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**RANT ALERT** Just had my dream quartz finish pool installed in Dallas last week. The contractor said to brush it gently during startup. Well, I got a little overzealous trying to get some plaster dust off and now I can see faint scratch marks on the surface! Are these permanent? I spent $50K on this pool and it's already ruined after 7 days?! Someone tell me this isn't as bad as it looks. The anxiety is real.

Okay, first - breathe. I'm on my third espresso this morning so I'll give it to you straight. Quartz is TOUGH. Those 'scratches' are probably just in the surface film, not the actual quartz aggregate. Did you use a nylon brush or steel? Steel would be bad, but even then... I'd bet my morning coffee it's cosmetic. Call your builder, not Reddit. They should acid wash it if needed. But yeah, overbrushing during startup is like scrubbing a new car with sandpaper - not ideal.

Just got off my night shift and saw this... similar thing happened to my pool in Houston last year. The 'scratches' freaked me out too. Turns out it was just the curing film. My builder did a light acid wash (took maybe 2 hours) and it looked brand new. Don't panic yet. But seriously - why do they give us brushes during startup if we're not supposed to use them properly? The instructions are always vague.

Thanks for the replies... but I used a STAINLESS STEEL brush because that's what they left me! The contractor said 'brush twice daily' and handed me this metal thing. Now you're telling me I shouldn't have used it? I feel completely misled. The marks are definitely visible - like spiderweb scratches when the sun hits them. Is acid wash safe for quartz? I don't want to make it worse.

Whoa whoa whoa - stainless steel during startup? That's contractor malpractice. Nylon only for the first 28 days! The caffeine is kicking in and I'm getting angry FOR you. Acid wash is standard for quartz - it removes about 1/1000th of an inch of surface. But make THEM do it. This is on their poor instructions. Document everything, take photos at different times of day. And maybe switch to herbal tea... your stress levels are showing.

Agree with AquaAce - this is on the builder. My night shift brain remembers: quartz pools have a cementitious binder that cures slowly. Steel brushes can scratch that binder before it fully hardens. The quartz particles themselves are probably fine. My builder covered the acid wash under warranty since their startup sheet didn't specify brush type. Don't pay a dime for the fix. And hey - at least you noticed now rather than after the warranty expires!