Conclusion. The Pool Liner Floor Pad in particular is a great addition to your swimming pool and will make for a smoother bottom with added protection. Unlike, traditional foam pads, which can easily cut by roots or any sharp objects. The Pool Liner Floor Pad is the best investment that you have been looking for.
Above-ground pools should be placed on pool floor padding for two important reasons: Installation of padding underneath the swimming pool liner protects it from stones, roots, or other sharp debris that might cut the pool liner and cause a leak.
Pool Floor Padding
By far the best material to place under a swimming pool liner is Armor Shield or Gorilla Pad. These materials are breathable allowing moisture to escape and are extremely tough, keeping insects and moles from coming through and piercing the vinyl pool liner.
Concrete is probably the best option since it is usually 100% level and smooth. Also, grass can't grow through concrete and animals and bugs can't damage or burrow through it either. Grass or dirt is also another great option, as long as it has been properly leveled and you've killed off the grass first.
Gorilla Pads are pre-cut floor pads designed to protect and cushion the bottom of above ground pools. Unlike old pool foam padding, which can be easily be cut or pierced by grass, roots, or rocks under your above ground pool liner, Gorilla Bottom pool floor padding is impervious to almost any sharp object.
Tired of having your vinyl pool liner damaged by rocks, roots, or nut grass? Then place Armor Shield under your vinyl liner and guard it from cuts, punctures, and abrasions resulting from rocks, roots, nutgrass, and even glass! The Armor Shield is ecologically friendly and pre-cut to the most popular size pools.
The Pool Liner Floor Pad is made of polypropylene geotextile (felt) material that prevents punctures to your pool liner caused by rocks, roots, grass and even glass! The Floor Pad is super tough, but also adds a layer of cushioning that will eliminate foot prints from forming.
The general rule is that there should be a two to three-inch base of sand under an above ground pool. If you know the dimensions of your pool area, then you can easily figure out how much sand you'll need for the base using a sand calculator.
Yes you DO want pavers under your legs. That will keep them from sinking. The pavers need to be level with the ground so they do not poke your liner. The ground prep is a lot of work BUT it will pay off in the end!
Many wonder though if above ground pools are exclusively used over grass, sand, or soil only and if installing it over concrete is impossible (for fear of it getting punctured). The good news is, yes, you can install your above ground pool on concrete if a sand or soil base is not possible.
Grass is growing through your pool liner either because the liner was weakened by chlorine and a low pH or the grass is a hardened, sprouting type of grass. Bermuda, nutgrass, and St. Augustine grass are all tough enough to poke through a pool liner, so it's important to lay a pad down.
The two most common materials for the bottom of your pool are vermiculite and grout. Whichever material you choose, you'll apply it right on top of the soil with a round-edged pool trowel, and then the liner goes on top of it.
Good quality standard gauge (20ga or mil) above ground pool liners will realistically last an average of 3-5 years. Heavy gauge liners (25ga or mil) will average 5-8 years before needing to be replaced.
Since the vinyl pool liner is one of the softest and most vital parts of an above ground pool, wall foam is important because it adds an extra layer of protection between the liner and metal components of the pool.
The use of sand is one of the cheapest ways in which to level the ground without digging, and it is far easier to level the sand than it is to level the ground itself. Sand can be poured on the installation area, spread evenly around the region, and compacted down to create level ground.
There is an easy way to do this. Screw two 2-by-4 boards together alongside each other so they are one or two feet longer than the diameter of your pool. Next, lay the attached boards on the ground where the pool will be and put a level on top. Slowly lift and lower one side of the 2-by-4s until it shows level.
Well-known member. Yes, everything you read will tell you to dig down as soil built up can settle and throw your pool out of level. That being said people do it. My pool installer who is highly recommended by the pool store and does tons of installs does it.
Traditional felt carpet padding is usually frowned upon as a pool padding material, according to the Pool Homeschool blog, but modern closed-cell foam carpet pads can work well. Those marketed as "memory foam" pads work for an above-ground pool sitting on concrete.
If cutting costs without cutting corners is on your agenda, do yourself and the planet a favor by padding your pool with newspapers and cardboard. Both materials are readily available -- and free for the asking -- from recycling centers, store refuse containers or your own recycling bins.
Use a swimming pool cover.
Pool covers help protect your liner from the sun's harmful UV rays. They also keep dirt, debris, and pests out of your pool, so you can use fewer chemicals and spend less time cleaning the pool.