Pool Renovations Centurion | Resurfacing, Remodeling & Structural Restorations
Your pool has served you for years. If its surface is tired, its shape no longer suits your family or its equipment is costing a fortune to run, it is time to renovate, not patch.
Crispy Pools renovates concrete swimming pools across Centurion. We give them a new fibreglass lining or Marbelite surface, reshape the depth and steps, add fresh coping and waterline mosaic, and fit modern pumps and heating. All of it sits on a shell we have first made solid, so the finish you pay for lasts.
Three things set our renovations apart:
- Structure first. We stabilise the shell before any finish goes on, so the new surface doesn’t inherit the old problems.
- Free on-site water storage. We keep your treated water in our own bladders and pump it back, so there is no municipal refill bill.
- The builder on site every day. Chris supervises every job from first grind to final topcoat.
Dealing with a sudden fault rather than a planned project? Our page on pool repairs in Centurion covers that.
Is it time to renovate your Centurion pool?
Renovation is for pools that are tired, worn or out of date as a whole. These seven signs usually mean a renovation will serve you better than one more fix.
- The surface is rough, stained, flaking or worn. No amount of chemicals will restore it.
- Algae keeps coming back however carefully you treat the water.
- Chemical and heating bills keep climbing because the surface and the system are working against you.
- The shape no longer suits your family. It might be too deep for children, have no shallow ledge or still have rusting ladders.
- The coping and paving are cracked, uneven or dated, and the pool makes the whole garden look tired.
- The pump and filter are old, noisy or hungry for electricity.
- You have fixed the same pool several times. Repeated repairs add up, and the money often belongs in a lasting solution instead.
Renovate, repair or rebuild?
Renovate when the problems are widespread or about wear and design. The shell is fundamentally sound, but the pool is tired, rough, awkward or expensive to run.
Repair when there is one specific fault, such as a sudden loss of water, an isolated crack or a failing pump. If that sounds like your pool, our repairs page will help you faster.
Rebuild only when the shell is beyond saving. That is rare, and in most cases renovating an existing pool costs far less than building a new one.
Whichever you need, the rule is the same: we never put a new surface over an unresolved problem. Every renovation starts with a full inspection of the shell, and anything we find is dealt with before the finish goes on. A fresh surface over a hidden fault fails within a season, and you pay twice.
Our pool renovation services in Centurion
A renovation is a sequence: prepare the shell, strengthen it, then finish it. Here is what each stage involves.
Preparing and strengthening the shell
Every finish is only as good as the concrete beneath it. We grind the shell back to sound concrete, remove failed plaster and cut out any cracks. Where the shell has moved, we lock it together with heavy-duty steel staples set in high-tensile resin, so the concrete behaves as one unit again before any new surface goes on. That is why our finishes last. Stand-alone faults, such as a single crack or a leak, are covered on our repairs page.
Fibreglass lining
Fibreglass turns a worn concrete pool into a smooth, sealed, non-porous shell. We build it up in layers using Scott Bader Crystic and NCS pool resins, then finish with a high-gloss gelcoat. We talk you through colour options at your assessment.
Why Centurion homeowners choose it:
- It flexes. Fibreglass tolerates small movements that crack rigid plaster, which matters on clay.
- Algae struggles to grip it. A smooth surface is easier to keep clean and can help reduce chemical use.
- It is gentle on skin and swimwear, with none of the roughness of aged plaster.
- It lasts. Fibreglass finishes typically last 15 to 25 years with sensible care.
Best for: pools on moving ground, owners who want the lowest maintenance, and pools that have needed work before.
Marbelite resurfacing
Marbelite is the classic crushed-marble plaster finish, and we apply it with Cemcrete PoolCrete, a trusted South African product. It gives a hard, timeless, natural-stone look.
It suits pools whose shell is sound and sits on stable ground, and owners who love the traditional finish. The trade-offs are real. It is more sensitive to water chemistry, needs more upkeep than fibreglass and is less forgiving if the shell moves. We will tell you plainly if we think it is the wrong choice for your pool.
Best for: structurally sound pools and a traditional look.
Remodelling: reshape, reduce depth, add steps and ledges
An empty pool is a blank canvas, and it is the cheapest moment to change what bothers you about the shape. Popular changes in Centurion:
- Depth reduction. Raise a deep floor to a uniform, family-friendly depth. A shallower pool holds less water, so it costs less to heat, balance and top up.
