Pool Resurfacing in Long Beach, CA, for Hotels, Apartments, and Homes
Aqua Creations handles pool resurfacing in Long Beach for hotel, apartment, and backyard pools, with an AQUA-GLASS™ fiberglass finish applied by our own crews. Long Beach has its own Health Department, so a shared pool here answers to the city, and the steps are laid out below.
Commercial pool from our project photos
Six steps from plans to field visit for a Long Beach public pool
This follows the Long Beach Health Department’s replaster plan check guide. Pick a step, or use the buttons, to see who is responsible for it.
Confirm the guide applies
The Long Beach replaster guide covers anyone replastering or resurfacing a public or commercial pool, the kind a hotel, an apartment building, or an association runs. Pool shell changes or major recirculation work go through the full plan approval process instead.
Draw up two sets of plans
The Department keeps one set. The plans list the job address, the owner and builder contacts, and the resurfacing material and color, with a top view to scale showing the tile line, depth markers, and deep-end ladders, plus a side view of the stair handrail.
Submit before any work starts
Plans go in before the work begins and before any permits are issued. A plan approval fee applies, and the amount depends on how much of the pool is being renovated.
Plan check review
Environmental Health Specialists review public pool and spa plans, remodels and re-plasters included. Any surface material other than plaster needs Department approval, and an approval expires one year after its stamp date.
Drain, then do the approved work
The pool is drained under the city’s discharge rules, covered in the questions below, and the work follows the approved plans, including any rail, ladder, or marker the guide says is missing.
Field visit after the work
Once the renovation is finished, the Department visits to confirm the pool matches the plan approval. Final approval is subject to that field inspection, and permitted pools stay on routine yearly inspections.
Questions Long Beach owners ask us first
Draining a pool, who reviews the work, and what color a shared pool can be: these are the city answers, taken from the Health Department’s own pages.
Source: Long Beach Health Department, Public Pool and Spa ProgramMany pools are plumbed to drain straight to the sanitary sewer. Draining to a storm drain is allowed only when residual chlorine is no more than 0.1 mg/L, the pH is between 6.5 and 8.5, the water is clear, and no filter media or acid cleaning waste goes with it. Stopping chlorine for a few days or using a dechlorinating product brings the level down.
No. Long Beach runs its own Health Department, and its Bureau of Environmental Health permits and inspects public pools and spas in the city. Its specialists do the plan check for remodels and re-plasters, so that is where the plans for a shared pool go.
Not under the replaster guide, which says pool and spa shells must be white. Backyard pools are a different story, and homeowners can choose from the AQUA-GLASS™ color range when we meet for the estimate.
The replaster guide is written for public and commercial pools, so a single-family backyard pool is not what it covers. The draining rules above are written for pool owners in general, so plan on following them for a home pool too.
What we look at when we come out to a Long Beach pool
The estimate is free and carries no obligation. Here is what it covers, whether the pool belongs to a hotel or a house.
The surface itself
Roughness, stains, and cracks tell us how worn the finish is. Loose or hollow plaster has to be repaired before a new finish can go on, so how much of it there is changes the scope.
What surrounds it
Waterline tile, coping, rails, and drain covers. Any work on these is scoped on its own, and on a public pool the city guide sets several of the specs.
Finish color
For a backyard pool, we go over AQUA-GLASS™ finish colors with you. Public pools follow the health agency’s approved finish rules, so we do not offer custom colors on hotel, apartment, or HOA pools.
When the pool can be down
Size, repairs, and, on a public pool, the city plan review all affect timing. We go over the schedule for your pool at the estimate.
Pool resurfacing across Long Beach, from Downtown to Bixby Knolls
Long Beach is about 70 miles from our Ventura shop in a straight line and close to 90 miles by freeway, and our own crews make that drive for every Long Beach job.
Three kinds of Long Beach pools, and the page for each
Hotel and apartment pools go through the city plan check; a backyard pool does not. Start with the page that matches yours.
Hotel pools
A closed hotel pool is noticed by every guest. That page covers how a closure lines up with health agency review.
Hotel and resort pool resurfacingApartment pools
An apartment pool in Long Beach is a public pool under the city guide. That page covers keeping residents informed while the pool is out.
Apartment complex pool resurfacingBackyard pools
Home pools sit outside the commercial plan check but still follow the drain rules. That page covers the work behind a house.
Residential pool resurfacingLong Beach sits at the south end of our Los Angeles County service area. We also have pages for Culver City and Covina.
What the Long Beach guide asks of each finish on a public pool
Most of the guide applies the same way whichever surface goes on. The one real difference is approval of the material.
| Requirement | Replaster | AQUA-GLASS™ fiberglass |
|---|---|---|
| Shell color on a public pool | White | White Same rule |
| Surface material | Plaster is the material the guide assumes | A material other than plaster, so it needs Department approval and is named on the plans |
| Waterline tile | Required around the whole perimeter | Required around the whole perimeter Same rule |
| Depth tile line, pools deeper than 5 feet | A 4 to 6 inch slip-resistant contrasting line at 4½ feet of depth | The same line, same spec Same rule |
| Depth markers | Both sides, at the shallow and deep points, every break in slope, and both ends | The same placement Same rule |
Because the code items match, the choice comes down to the surface itself and how long it lasts. AQUA-GLASS™ is a gun-laminated fiberglass pool resurfacing system, sprayed over a vinyl ester barrier coat instead of troweled on like plaster.
For a hotel, apartment, or association pool, that means the plans name AQUA-GLASS™ as the resurfacing material, in white, so the Department can approve it before the work starts.
What else the city looks at while a public pool is empty
A resurface reaches past the surface. These are the items the Long Beach replaster guide calls out, and each one is worth checking before the plans go in.
Suction drain covers
Every suction drain cover has to be in good repair, meet ANSI standards, and be secured with screws. The program also posts a VGB compliance application for drain covers.
Equalizer lines
Equalizer openings need an approved suction grate that can only be removed with tools.
Coping, if it is replaced
New coping has to extend 1 to 2 inches over the pool wall and be no more than 2½ inches thick, and the plans need a coping detail.
Stair handrails
Rails are required over every set of stairs from the deck to the bottom step, 28 to 36 inches above the deck and each tread, with at least 3 inches of clearance from the riser.
Ladders and missing parts
Pools deeper than 4½ feet need a deep-end ladder. Missing rails, ladders, and depth markers should be replaced whenever the pool is drained.
Diving boards
A pool with a diving board is reviewed for code compliance, and the board can be ordered removed no matter when it was installed.
The Bureau of Environmental Health is at 2525 Grand Avenue, Room 220, and handles pool and spa questions at (562) 570-4132. A plan approval is good for one year from its stamp date.
Source: Pool Plan Check Guide: ReplasterWhat a commercial customer says
Mike Mccarthy · Google reviewAs always had a great experience with this company. I have used them for all my commercial pools and spas.
Average rating across 31 Google reviews of Aqua Creations.
Planning a Long Beach resurface? Start with a free estimate
Tell us whether the pool belongs to a hotel, an apartment building, or your home, and we will set up a time to look at it. For a public pool, bring your plan check questions too.
- Visit or mail1547 Los Angeles Ave, Suite #108, Ventura, CA 93004
- Office hoursMonday to Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM
- Emailaquaglass@aquacreations.com