OMG, I must have jinxed myself. We walked around in the pool today and were puzzled about how it felt -- alot bumpier than we thought it would be. That's when we realized that either our PB or the installer made a big mistake, because we have regular pebbles rather than the mini-pebbles. There's a huge difference between the 2 -- we put the samples we had in the pool and there was no question we didn't have mini-pebbles. The good thing is we have our e-mail where we told the PB our final selection, so it's clearly not our fault. We're waiting to hear what the PB has to say -- they've been great so far, so I know they'll fix it. I just don't relish the thought of what it will take to drain the pool, scrape out the pebbles and re-do it all, so we're trying to decide if we can live with it. We actually really like the look of the larger pebbles, but I'm still not sure I feel like sitting on them in the spa. I'll keep you posted. At the very least, I can show you some pictures of Tahoe Blue regular pebbles, and if we decide to have it redone, I can show you both! There's never a dull moment with a pool build, is there?

Neither Pebble Tec nor Pebble Sheen are in any way, shape, or form, anything that could be considered "rough." However, having said that, the pebbles in the Tec are most definitely larger than those used in the Sheen, and will give a bumpier texture. A smooth bumpy texture. The texture of Pebble Sheen is very much like that of a basketball or football. If your pool builder can't arrange for you to personally visit some pools with both textures (and I can't imagine why he couldn't), he can at the very least bring some samples that Pebble Technology, Inc., provides to pool builders. They're about 4" square (although they are often sort of triangular or diamond shaped), and come in all of the colors that the company makes. But if you go to see actual pools, you should at least be able to take your shoes off and step onto the first or second step so you can get a first-hand (first-foot?) opinion. Also, you should definitely go to see in person some pools with the color interior you're considering, whether it's the Tec or the Sheen. There is no way you can accurately determine what any of the colors will look like until you see an actual pool. But, you still have to bear in mind that the environment at YOUR pool location can/will affect what you see. More or fewer trees, etc., can affect how the interior looks. When we built our pool (we did it as owner-builder) and had decided to go with a pebble interior, we pretty much figured that we'd go with Pebble Tec. Some folks in the neighborhood allowed us to come see their pool, which had Tahoe Blue Pebble Tec - exactly what we'd been considering. As soon as we saw their pool, hubs and I knew immediately that Tahoe Blue was not for us. We took off our sandals and stepped in. Hubs didn't mind the feel of the Tec, but it was too bumpy for me. We ended up with Black Onyx Pebble Sheen, and love it. This was taken soon after the pool was filled:

Update: Holes in the spa are looking much better. Service guy came out today and worked on them again. I think the end result when finished will be great. My concern would be will the fix chip off later since it is not the original finish. Steps are so much better. First, because I started buffing them MYSELF today with the buffing pad they left my husband the first day my pool was supposed to be "buffed" as advertised. Anyway, the installer came out today and started "buffing" them more...they needed it. There is a huge difference between a buffed area and a non-buffed area in your pool even if the installer of PT tries to tell you it is smooth enough. The steps are a slightly different color because they were redone. The only thing that I am not sure how to fix is the deep end....the finish there looked amazing the first time. After they drained the pool to redo the steps, and the pool is now filled up and balanced, the deep end looks splotchy. I repeatedly raised concerns about them leaving crappy, non-chemically balanced, stagnant water sitting in the deep end and in the spa in the hot sun for 2 days while they worked to correct the steps. I was told not to worry...well now I am very worried. We were told today to let the pool cure....I don't buy that BS....the deep end looked perfect after the initial fill and through 3 days of meticulously brushing and keeping the chems balanced. They let the spa sit stagnant and partially drained my pool. All kinds of crap was sitting in that nasty water.

I know this is an old thread, but most of the comments are misleading sales pitches from professional installers and they understandably are going to have biased opinions. I would like to actually answer the question. I am a homeowner with a pool surfaced with Stonescapes mini-pebble. I will preface my comments with this, I love my pool. it is beautiful and the surface is durable BUT, and a big giant but, YES, unequivocally YES. these surfaces will scratch, cut and scrape your feet. Anyone who says otherwise is lying. the same goes for pebble tec These types of surfaces are rough. They are made up of, like the name implys, mini pebbles. No matter how well applied, like these guys will try to tell you, the surface of your pool is going to be rough. that being said, I will never go back to plaster. these types of surfaces are far superior to plaster in every way, but they are rough. they will cut your feet. especially the bottoms of your toes.