Replacing tile for gunite pool

[seanoc10]

I have a free form gunite pool the CT. I purchased the house and the pool was there in decent shape. I had the tiles that were there for 20 years replace by a contractor and the following season they all popped off.

I am very handy and plan on redoing the job myself. I know how to set the tiles and prepare the surface. The pool has a free form concrete coping. Do I need to place a flange to allow the coping to move without popping the tiles. My suspicion is that the last contractor did not and in the winter the decking moves enough in the winter and summer causing the tiles to pop. Is that accurate or should I just use the group righ tot he edge of the concrete coping?

It looks like there is an old flange from the original installation.

Thanks for your help

 

[duraleigh]

Welcome to the forum. Not exactly sure what you are asking but I think so. The coping tiles need to be separated by what I will call a caulked "expansion" joint between the tiles and the deck. Not sure what you mean by flange.

 

[seanoc10]

I appears that the initial tile was separated from the deck with an L shaped plastic "molding" that ran up the wall of the pool and under the the overhang of the deck.It looks to be 1" X 1". The tile butt right up to the molding.

Is the caulk expansion joint just a matter of using caulk along the top of the tile where it touches the deck?

 

[duraleigh]

Still not sure how useful that flange would be but here's the deal...

Your coping tile sits on the bond beam and moves in a certain manner. The decking is hopefully not attached to the bond beam so it moves in a somewhat different direction.

So what you need is a joint connecting the coping tile and your decking so these two different movements will be taken up by a flexible joint that accommodates that movement......hence the use of something flexible like polyurethane caulk at the joint that connects the coping tile to the decking. Does that make sense?

 

[seanoc10]

Yes it does. To create the expansion joint should I use a grinder to open the space and then fill it with the caulk? When I grout do I grout the top edge of the tile as well or use the caulk?

I want to make sure the tiles do not pop again.

Thank you

 

[duraleigh]

We're still not quite on the same page. Do you have a pic showing the popped tiles?

 

[seanoc10]

Here are some pics. They are close up so I am not sure how useful they will be. The wall will need to be fixed before hte tiles are applied - obviously. My main question rephrased is this:

After I remove the few tiles that are remaining, repair the wall, and cut a space at the top of the wall for the expansion joint - do I then fill that expansion joint with caulk before applying the tiles? After the tiles are installed do I use caulk or grout between the top of the tile and the decking.

In the pictures, the thin white line is the plastic piece that was glued to the coping. I think it there was a piece that came over the top front of the tile as a cap. When I bough the house those pieces may have already chipped away. The smooth gray line about 1/2" is the underside of that plastic piece. The dark line under that is a space about 1/8" wide which I am assuming was the expansion joint.

My goal is to remove the plastic piece, repair the wall with appropriate material, re-cut the expansion joint, fill the joint with caulk, install the tile, put caulking along the top of the tile and when that cures, grout the rest of the tile.

I will be re-plastering the pool when the above is done.

 

[duraleigh]

After the tiles are installed do I use caulk or grout between the top of the tile and the decking.

Use polyurethane caulk....not grout. Grout will not flex as the two surfaces move and it will crack. Poly will move with the surfaces and keep the joint sealed.

 

[RobbieH]

My pool was grouted, and it looks terrible now. Of course it wasn't my house when it was done, but it'll be corrected when we resurface.