Pool Construction 101: Pool Coping and Tile Options and Ideas

01 Mar Pool Construction 101: Pool Coping and Tile Options and Ideas

Copings/Tile

From 1 Stop Pool Pros

When going through the process of designing a swimming pool for one’s own home, it is easy to get bewildered.  Swimming Pool Design professionals are constantly throwing terms at you that they assume you will understand, and these design decisions can greatly impact the asethetics and functionality of your swimming pool.  After all, if you were an expert in the swimming pool design field, you wouldn’t need someone else to design and build your pool, right?  This post from 1 stop pool pros talks about a very important aspect of concrete inground swimming pools, the tile and coping.  One of the most visible parts of the pool is the coping and tile, and it extremely important that you not only understand the significance of these design decisions, but that you get them right!

Here is an excerpt from the post:

Coping is the top boarder around the swimming pool and spa. It is the top cap that rests on the bond beam of the pool or the pool wall. Copings come in many different styles. The most common style is the standard white safety grip coping shown below. Other styles such as brick, poured in place, and cantilever are additional styles that are often seen. It is important that copings are free of cracks and are properly secured to the bond beam.
If cracks are noticed throughout the grout line (area above the waterline tile and coping) and or through the coping themselves (as shown below), there is a good chance the copings are loose and or hollow. If it is noticed that the copings are cracked and or hollow it is important to take the preventative measures to avoid further damage to the adjacent coping, bond beam and or decking. Once a coping becomes damaged, water will penetrate through the crack and erode the mortar that bonds the copings to the pool shell and or bond beam, working its way around the entire pool. When there are cracks in the copings or grout, water can begin to erode under the pool decking which causes premature deck movement and or cracking.

Click here to read the entire post