Precast Concrete Pool coping color variation

10 years ago

last modified: 10 years ago

We ordered Davis color "Sierra" for our precast concrete coping pieces for our free form pool.

They came today and when the pool contractors placed it around - I was very unhappy with the color variations. I do understand it can't be an exact match but this was a lot different from one piece to the other! So not sure what to do now - what options to pursue. They told him they will wash it of all the dirt then it will be fine or they say we do acid wash then it will be fine. They actually did that on a couple of pieces to show me - and after it dried up - it still looks different in color. Some pieces have blotches in them and they said "oh thats just oil from the mold" will go with an acid wash - they did an acid wash with a sponge and the blotches are still there.

See what you guys think: the one with a rock on it is what we like and has color in it. The other one is almost gray. Thanks.

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Comments (5)

PRO
www.SwimmingPoolSteve.com
10 years ago
This is a very tough situation to be it - did you pick your color sample from a booklet / pamphlet or from an actual stone? Was there any mention to you of color variation before hand? Any experienced contractor knows color can be a very sensitive issue and usually go out of their way to make sure customers understand potential for variation.
paddykk
Original Author
10 years ago
We picked a sample square price not just from a blob on a chart. So I do know that it won't be a complete match and variation occur but this I feel is not variation its different color - one piece to the other! So will wait and see what they say. I also was researching the making of precast concrete and found that if they use gray cement the color variation is more vs. white cement (which is 50% more expensive) - so who knows what they used. Also they need to use the same cement from the same batch from the same manufacturer - so who knows!
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PRO
www.SwimmingPoolSteve.com
10 years ago
You are correct - pigment color concrete is extremely unreliable. Tiny differences in the mix will cause huge color variations. When you pour colored concrete on-site you better be darn sure you have enough in one truck to do the whole job...but even that is not enough. How old the concrete is when it is finished, the sunlight amount and relative humidity can all impact the final color variations. Offering colored concrete ANYTHING to my customers is something I am careful about doing. Not everyone is selective about color - one person might think it is fine as is, where to your eye this is not an acceptable level of variation. I hope your builder is able to make you happy one way or another - must be very frustrating to you to not get what you were expecting.
paddykk
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you. I just want all of them to be done with the same cement, date and time etc. so keep all the inputs the same - instead of making one batch one day and another batch on another day with another cement bag! I understand there will be variation and I'm ok with variations in the Taupe color that I choose. What I got were two colors - Gray and Taupe! and that I think is not acceptable. I'm assuming they can control staying in color range atleast!
walter santos
6 years ago
where can i get custom cement coping

in mass?