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Location Design
Construction Layout
Shell Construction
Gunite Application
Interior Finish
Exterior Finish
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Gunite Application
Gunite: This is one of the more unique and difficult processes of the swimming pool construction. After inspection of the steel shell and electrical connections (for lights...) the pool is ready for gunite. The actual process consists of a gunite rig (or pump truck), pumping grout mix (or shotcrete) from a cement truck, down a long hose to a nozzle. The nozzle is attached to an air compressor, which actually causes the material to spray out of the nozzle in a controlled direction and flow rate.
This process requires a highly specialized crew to achieve a proper result. The cement (grout) mix being delivered by the cement trucks must conform to rigid saturation and design mix requirements to allow for optimal placement by the gunite nozzleman. The gunite rig operator must be able to tell when a delivered mix is not up to specifications and must insure the mix is corrected before it is applied to the pool. The nozzleman must be able to recognize when a mix is under saturated or over saturated to prevent slump or sag in the material. It is the experience of these two individuals, which determines the quality of the gunite application. The remainder of the crew serves as shapers or carvers of the material as it is applied to the steel cage. It is their expertise that determines the flatness or uniform slope of the finished gunite shell, stairs and/or benches.
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