Does Wade handle pool renovation and restoration in Maryland?

The Short Answer: Yes — Pool Restoration Is a Core Wade Service

In addition to new pool construction, Wade performs pool restoration and renovation for Maryland homeowners with aging pools. Work includes replastering, tile and coping replacement, equipment upgrades, deck resurfacing, and structural repairs. Pool restoration is often 30–50% of the cost of a new build while delivering years of additional life — and for pools with good bones, it’s frequently the right choice over replacement.

Signs Your Maryland Pool Needs Restoration

• Rough, stained, or discolored plaster interior: Plaster finishes typically last 8–15 years depending on water chemistry and maintenance. Rough texture, etching, calcium scaling, and dark staining are signs the interior needs replastering or refinishing.
• Cracked or spalling coping: Coping around the perimeter absorbs UV exposure and freeze-thaw stress year after year. Cracked, flaking, or loose coping allows water infiltration and must be replaced before structural issues develop in the shell bond beam.
• Loose, cracked, or missing waterline tile: Maryland’s winters push waterline tile hard. Freeze-thaw cycling loosens tile adhesive over time. Loose tile eventually admits water behind the tile, accelerating damage to the gunite shell beneath.
• Outdated or failing equipment: Single-speed pumps, older filter systems, and manual chemical dosing are candidates for replacement with variable-speed pumps, modern cartridge or DE filtration, salt chlorination, and smart automation. Equipment upgrades often reduce annual operating costs significantly.
• Aging or cracked concrete deck: Concrete pool decks crack over time in Maryland’s climate. Cracks allow water infiltration that accelerates freeze-thaw damage. Options include overlay resurfacing, overlay with texture coating, or full deck removal and replacement with pavers or natural stone.
• Structural cracks in the shell: Hairline cracks in the plaster layer are cosmetic; cracks that run through the gunite shell and show movement or water loss are structural. Wade evaluates structural cracks as part of a restoration assessment — many can be repaired without full demolition.
• Water loss beyond normal evaporation: Maryland summer evaporation is typically ½–1 inch per week. Consistent water loss greater than this suggests a leak in the shell, plumbing, or equipment. Wade performs leak detection as part of restoration assessment.

What Pool Restoration Includes

• Interior replastering: Drain the pool, acid wash or sandblast the existing interior, apply new plaster, quartz aggregate, or pebble finish. Typical cost: $10,000–$20,000 for a standard residential pool depending on size and finish selection.
• Coping replacement: Remove existing coping, inspect and repair bond beam if needed, install new coping in natural stone, concrete paver, or brick. Typical cost: $8,000–$20,000 depending on material and pool perimeter.
• Waterline tile replacement: Remove existing tile, clean and prepare substrate, set new tile. Can be done at the same time as coping replacement or as a standalone. Typical cost: $4,000–$10,000.
• Equipment replacement: Variable-speed pump, new filter, heat pump or gas heater, salt cell, and automation controller. Typical cost: $5,000–$18,000 depending on equipment selections.
• Deck resurfacing or replacement: Concrete overlay, texture coating, paver overlay, or full deck removal and replacement. Cost ranges from $8,000 for a basic overlay to $30,000+ for full stone replacement.
• Full renovation (all of the above): A comprehensive pool renovation addressing interior, coping, tile, equipment, and deck typically runs $35,000–$70,000 — significantly less than a new pool build while delivering a like-new result.

Restoration vs. New Construction: How to Decide

The decision comes down to the condition of the shell. If the gunite structure is sound — no significant structural cracks, no major settlement — restoration is almost always the right choice financially. A pool with a solid shell, updated interior, new equipment, and fresh coping and tile looks and functions like a new pool at a fraction of new-build cost.

New construction makes more sense when: the shell has structural failures that would require extensive reconstruction; the pool size, shape, or location no longer serves the homeowner’s needs and a redesign is desired; or the total restoration cost approaches new-build cost for a pool that would still be old in configuration and equipment.

Wade performs honest assessments — if restoration is the right answer for your pool, that’s what we’ll recommend. We don’t have a financial incentive to push new construction over restoration.