especially since our pool is more recreational, 3.5 to 5 to 4. With our kids jumping up and down in the pool hitting the bottom, it was important that the finish be smooth. The Fina is very smooth and beautiful. I love the look and feel.

I don't know why everyone says Pebbletec is hard on the feet, I love ours and it is so comfortable to walk on. We have never had snags in our suits, scraped toes, or any other problems. I love the feel of it, you can grip it better than a slicker surface which, if you have children, would be a safety issue.

I disagree about the Pebbletec personally. The few I've swam in were awful on my feet. Maybe I'm just more sensitive than others, but I wanted a smooth surface. The pebbletec felt like a pumice stone to me.

lmhall - the coping is poured-in-place concrete. We love it too. :) We originally wanted cantilever coping (like busyredheads, with no mastic between the coping and deck) but since we live in earthquake country we could not find a builder to do it. Probably for the best.