Tile is the most durable interior finish for a concrete pool and it's much easier to clean and maintain than exposed aggregate. Because plaster will stain easily, concrete pools require waterline tiles. Fiberglass pools, on the other hand, don't necessarily need tile, but it does improve a pool's aesthetic appeal.
Lining a pool with tiles has long been regarded as the premium finish for swimming pools. Tiles are regarded highly due to their appearance and superior durability. On a practical level, they are easier to clean than cement based rendered surfaces such as pebblecrete used in concrete pools and require less maintenance.
Benefits of Pool Tiles
Tiles are durable: Pool tiles can last between 5 and 10 years depending on how well you take care of your pool. You can save a lot in terms of pool maintenance.
Tiles protect the waterline from the sun and facilitate easy cleaning. The additional benefits of covering your entire concrete pool with glass mosaic tile are considerable: Glass pool tiles are extremely durable. Easy to maintain.
All concrete pools require some sort of tile or stone edge vertical border around the top perimeter. There are hundreds of tile options to choose from, including: porcelain, slate, ceramic, granite, and glass. However, not all are advisable to use in certain regions where frost climates exist during winter months.
Typically the water level should be kept at a height where half the tile is underwater. The tile is easier to clean than the rest of the pool's surface so the tile surface helps prevent permanent water lines around your pool.
It costs an average price of $25 per linear foot to replace waterline tiles, with respect to the additional cost of materials.
Tile Finishes
Though tile is the most expensive pool finish and takes longer to install than plaster and aggregate, it's the longest lasting pool surface. With proper application and minimal maintenance, tiles should never need to be replaced. Tile pool finishes come in ceramic, porcelain, glass and stone.
Every five years or so, older pools need regrouting. You can usually tell this is needed because in the summer you will notice black marks appearing on your floor and walls of pool - black algy, it grows in all the tiny spaces between the tiles where the grout is missing.
It's usually recommended to seal pool tile grout every three to five years.
Step 3 – Tile and Masonry
This process can take anywhere from 1 to 3 working days.
A tile that will either add a pop of color to the pool or a neutral color that blends into the surrounding environment. To enhance the pool's water color, a blue or teal colored tile is best. For a more natural look or to compliment the pool deck, a tile with colors found in natural stone works nicely.
Some pool owners ask if waterline tiles can be added later, while although it is possible to install perimeter tile on the fiberglass at any time, it is still very hard to do it in a way that looks professional if done after the pool's coping has been done.
Waterline tiles are not necessary to have a swimming pool, but they are very beneficial to have installed when designing your pool.
Glass. Glass tiles are a luxury tiling option with an average cost of $7 to $50 per square foot. Glass is less durable and more expensive than other tiling options, but if you have a generous budget, glass tiles are a great way to make your pool stand out.
Generally, a few common varieties, including glass, ceramic, natural stone, and porcelain, are ideal for swimming pools. But porcelain makes the most reliable and pleasing option for both pool and spa.
A: Pool tile has been specially manufactured to stand up to sunlight, changing temperatures, an aquatic environment, and constant contact with the chemicals in swimming pool water. Regular household tile -- such as bathroom and kitchen tile -- isn't designed for outdoor use and may not offer the same durability.
Ceramic and Porcelain Pool Tiles
For decades, porcelain and ceramic have been the most popular choices for pool tile. Apart from being easy to install and clean, a ceramic pool tile can be hand-painted in any pattern. They are smooth to touch, and hence, little swimmers are safe from any scratches from inside the pool.
Epoxy grout is durable, waterproof, and requires no sealing. For these reasons, waterproof epoxy grout is a great choice for swimming pools. It's resistant to staining, cracking, and crumbling, making it ideal for areas where there is a likelihood of high traffic.
Epoxy grout is a great choice for swimming pools. The common grout used for the waterline tile, the area where the pool plaster and tile meet, is cement based grout. Cement based grout used in pool tile is used everyday, but it is more susceptible to stains and damage by pool chemicals.
Regrouting allows you to remove mold that may have accumulated between pool tiles. You can do this yourself and save a lot of money. It is a simple, straight forward task, but quite time consuming, so leave plenty of time to work before you want to use your pool again.
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If you're only replacing a couple tiles along a top edge, you'll only need to drain enough water to expose the area and keep it from being splashed. If you're redoing your entire pool, drain all of the water and let it sit for a day or 2, until it's fully dry.