I doubt it but I'm not an expert...I have gray 3M in gray plaster and I can't see the crystals but I know they are there. When they first arrived they had not added the gray color to the white plaster yet and the crystals were obvious.

Tess

Thanks. They probably did it right but I guess I am just a bit paranoid. They did a real nice job on everything else with the pool so I doubt that I have much to worry about.

The specks will show up more as you brush your pool. Did they tell you to run a low pH for awhile and brush several times a day? That's what I had to do.

I have the same fear! They "plastered" my pool today and the scheduler kept saying plaster and I said "well it's not really plaster is it?" and she said "yes" and I said that I thought it was quartz aggregate and she said "well oh yeah it's that - we call it plaster". I'm like wha? huh? I got the white as the colors were upgrades and I got the colored LED light instead. I thought I might be able to tell from the texture, but now I don't know!

I'm not at home now, nor did I watch them do the work today so I didn't see any bags or anything. I was on the phone with the fence guy and I asked how it looked and he said "it looks WHITE".

I followed the builders instructions when we filled the pool, I beleive I brushed a couple of times a day for a week or two. Since then I have brushed it weekly and have had to add acid weekly.

From what I understand, when you request 3M colorquartz, it is basically the crystals mixed with regular plaster. This is in line with what my plaster guy told me. I went with something called Ultrapoz which is a stronger type of plaster with the 3M crystals mixed into it.

Here is what I copied off the 3M website under FAQ's:

"Does 3M make a complete pool plaster mix?

No. 3M sells 3M Colorquartz Crystals only as an ingredient. Plaster mixes are generally a combination of white portland cement and either sand or crushed marble. 3M Colorquartz Crystals are added to plaster mixes, replacing a portion of the mix that is either the sand or soft crushed marble. Even though 3M does not sell a pre-blended plaster mix, companies buy our crystals and sell a pre-blended mix under their own brand name..."

HTH

Here is a link that might be useful: FAQ's

Here is what I learned:

Plaster

When you think of pool plaster, you normally think of the smooth, white plaster surface that turns a sparkling blue when filled with water, but there are actually many choices that can be made. We offer many different colors that can be applied with the plaster to your swimming pool surface.

Plaster, although not the best, has been, until recently, the most common pool surface. People are familiar with it and it's the least expensive of pool surfaces.

Most traditional plaster is white cement mixed with limestone or marble sand. By its nature, plaster has certain limitations. Its porous surface is the most susceptible to staining and bacteria growth. Because plaster constantly reacts to water, plaster pools "use" more chemicals to maintain a balanced water chemistry and plaster typically does not last as long as other surfaces. A new plaster surface will give 5 to 10 years of good service.

Quartz

A quartz interior pool surface is actually a plaster surface with quartz aggregate mixed in. There are two benefits with quartz.

First, quartz is a very hard material. And because a percentage of your pool interior surface is now covered with a hard, non-porous, stain-resistant material - quartz - you have a more stain-resistant, more durable and longer-lasting surface than plaster alone.

Second, people like quartz because you can introduce a variety of colors into your pool interior with it. Quartz is priced slightly higher than traditional plaster. You can expect a new quartz surface to give you 10 to 15 years of good service.

Pebble

A pebble pool surface is also a plaster surface with pebble aggregate mixed in. The pebbles actually comprise the majority of the surface of the pool, with the obvious advantages.

It is the most stain-resistant and most durable surface available. And you can select from many different interesting colors which will produce a myriad of water colors. The pebbled finish is reminiscent of a mountain stream or lake bed.

rctexus, nice explanation of pool surfaces. I have heard that the plaster pools of old contained asbestos and that is what helped them last so long. Not anymore, so new plaster pools will not last as long.

gd2garden, that's what I thought, too, until I saw the open bag labeled "asbestos" on my plaster man's truck when we had our pool plastered a month ago!

Houseful, that surprises me. We are going with a mini pebble on our pool that is under construction. Those of you with 3M quartz should post some close up pics of the interior when it is done. We were considering the 3M quartz, but pictures on this website were very limited. I'm sure others considering it in the future would find it useful to see pics or hear feedback.

We have 3M Caribbean Blue so we definitely see the crystals, but a friend of mine has 3M white on white, and you can't see the crystals unless you really have your face to the step and the sun is hitting it certain way.

There is no way to look at a pool and determine if the pool has 3m colorquarts. Most plaster manufactures are now making their own color quarts.It is sand that is graded colored with ceramic dye then fired 2 or more times.Most white plaster that use 3m colorquarts dont use colorquarts in the white colors. They use silica sand because the color isn't needed. SGM makers of Diamond Brite used to use 3m but now make their own. Premix marbletite makers of marque pool plaster make their own.You have to make sure your applicator is using an exposed aggergate pool plaster and not a marcite.If you think your pool is done wrong then get on the www.NPConline.org web site and scedule an inspection. It will cost you some money but as a member of the council myself I can tell you that you can find out what type of finish that was installed. (eg marcite,exposed aggegate,pebble). Hope I helped.

Here is a link that might be useful: National Plaster Council

Does anyone besides houseful (on another posting) have pictures of a finished colorquartz pool? As noted by others, the 3M website has limited photos and the colors of finished products are frequently different for same color?
Also, does anyone have experience blending different colors--besides just the blue-cayman green standard--i.e., creating a custom-made product?

where can i buy this 3m quartz crystals from

can anyone tell me the mix ratio's for 3m color quartz,how many bags of quartz,white portland and white marble doe's it take to make a mix, I know there are different mixes like 30% and 60% mixes but i'm not sure of the mix ratio per batch,also can anyone tell me the advantages or disadvantages of using type T and type S quartz one is smaller than the other,Why ?