- Tanning ledge (baja shelf). A wide, shallow shelf for loungers and small children.
- Walk-in concrete steps to replace rusting or awkward stainless steel ladders.
- A new shape. Convert an old curved pool into a sharper, modern rectangle, or make the pool smaller.
New coping, waterline mosaic and surrounds
Cracked, uneven coping makes a renovated pool look unfinished and can be a trip hazard. We replace it with non-slip bullnose stone and hand-lay glass or ceramic mosaic along the waterline. The mosaic frames the pool and is easy to wipe clean of scum and scale.
Pump room upgrades and smart pool systems
While the pool is out of action, the equipment is easy to reach and replace.
- Variable-speed pumps (Speck) run slowly and quietly for most of the day. They can use a fraction of the electricity of an old single-speed pump.
- Inverter heat pumps adjust their output to demand instead of running flat out, which keeps winter swimming affordable.
- Wi-Fi controllers and smart timers let you schedule filtration and lights from your phone.
- Chlorinators, valves and fittings from Eartheco and Quality Pools, selected for local conditions.
See our smart pool systems and filtration and hydraulics pages for the equipment in detail.
Circulation correction
Many older Centurion pools have the weir and the return aimflow on the same side. The water short-circuits, leaving dead spots where algae thrives and the cleaner struggles. While the shell is open we can core-drill to relocate or add returns, so the water travels the full length of the pool and pushes debris towards the skimmer. It is a small job during a renovation and a big difference afterwards.
Fibreglass or Marbelite: which is right for your pool?
Both finishes work well. They suit different pools and different owners, so here is how they compare on the five things that matter most.
Feel and look. Fibreglass is smooth, glossy and even in colour. Marbelite has a fine, natural-stone texture and a classic look.
Ground movement. Fibreglass flexes, so it copes with the small shifts common on Centurion’s clay. Marbelite is rigid, so it is better suited to ground that stays still.
Upkeep. Algae struggles to bind to fibreglass, so weekly care is lighter. Marbelite is more porous and needs closer attention to water balance.
Lifespan. Fibreglass typically lasts 15 to 25 years. Marbelite varies more, because water chemistry and care make such a difference.
Cost. Ask us to price both options for your pool, so you can compare real numbers.
Our verdict for Centurion
If your pool has needed work before, or sits on expansive clay, we usually recommend fibreglass. If the shell is sound, the ground is stable and you love the traditional finish, Marbelite is a good choice.
A simple way to decide: if you want the lowest upkeep and the most forgiving surface, choose fibreglass. If you prefer a natural-stone look and your shell is in good condition, choose Marbelite. We inspect the shell before recommending either, and we won’t up-sell you to the more expensive option.
Built for Centurion's moving ground
Central Gauteng is not the easiest place to build a pool that stays watertight. In suburbs such as Wierda Park, Eldoraigne and Rooihuiskraal, heavy clay swells during the summer rains and shrinks again in the dry winter. That slow, repeated movement pushes and pulls on a rigid concrete shell. Parts of Centurion also sit on dolomite, where managing water on your property matters more than usual.
This shapes the way we renovate:
- We stabilise before we finish. Steel staples bind the shell into a single unit, so the new surface isn’t pulled apart by every seasonal shift.
- We choose flexible linings where movement is likely, instead of adding another rigid layer.
- We drain with care. An empty pool can be pushed up or cracked by groundwater pressure, especially after heavy rain, so we plan the draining around the weather and the site.
- We store your water instead of releasing it onto your property. Our bladders keep tens of thousands of litres contained and ready to go back in.
For the full picture of how water behaves in Centurion’s ground, read why water loss matters here on our repairs page.
The right renovation is the one that is still watertight in five summers’ time.
How a Crispy Pools renovation works, step by step
No surprises is the goal. This is what happens from your first message to handover.
- Free assessment. We inspect the shell, plumbing and equipment, talk through what you want from the pool and explain your options in plain English.
- Written quote. You receive a clear quote and a timeline before anything starts.
- Your water is saved. We pump the treated water into our on-site storage bladders, so you keep it and don’t pay to refill.
- Preparation. The shell is ground back to sound concrete and the old finish is removed.
- Strengthening and shaping. The shell is stitched together with steel staples and resin where needed. Any remodelling, new steps, depth changes, coping and plumbing changes happen at this stage.
