When concrete ponds are referred to as “gunite” pools, what exactly is shotcrete? Is there a difference between gunite, shotcrete, and concrete? Don’t worry… everything will be revealed. (Don’t you think that sounds ominous? I like it.)
- Concrete is a mixture of water, cement, sand, and a coarse aggregate, which is normally stone or gravel, for a quick refresher.
- The initial mixture consists of cement, sand, and aggregate. The manner in which the constructor incorporates the water defines how we refer to it.
- Shotcrete, in technical terms, refers to either wet- or dry-mix concrete that is shot out of a hose, hence the name.
In the pool world, on the other hand, we take matters into our own hands. In this scenario, it’s more about the terminology. Shotcrete is wet mix concrete for our purposes. When the big ol’ cement truck arrives in your backyard, the whole cement-sand-aggregate mix is already mixed with water.
Gunite is a form of dry-mix concrete that is applied without the use of water before the contractor applies it.