Pool Acid Washing and Stain Removal in New Braunfels, TX
New Braunfels Quality Pool Resurfacing offers pool acid washing and stain removal in New Braunfels, Texas. An acid wash cleans a drained cement finish, such as plaster, quartz or pebble. A diluted acid dissolves material at the surface, and the stains and mineral deposits go with it.
Call or use the form to get a free acid wash estimate. We'll talk through what the stains are and whether your finish can take a wash or needs more work. The city's drain rules come up too, since they don't list acid washing among the reasons to empty a pool.
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What a pool acid wash does, and what it can't fix
The National Plasterers Council's glossary gives "acid wash" three meanings:
- cleaning a cement-based finish by dissolving its surface, to remove efflorescence (a white bloom of minerals that works out of the cement), dirt or stains;
- etching a finish to uncover its sand or aggregate (the quartz or stones), which is how exposed-aggregate finishes are made;
- using a weak, diluted acid that lifts certain stains, dirt or deposits while harming little, if any, of the surface.
Muriatic acid, the commercial name for hydrochloric acid, is used both to acid wash pools and to lower pH and alkalinity, the council notes.
Finishes that shouldn't be acid washed
Acid washing is for cement finishes. A pool retailer's guide lists vinyl, fiberglass, acrylic and painted surfaces as unsuitable. Porous plaster, quartz and pebble may not give up every old stain either, it adds. Stone around the pool needs protecting too: travertine and limestone are calcium-carbonate stone, which the Natural Stone Institute says even mild acids can alter. One tile maker forbids muriatic acid on its tile altogether, so the tile needs checking before any wash; our pool tile cleaning page covers the tile itself.
What a wash won't fix
A wash removes what sits on the surface. It can't rebuild a surface that has already been eaten into. The council defines etching as material lost from within the finish, or visible pitting, and a plaster maker says etching can't be reversed. Because every wash removes a thin layer of the surface, there's a limit to how many a finish can take. And a wash leaves the water that caused the stain unchanged, so scale usually comes back, a pool chemical maker warns.
Rough, etched plaster is a case for pool replastering rather than another wash. For the signs that a finish is past cleaning, see the when to resurface a pool guide.
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(830) 302-4112Pool stain removal: matching the method to the stain
Metal stains
Metals leave colored marks. One finish maker's care guide matches the color to the metal: reddish-brown for iron, green to blue for copper, and dark brown or black for manganese. Well water, old copper plumbing and copper-based algaecides are the usual sources, it adds. Chelating products, which keep metals dissolved so they can't settle on the finish, are another route, the plastering industry adds. The catch: once started, they're needed for as long as the metal stays in the water.
Scale and white mineral bloom
Hard water feeds scale. The city's groundwater brings calcium and magnesium into its supply, the water utility says. High calcium, alkalinity or pH then leaves scale on the finish and tile, by the plastering industry's account. For heavy scale and stains, a careful acid wash can strip the top layer of deposits, according to a plaster maker. Its gentler options are light sanding and chelating agents. The city's water, and how balancing it keeps scale away, are covered in our hard water and pool surfaces guide.
Stain removal without draining
Draining isn't the only way. One pool chemical maker sells a no-drain treatment. The water's pH and alkalinity are lowered under controlled conditions, and the pool is brushed over a few days as the stains lift. The maker argues that draining exposes plaster to air that can crack it or make it come loose, and that hand-applied acid washes risk patchy etching. Those are its own claims. A quartz finish maker also asks owners to drain its finish only when they have to, never in the first year, and to refill within 24 hours.
New Braunfels Quality Pool Resurfacing can talk through which method suits your stain and your finish before anything is booked.
Call or request a free estimate any time, 24/7.
(830) 302-4112How a pool acid wash is done
These steps come from finish makers' published procedures. They describe general practice, not instructions for doing it yourself.
Drain the pool within the rules
The pool is emptied, which in New Braunfels runs into the city's drought plan, covered below.
Check the pool finish first
One finish maker's prep checks the whole finish for hollow spots and removes loose plaster. Mildew, algae, fungus and rust come off by sandblasting or an acid wash, followed by neutralizing with soda ash.
Soak the shell and test a spot
Another maker's procedure, written for uncovering new quartz and pebble finishes, soaks the shell and keeps it soaked throughout, to limit how deep the acid goes. It tries the solution on a hidden spot first, to check the surface and the right strength.
Wash with fumes kept down
One maker strongly recommends an acid-wash additive that cuts fumes and helps the solution cover evenly.
