Deep blue is the most popular color for pool liners.
Vinyl is typically the choice of liner because it is durable, cost-effective, and fairly thin. The best above-ground pool liners use vinyl that ranges from 20-30 gauge, such as seen with the Smartline Boulder Liner.
Many professional builders actually prefer 20mil liners because they have more elasticity which helps them fit better in some cases. Thicker liners tend to be less pliable and much heavier which can make the installation more difficult. A proper fitting 20 mil liner will outlast an improper fitting thicker liner.
Dark-colored liners, like our Blue Raleigh liner for in-ground pools, provide a bold look, which makes them a favorite among pool owners. Darker liners naturally help keep your pool warmer by absorbing sunlight. They also hide dirt and debris more easily than some lighter-colored liners.
The safest and most popular color for liners is blue.
A deep blue water color is what people associate most with swimming pools. It is a attractive and durable. The patterns that fall into this deep blue category are Port Royal, Georgetown, Navarre, Ocean Wave, Malibu and Hampton.
Select the Thickness
The thickness of the liner is less important than the fit. A liner that fits properly will last much longer than a thicker liner that doesn't. Vinyl pool liners do not fail because they are not thick enough. We recommend choosing a pool liner based on the pattern rather than the thickness.
Particularly for an amateur, that makes overlap liners much easier to install. You can even change the pool's bottom, cove size, and bottom thickness, and still the liner can be made to fit. Beaded liners have no room for adjustment. You either built the pool right, or you didn't.
Expect to spend 2 to 4 hours removing faceplates, gaskets, and the old vinyl pool liner, positioning and installing the new replacement liner prior to refilling the pool with water.
If both liners are properly installed, the thicker liner should last longer, although there are so many variables involved that it's hard to say. The thicker vinyl is like a good insurance policy: problems will likely come up either way, but a thicker vinyl is additional protection from the worst damage.
Deep Blue- A darker liner is more likely to absorb sunlight, and therefore can help to warm your pool water. Darker liners will also make it more difficult to see debris and dirt in your pool.
A 20 gauge vinyl swimming pool liner is thinner than a 25 gauge liner. Though the thickness of a vinyl pool liner doesn't always guarantee long liner life, a thicker liner is usually more durable than a thinner model.
As you might expect, dark liners — especially if they are patterned — are good at hiding dirt and debris. A darker pool liner also hides imperfections, like scratches and stains and making them less noticeable.
In short, there are extremely high liner shortages this spring and summer due to manufacturing delays from 2020 and into 2021.
This is also is true for vinyl pool liners. They become brittle over time, or stretched thin, from holding all of that pool water over the years. The average pool liner lifespan is 5 to 9 years. If the liner is low quality or becomes damaged, the lifespan range will be less than this.
Walk Around the Liner
When your pool is ready for swimming, put on a pair of soft-soled shoes and go for a walk in your pool. As you walk around on the liner, gently stretch the wrinkles from one side and then the other using your feet. This stretching should help smooth out minor wrinkles.
One of the most common issues associated with water collection behind a pool liner is known as a “floating” or “lifting” liner. The water causes the liner to lose its original seal, which then can cause soft spots, wrinkles, and other imperfections that lead to a lifted, floating liner.
Vinyl liners last 5-9 years, with a general rule being the thicker the liner, the closer it will be to 9 years. But beyond that, a thicker vinyl liner is a good investment in avoiding potential problems. They can withstand more damage without leaking and will require fewer patches and repairs.
52” J-hook/uni-bead liners will work for 54” pools. As mentioned earlier, liners are made to be a little smaller than the pool so they can stretch perfectly in place. A 54” tall above ground pool is only two inches bigger, so the liner will have no problem fitting.
Unibead liners simply clip to the top of the pool wall (using the integrated J-hook bead at the top) allowing you to have a printed design with a straight border at the waterline giving a more professional appearance. We recommend Unibead liners to be used just the way they come out of the box, as a j-hook liner.
A J-bead liner is a sheet of vinyl installed in a swimming pool between the water and the pool walls. Pool liners are used in both aboveground and inground swimming pools, and typically are secured to the pool wall with a bead at the top edge. This bead may fit into a track or over the edge of the pool wall.
The Balancing Act of Pool Maintenance
The typical lifespan of a vinyl liner is anywhere from 15-20 years and where your liner falls in that range depends, most crucially, upon your proper maintenance of the pool's chemistry.
A lighter color shows more imperfections in a pool liner than a darker color, making dirt, scratches and marring on the liner more easily noticed. Water also can magnify this effect. A darker pool liner does a better job of hiding such imperfections, and so they are less easily noticed by guests.
The most important function of a black bottom pool compared to a regular colored one is that they are easier to heat naturally thanks to the materials they use. This means that it will take less time and energy to heat them artificially as they are better at absorbing heat from the sun.