We renovated a tired 10x4m concrete pool in Castor Bay on Auckland’s North Shore and brought it back to a resort-standard finish. The job covered a full interior resurface, new Ezarri glass mosaic waterline tiles, premium porcelain drop-face coping, and a full plumbing and lighting upgrade. Total project value was around $47,000 + GST.
Artisan Stone & Tile has spent 15+ years working in submerged environments across Auckland. This project is a good example of what a proper renovation involves when a concrete shell is sound but everything on and around it has aged out.
The 10m concrete shell was structurally sound but the interior had gone rough and pitted. That’s normal on a North Shore pool past 15 years, where salt air, pool chemicals and UV slowly break down the old plaster surface.
The client didn’t just want a cosmetic tidy-up. The plumbing and filtration were dated, which meant weak circulation and higher chemical costs. So we scoped a full renovation: strip the pool back, sort the surface and the water quality together, and rebuild it with materials that hold up in Auckland conditions.
The biggest visual change was the pool edge. We removed the dated header course and set new premium porcelain drop-face copings onto the concrete bond beam.
Porcelain suits a pool like this because it’s vitrified, so it absorbs very little water (under 0.5%) and shrugs off salt and chlorine without regular sealing. Natural stone is a lovely finish too and we use it often, but for this client the low-maintenance porcelain was the right call.
The install ran in three steps:
For the full range, read our guide to pool coping stones.
We tiled the waterline in Ezarri Dolerite glass mosaics. Ezarri is the standard we trust for pool tiling in New Zealand. Its dot-mounting system leaves most of the tile back open for adhesive, so the bond to the wall is strong and the tiles stay put.
The Dolerite range gives a deep, moody tone that reads as real depth against blue water. We set it with an epoxy grout system. Epoxy resists chemical attack and doesn’t erode like standard cement grout, which is exactly what you want at the waterline where air, water and chemicals all meet. For more, see our swimming pool tiling in Auckland page.
At the time, we finished the interior in Hydrazzo Mediterranean Blue polished plaster, hand-polished on site to a smooth, deep-blue surface. It looked superb on completion.
We no longer use Hydrazzo. The supplier is discontinuing it at the end of 2026, so we don’t recommend it for new work. For a resurface like this today we’d specify one of our two current plaster finishes – Quartz Pool Finish by Oceania or Ultra Plaster by SSL Distributors – which are harder and more resistant to chemical etching than older plaster marble, or a fully tiled interior for the longest life. See our pool renovations Auckland page for current finish options.
A new surface is wasted if the water stays cloudy, so a good chunk of the budget went into the plant room.
We’re upfront with clients about cost. This renovation came in at $47,000 + GST. The money breaks down roughly like this:
For how costs vary by pool type, see our pool renovation cost guide.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Pool size | 10m x 4m concrete shell |
| Waterline tiles | Ezarri Dolerite glass mosaics |
| Coping | Premium porcelain drop-face |
| Grout | Epoxy grout system |
| Upgrades | LED lighting, filtration and plumbing |
| Location | Castor Bay, North Shore, Auckland |
| Project value | ~$47,000 + GST |
Castor Bay pools live with coastal salt air and North Shore clay, both of which are hard on older plaster and metal fittings. That’s why so many local owners renovate rather than replace: the concrete shell usually has decades left, and a resurface plus new tiling and coping brings it right back without the cost and disruption of a full rebuild.
We work across the North Shore, including nearby Waiake and Birkenhead. Every job uses BRANZ-appraised materials and epoxy grout for submerged tiling, backed by our 35+ five-star Google reviews.
Get a free site visit and a no-obligation quote for your pool renovation. We’ll assess the shell, talk through finishes, and give you a fixed price.
or call Mario on 021 123 8672.
