In the south gunite pools are cheaper than vinyl pools while in the north they are more expensive.
In ground pool vinyl vs gunite.
Premier pools spas the leading inground swimming pool builders for 30 years specializing in gunite vinyl and fiberglass inground pools.
Biggest bang for your buck.
You re prepared to spend a lot of time and money maintaining your investment.
A vinyl liner pool is a good fit if.
Your budget is 50 000 or more.
The smoothest concrete pool surface is a cheese grader compared to vinyl.
In the initial purchase vinyl liner pools generally cost from 20 000 55 000 which is at least 10 000 less than similar fiberglass or concrete pools.
In severe cases draining of the gunite pool and acid washing the surface is your only solution.
In vinyl liner pools metals usually only effect the color of the water whereas in gunite pools metals can stain the surface and be a real bear to remove as it embeds itself into the porous gunite material.
A gunite pool is a good fit if.
You want a custom shape or depth.
Gunite pools typically take longer to build because they re generally built by subcontractors who specialize in each aspect of the building so this scheduling might result in a 6 8 week long installation.
Vinyl linered pools on the other hand commonly take around 4 weeks because the same crew does most of the work.
In addition to this significant upfront cost concrete pool maintenance costs over 25 000 every ten years thanks to regular acid washes replastering and high chemical and electricity usage.
Your budget is in the 25 000 to 35 000 range.
Gunite walls typically made of porous materials can be a breeding ground for algae.
In comparison you get more swim space with a vinyl liner pool.
This means you don t have to scrub the walls as you would with a gunite pool making it easier to maintain.
You can t find a fiberglass pool to suit your needs.
A finish like plaster tile or glue and stones is then spread over it to make the shell waterproof.
While there will still be algae in fiberglass pool water it won t be on the walls.
The surface of vinyl is not as porous as a plaster finish on a gunite pool which means vinyl liner pools use less sanitizer than a gunite pool roughly around 25 less on average the non porous surface leads to less chemical usage during the season and therefore less money spent on chemicals.
Vinyl liner pools have the lowest initial cost of any of the three types of in ground pools.
Ready made gunite pool projects typically cost between 50 000 and 100 000 upfront.
Surface is rough all you need to do is stick your hand in a concrete pool then a vinyl pool to feel the difference yourself.
Gunite pools will require replastering and there is never a warranty on plaster.
Vinyl liner pools do come with a warranty.