5 Common Mistakes in DIY Pool Painting and How to Avoid Them

Painting Your Pool Yourself? Read This First

DIY pool painting saves thousands — if it’s done right. But the same five mistakes come up again and again, and every one of them is avoidable.

Mistake 1 — Rushing Surface Preparation

This is the number one reason DIY paint jobs fail. Paint will not bond to a surface carrying body fats, sun cream, algae, chalky residue or moisture.

How to avoid it:

• Wash the whole pool with diluted concentrated wash, then rinse thoroughly
• Acid etch bare render — 2 parts water to 1 part acid on new, 3 to 1 on old. Always acid into water, never the reverse. Neutralise with bicarbonate of soda afterwards
• Abrade the entire surface of fibreglass and previously painted epoxy with 20–40 grit to a sandpaper feel, then remove all dust. Not a light scuff — all of it
• Make sure it’s dry. Moisture must be below 5%. Tape a square of black plastic to the pool floor in the morning — droplets underneath by mid-afternoon mean it’s too wet
• Repair every crack and chip with Structural Epoxy Filler. Paint won’t bridge a gap

Full detail in our Step-by-Step Guide to Preparing Your Pool.

Mistake 2 — Choosing the Wrong Paint for What’s Already There

Epoxy and chlorinated rubber are not interchangeable, and the existing coating decides which one you can use.

How to avoid it: test before you order. Rub the surface firmly for a minute with a rag dampened in acetone or Chlorinated Rubber Solvent.

• Goes soft and sticky — chlorinated rubber. Use Luxapool® Chlorinated Rubber. Epoxy will not stick to it.
• Stays firm — epoxy. Use Luxapool® Epoxy. No primer needed, but the whole surface must be abraded first.
• Bare concrete, render, pebblecrete or marblesheen — Luxapool® Epoxy plus Epoxy Primer Sealer underneath.
• Fibreglass — epoxy directly over an abraded surface. No primer.

Test a few areas, not one. Getting this wrong means stripping the whole pool. Unsure? Send us a photo.

Mistake 3 — Not Ordering Enough Paint

Running short two-thirds of the way through is the mistake that hurts most, because you can’t simply top up. Epoxy shouldn’t be part-mixed, and colour varies between batches — a kit bought a week later may not match what’s on the wall.

How to avoid it: each 3.5L kit covers 20–25m² per coat over two coats. A standard 10m × 5m pool needs 8 to 10 kits.

Pebblecrete needs roughly double — the texture cuts coverage to 10–13m² per kit per coat, and Colormaker recommend three coats.

Work out your exact figure with the Pool Paint Calculator and order it all at once. Allow a little extra rather than run short.

Mistake 4 — Painting in the Wrong Conditions

Weather makes or breaks the finish.

How to avoid it:

• Between 10 and 30°C for epoxy, staying in range for the 3 to 6 hours after application. Chlorinated rubber is narrower at 15–25°C
• Humidity around 50%
• Never in direct sunlight. Shade-cloth over the pool for the whole process is worth the effort
• Defer if rain is forecast. Rain or dew during curing leaves a milky bloom that has to be sanded off before recoating
• Allow several consecutive fine days — one for prep, more for coats

Mistake 5 — Refilling Too Soon

The job looks finished, the weather’s good, and the temptation is enormous. This is the one that can’t be undone.

At least 10 days in summer. At least 14 days in winter. The same for epoxy and chlorinated rubber — rubber recoats faster between coats, but the fill window doesn’t change.

Fill early and the colour is permanently damaged, showing as cloudy, uneven patches across the final coat. Once filled, add nothing but salt or chlorine for a further 3 to 5 days.

A Few More Worth Knowing

• Mix whole packs only. The components are pre-weighed — part-mixing stops the paint curing. Allow 5–10 minutes induction, then use within the hour.
• Recoat between 20 and 24 hours. Past 24 hours you must abrade the entire pool to a dull finish and remove all dust first.
• Use the right roller. At least 270mm wide on a 60mm core with a medium nap, plus a 75mm brush for cutting in. Our DIY Pool Painting Kit has the lot.
• Paint still tacky after 4–6 hours wasn’t mixed correctly and won’t cure.