- The finish. Fibreglass is built up in layers and sealed with a gelcoat, or Marbelite is applied with Cemcrete PoolCrete, then left to cure.
- Handover. Your original water goes back in, so the pool keeps its established chemical balance. Chris walks you through the finished job and your written warranty.
Chris is on site and in charge throughout. You deal with the person doing the work, not a call centre.
How long does it take?
A straightforward resurfacing usually takes 5 to 7 working days. Our Eldoraigne project, which combined structural strengthening with a new fibreglass lining, was handed over in 6 working days. Larger renovations that include remodelling, tiling or plumbing changes can take 2 to 3 weeks. Pool size, the condition of the shell and the weather all affect the schedule, and your written quote gives the timeline for your pool.
Free on-site water storage: keep your water, skip the refill bill
Every renovation starts by emptying the pool, and most pools hold 40,000 litres or more of treated water. Pumping that away and buying it all again is wasteful and expensive.
Crispy Pools owns a fleet of heavy-duty commercial water storage bladders. We set them up on your property, pump your water in and pump it back when the new surface has cured. There is no charge for this. Some contractors hire in storage and pass the cost on.
The benefits add up:
- You keep your treated water, instead of throwing it away.
- There is no municipal refill bill.
- Your chemical balance is retained, so you don’t start again from zero.
- We pump the water back, so you aren’t waiting on a tap to fill the pool.
We confirm where the bladders will sit during your free assessment.
Project: from a failed patch to a new fibreglass shell in Eldoraigne
A family home in Eldoraigne had a pool with severe floor fractures, losing more than 500 litres of water a day. An earlier contractor had patched it with standard plaster. The ground moved and the patch split, because Eldoraigne sits on clay that swells and shrinks with the seasons, and a rigid patch over a moving shell has nothing holding the two sides together.
We took a different approach. We stored the pool’s 45,000 litres in our bladders and ground the shell back to raw concrete. We stitched the shifting fractures with industrial steel staples, applied a flexible, multi-layer fibreglass lining with a high-gloss topcoat and returned the original water. Refilling 45,000 litres from the tap would have meant buying 45 kilolitres of municipal water, and our bladders spared the owner that cost.
The pool was handed over, smooth and glossy, in 6 working days, and the owner reports no further water loss.
Planning your pool renovation budget in Centurion
Every pool is different, so we price after a free inspection rather than quoting blind. What we can do here is show you how a renovation price is built, so you can judge any quote you receive, ours included.
Start with your pool's surface area
Most finishing work is priced by the area of the interior surface. A quick estimate is length times width, plus twice the length and width added together, multiplied by the average depth, all in metres. For an 8 m by 4 m pool with a 1.5 m average depth, that is 32 plus 2 × 12 × 1.5, which comes to 68 m². Knowing that number lets you compare quotes on the same footing.
What moves the price
The main drivers are the size and depth of the pool, the condition of the shell, the finish you choose, any remodelling such as depth reduction or steps, new coping and tiling, equipment upgrades and the access to your property. A pool in a security estate with limited access can take longer than one with an open driveway.
The best way to control the budget is to decide your priorities early. Many owners split the job into a must-do core (shell and finish) and extras they can add now or later, such as heating, automation or paving.
How to read any renovation quote
A good quote is itemised and specific. Check that it states the surface preparation, the materials by brand, how many layers of lining or plaster will be applied, what happens to your water, who supervises the work, the timeline, the warranty and anything that is excluded.
Be cautious of a price far below the others with little detail behind it, a quote that doesn’t mention the state of the shell, or a contractor who can’t tell you who will be on site each day. The cheapest quote is rarely the cheapest result, because a finish that fails costs you the job twice.
When you ask us for a quote, we will price the fibreglass and Marbelite options for your pool so you can compare them side by side.
How to choose a pool renovator in Centurion
Put these questions to every contractor you speak to, us included. The answers separate people who restore pools from people who cover them up.
- Who will be on site every day? The right answer is a named builder who supervises the whole job.
- How will the shell be prepared and strengthened? Look for grinding back to sound concrete and steel stitching where needed.
- Which materials will you use, by brand? Named products, such as Scott Bader Crystic, NCS or Cemcrete PoolCrete, show a contractor is happy to be specific.
- What happens to my water? It should be stored and returned, with the cost explained up front.
- Can I see recent local work? Photos and a past client you can speak to are fair requests.
