Resurfacing a 32 × 16 ft pool that is 5 ft deep on average costs about $6,600 for white plaster and about $11,600 for pebble at US average prices, including the drain and refill. The pool has 992 sq ft of interior surface, and the finish is priced on that area, not on the water surface. Paint is the cheapest at about $2,400, and a vinyl liner swap about $5,200.
How the resurfacing cost is calculated
Cost = interior surface (sq ft) × finish price per sq ft + drain, tile and coping lines, scaled to your state
Interior surface is the floor plus the four walls at the average depth. For the example, the floor is 32 × 16 = 512 sq ft and the walls are the 96 ft perimeter × 5 ft = 480 sq ft, so 992 sq ft. The refill uses the water volume: 32 × 16 × 5 ft × 7.48 = 19,150 gallons.
Worked example: pebble finish, US average
| Line | Calculation | Typical |
|---|---|---|
| Pebble finish | 992 sq ft × $11 | $10,912 |
| Drain and clean | one job | $538 |
| Refill with a hose | 19.15 thousand gal × $7 | $134 |
| Total | $11,584 |
Low and high use the ends of each range: $7,446 and $15,722. Plaster is $6,624 (992 sq ft × $6, $5,952, plus drain and refill), quartz is $9,104 and paint is $2,408. Fiberglass refinishing is $11,422 and a liner replacement $5,172. Add waterline tile at $35 a foot and coping at $60 a foot around the 96 ft perimeter in California and the pebble job becomes $23,510, because both lines and labor are scaled up there.
Prices per square foot by finish
| Finish | Per sq ft | Lasts |
|---|---|---|
| Epoxy paint | $1.00 to $2.50 | 4 to 8 years |
| White plaster | $4 to $8 | 7 to 12 years |
| Quartz plaster | $7 to $10 | 10 to 15 years |
| Pebble | $7 to $15 | 15 to 25 years |
These come from Armorthane's 2026 guide, which cites HomeGuide and Angi; Armorthane sells pool coatings, so we cross-checked them with Bob Vila (2022: plaster $5,500 per 1,000 sq ft, aggregate $6,500, paint $1,500). Vinyl liner replacement is $3,000 to $6,000 every 5 to 9 years (Fixr, January 2025). Fiberglass refinishing is $6,500 in HomeAdvisor's June 2026 guide and $10,000 to $20,000 in Fixr's, so the calculator uses their combined range. Those two are priced per pool in the guides, not per square foot.
Cost per year of life
The comparison table divides each total by the middle of the finish's stated lifespan. Pebble is the dearest to install yet its 15 to 25 years often makes it the cheapest per year: the example comes to about $580 a year against about $700 for plaster, and about $400 for paint. Lifespan depends on water balance, so keep the LSI calculator in mind: aggressive water eats plaster fast.
Drain, acid wash, tile and coping
- Drain and clean: $425 to $650. Draining is also when you can see cracks and repair them.
- Acid wash instead of a full drain: $150 to $300, for stains on a surface you are keeping.
- Waterline tile: $20 to $50 per linear foot; coping: $40 to $80 per linear foot.
- Refilling from a hose: $4 to $10 per 1,000 gallons; a water delivery truck costs $30 to $100 per 1,000 gallons.
Tile and coping only apply to concrete pools, so the calculator leaves them out of liner and fiberglass jobs.
After the resurface
A new plaster surface needs careful startup chemistry, so run your numbers through the pool chemical calculator. To know how long the refill takes, use the pool fill time calculator, and to check the gallon figure, the pool volume calculator. Comparing against building new? See the pool cost calculator or spread the bill with the pool payment calculator. More in the pool costs hub.