Neutralize and dispose of the acid
The acid is neutralized before it's disposed of in an environmentally safe way, and the wash solution is discarded according to local requirements.
Muriatic acid safety
This is a hazardous chemical. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration lists muriatic acid under hydrogen chloride. It sets a ceiling of 5 parts per million (ppm) in workplace air, a level not to be exceeded at any time. One pool chemical maker's safety data sheet lists its product at 31.45% hydrochloric acid. The sheet warns of severe skin burns and eye damage, and of irritation to the airways. It calls for:
- gloves, protective clothing, and eye and face protection;
- use only outdoors or in a well-ventilated area;
- an approved respirator where ventilation falls short;
- never mixing it with chlorine bleach or other household chemicals.
The same maker says to always add acid to water, never water to acid. A finish maker's acid-wash procedure adds full-face respirators, rubber boots and rubber gloves.
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(830) 302-4112Draining for an acid wash in New Braunfels
An acid wash needs an empty pool, which brings in the city's drought plan and its limits on draining. Since October 1, 2026, the plan's pool rules apply in every season. Draining is allowed only for rainwater above the pool's normal level, a pool part that has become hazardous, or a leak repair, and only onto ground that absorbs the water. Acid washing isn't one of those, so check with New Braunfels Utilities before planning a drain.
The water from the job has rules too. The street, gutter, ditch and storm drain are all off limits for drained pool water, and water running off the property counts as water waste. Makers say to neutralize spent acid and dispose of it under local rules. Here, the utility is the authority that must approve pool water sent to the sanitary sewer, so ask it first.
New Berlin runs no water system; two utility districts set the drought rules there, and New Braunfels Quality Pool Resurfacing does pool acid washing in New Berlin too.
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(830) 302-4112Pool acid wash cost
Local contractors don't publish acid wash prices, so national figures are the guide here. As part of resurfacing prep, the drain, the acid wash and chipping out loose plaster together can add $500 to $1,500, by 2026 national figures.
None of these figures is a New Braunfels Quality Pool Resurfacing price. Ours comes from a free look at the stains.
- Per square foot of surface
- $0.50–$0.75
- Most residential inground pools
- $300–$700
- 16 by 32 ft pool, about 940 sq ft inside
- $470–$700
- Draining, if billed separately
- $150–$250
- One-time chemical balancing
- $150–$350
National averages, 2025; the national average job was $450. Averages, not a quote.
Call or request a free estimate any time, 24/7.
(830) 302-4112Acid washing questions homeowners ask
Is it good to acid wash your pool?
It can be, on a sound cement finish with stains or scale on its surface. A diluted wash can lift certain stains while compromising little, if any, of the finish, the plastering council's glossary says. It's the wrong tool for etching, for vinyl, fiberglass or painted pools, and for stains whose cause in the water hasn't been fixed. Each wash also removes a thin layer of the finish, which limits how often it can be done.
How often can a pool be acid washed?
It depends on the finish. One quartz finish maker says its finish can be acid washed several times over its life without permanent damage. The same maker says washing gave older limestone-based plaster only temporary relief and wore it away faster. A retailer's guide explains the limit: each wash takes a thin layer of surface with it. Have the finish checked before planning another wash.
Can you acid wash a fiberglass pool?
No. Fiberglass is on a pool retailer's list of surfaces that aren't suitable for acid washing, along with vinyl, acrylic and painted finishes. Its inside surface is gelcoat, a colored resin layer, not cement. Even when a fiberglass pool is prepared for paint, one paint maker sands the gelcoat in straight lines rather than etching it with acid.
How much does it cost to have pool acid washed?
On 2026 national figures, acid washing a 500-square-foot pool runs $300 to $350. Published prices run by the square foot of surface, so larger pools cost more, and draining or rebalancing the water may be billed on top. The cost section above has those figures.
Can I acid wash my pool myself?
The acid is the main reason to think twice. Its safety data sheet warns of severe burns and eye damage, and finish makers' procedures call for full-face respirators, rubber boots and gloves, and protective clothing. Uneven work can leave patchy etching, one chemical maker warns, and etching can't be undone. The job also starts with a drain, which the city's drought plan limits to three reasons that don't include acid washing.
Get a free estimate for a pool acid wash
New Braunfels Quality Pool Resurfacing answers calls and estimate requests 24/7 for acid washing and stain removal in New Braunfels and nearby towns. Tell us the finish, the stain colors and how long they've been there.