Are you comfortable with the bottom line? I think that's the budget number I'd be more concerned with than I would be the price per square foot. I got caught up in price per square foot and then realized that the tile that 5 times more per square foot was going to cost me about $100-150 more bottom line. We didn't set a budget for the splash -- we didn't know what it was "supposed to cost" so we we just had the gag reflex test. LOL In my case, the field tile wasn't so bad -- it was the trim. Looks like a similar thing is happening with you. I got the more expensive field tile but paired it with less expensive trim. I wound up using 2 rows of a glazed pencil liner with a metallic liner in between to have one wider row -- a "custom listello? I used material from three different tile manufacturers from 3 different stores. I bought a number of different trims and got some samples of the field tile and laid them out on my floor in different combinations until I found one that clicked. Could you do something similar? Would it be worth it to you? I got something I doubt anyone else has and I really like it. For me, that was even better. Good luck with your decisions.

Scott, with all due respect to your intent to keep things simple, I have to take exception with some of the absolutes you have stated. We have many plaster (limestone/calcium carbonate) pools that have lasted in excess of 20 years and started installing Diamond Brite when it first came out in 1992 without any failures I know of to date. At that time it was about 3% quartz, 3% ceramic coated silica and the rest was limestone. The main difference was it came in premixed bags which kept the plaster crew from weakening the cement/aggregate ratio. When exposed aggregate finishes(pebbletech)became available in our area (1999), we tried it on a pool and it has also held up fine with exception to some pebbles coming up. When our plasterer became the authorized Pebbletech installer 4 years ago we started offering it as a finish and have been satisfied. Keep in mind that it, like plaster or quartz are all bonded together with portland cement which is primarily made with finely ground, dehydrated calcium carbonate or limestone. Travertine is very pourous limestone which allows it to absorb a higher % of water and air making it susceptable to expansion of drying salt crystals and freeze damage. That feature also allows it to be the coolest surface availble and very similar to kool-deck which is limestone or the same material used when plastering a pool with a richer cement/aggregate ratio and an application process that promotes porosity. All limestone is not the same density and travertine could mean minimal channelling or it could be extremely pourous. Limestone can also be as dense as 8000 psi. The denser limestone is the prefered choice for what is commonly referred to as marble. Although I haven't seen many tops of salt shakers rust because they are probably made of very noble metals, I have seen many cars, boat trailers and their wiring, boats and fishing reels rust beyond repair if the salt is not rinsed off immediately with fresh water. Boats have sacrificial anodes which minimize corrosion when they are immersed in an electrolyte (salty or polluted water)but have no impact on the post corrosion after the boat is removed from the water. In our area it takes 7+ years for a pool with a strong southern exposure to build up enough CYA before it needs to be drained from using trichlor as the primary sanitizer. Some pools never reach that level. We get about 4 feet of annual rainfall per year which might dilute them more than average and we often supplement the spas with ozonators. In summary there are lots of applications that work for different conditions and applying the same set of rules to all conditions isn't always the best method.

Here on the west coast it is not uncommon to have plaster last 20 years. Perhaps harsher climates will deminish plaster life. The same goes for Diamond Brite and Hydrazzo. Pebble Tec will last longer. I think maintenance plays a big roll in the longevity of your plaster/hydrazzo/Peb-Tec surface along with climate.

We had a pool built last year and chose a Pebble Tec finish. I am now so sorry we did. I wish we'd saved the $$$ and had just gone for the old fashioned plaster finish. I'm 62 and use the pool for aqua exercises for my arthritis, and part of my routine is to walk MANY steps back and forth in the pool. The first few days I did this, the bottoms of my feet ended up RAW. At first I didn't make the connection. But finally on about the 3rd day, I realized it was from the surface of the pool. My feet were so sore I could hardly walk on them. My feet are not that sensitive. I walk around barefoot all day when I'm home. I now wear either water shoes or mesh shower shoes in the pool. I thought maybe I could "toughen up" the bottoms of my feet, but the few times I've tried to go in barefoot since the beginning, I can feel the irritation, and end up putting my shoes back on.