- What does the warranty cover? It should be written, not verbal.
- Do you know my estate’s rules? Access, security, contractor registration and noise rules all affect how a job runs.
Why Centurion homeowners choose Crispy Pools
Chris supervises every job on site. Grinding, stitching and topcoat all happen under the eye of the person accountable for them. He brings 15+ years of trade construction experience, so ground settlement, concrete loads and pool chemistry are understood, not guessed.
We strengthen the structure. Shells are stitched with steel staples and finished in flexible fibreglass or proven Marbelite. We never just paint over a problem.
We are estate-ready. We work within the access, security, contractor registration and noise protocols of Centurion’s residential estates, including Midstream, Irene, Southdowns and Copperleaf.
You keep your water at no cost, and every renovation carries a written workmanship warranty. Ask Chris to walk you through exactly what it covers before you decide.
Where we work
What our clients say
Pool renovation in Centurion: your questions answered
How much does pool renovation cost in Centurion?
It depends on the pool’s size and depth, the condition of the shell, the finish you choose and any extras such as remodelling or equipment. The budget section above shows how the price is built. A free on-site assessment gives you an exact written quote, with the fibreglass and Marbelite options priced for your pool.
How long does a renovation take?
Most resurfacing jobs take 5 to 7 working days. Larger renovations with remodelling, tiling or plumbing changes can take 2 to 3 weeks, depending on the pool and the weather.
Which lasts longer, fibreglass or Marbelite?
Fibreglass finishes typically last 15 to 25 years. Marbelite’s lifespan depends heavily on water chemistry and upkeep, so it varies more from pool to pool.
Can you fibreglass an old concrete pool?
Yes. We prepare the shell back to sound concrete, strengthen it where needed and then build up the fibreglass lining in layers.
Can I change my pool's shape, depth or colour?
Yes to all three. We can reduce depth, add a tanning ledge, replace ladders with concrete steps, resize the pool or convert a curved pool into a rectangle. We talk you through colour options at your assessment.
Is it cheaper to renovate than to build a new pool?
In most cases, yes. Renovating an existing shell usually costs far less than building a new one.
Do I have to drain my pool, and is that safe?
For a resurfacing, yes. Emptying a concrete pool needs care, because groundwater pressure can lift or crack an empty shell, especially after heavy rain. We plan the draining around the weather and the site, and we store your water in our bladders for the duration.
What if you find a problem once the pool is empty?
We show you what we have found and agree the way forward with you before we carry on. Dealing with it at this stage is far cheaper than discovering it later under a new finish.
How soon can I swim after the renovation?
Once the new surface has cured and your water is back and balanced. We tell you exactly when it is safe, and what to do in the first weeks.
Can you upgrade my pump or heating at the same time?
Yes. A renovation is the easiest time to fit a variable-speed pump, an inverter heat pump or a smart controller. See our smart pool systems.
Do you work inside residential estates?
Yes. We are familiar with the access, security, contractor registration and noise rules of estates such as Midstream, Irene, Southdowns and Copperleaf.
What warranty do you give?
Every renovation carries a written workmanship warranty. Ask Chris to walk you through exactly what it covers before you decide.
What is the difference between a renovation and a repair?
A renovation restores or redesigns the whole pool as a planned project. A repair fixes one specific fault. If you have a sudden problem rather than a project, our pool repairs page is the right place to start.
How do I get a quote?
Send five photos of your pool and its approximate size on WhatsApp and we will tell you what we see. Then we book a free on-site assessment for an exact written quote.
Get your free Centurion pool renovation assessment
A tired pool only gets more expensive to live with. Chris will inspect yours, explain what it needs in plain English and give you a written quote, free and with no pressure.
- WhatsApp: 076 328 9545
- Call: 076 328 9545
- Email: sales@crispypools.co.za
Not ready to book? Send us a WhatsApp message with your suburb, your pool’s approximate length, width and depth, and five clear photos of the pool, its surface and the pump room. That is all we need to give you a first opinion and tell you which finish and upgrades make sense for your pool.
Part of the Crispy Group.
Guaranteed Workmanship: Every project is backed by our professional structural warranty.
The Water-Saving Advantage: We own our entire fleet of temporary storage bladders, offering you 100% rental savings and zero water waste.
Expert Oversight: All major works are personally supervised by Chris to ensure “Construction-Grade” integrity.