Water line tile...is it required?

[jparadise81]

My pb has done pools where they take the pebble straight to the coping and don't install tile at the water line. What's everyone's thoughts on this?

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[Patrick_B]

We can't answer you as well because you don't have your location listed on your profile. If you could add that, I'll be able to answer you better. Some places it would be a no for sure. Some locations it might be borderline acceptable. Generally it's not a good idea.

 

[jparadise81]

I'm in fort worth,TX. And will update my signature once I get to a computer

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[JoyfulNoise]

Well, it all depends on how good you are at keeping the water from scaling calcium. Calcium scale on tile is, relatively speaking, way easier to clean than calcium scale on PebbleTek. The only way to treat heavy scale on PebbleTek is with glass bead blasting and, even then, it never comes back to original. As well, because the water chemistry is slightly different at the surface near the pebble/surface interface, mild color changes to the underlying pebble creme (plaster) is inevitable. You will eventually get a water line there.

So tile is used to mitigate a lot of the ugliness that can occur with partially submerged PebbleTek. Personally, I would demand a tile line or I would hire an independent contractor to do the tile job BUT it has to be done BEFORE the coping is poured or installed.

 

[jparadise81]

That makes sense. My brother is my pb and is doing the build at cost so I might as well put some tile up. He recommended it anyways, I'm just looking for ways to cut down on costs

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[JoyfulNoise]

What's your pool's perimeter length in ft? Stone or poured coping?


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[jparadise81]

110' plus 8' round spa. Haven't decided on coping yet but will likely just go with flagstone. Definetley not poured.

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[JoyfulNoise]

110' plus 8' round spa. Haven't decided on coping yet but will likely just go with flagstone. Definetley not poured.

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So your perimeter is looking to be about 60 sq ft of tile. How much of the spa do you plan to tile?

My point is, tile is/can be cheap as long as you keep to the simple tiles (no fancy patterns, etc). And don't do glass, it's a nightmare. Many times the stone masons doing the coping work will be doing the tile line too and since you're doing flagstone, the tile cost is in the noise.

The flagstone, I hope you're doing 3" thick? The 1-1/2" stuff is cheesy looking in my opinion.


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[jparadise81]

I haven't picked the flagstone but will definetley go thicker if I have the option. Thanks for the replies. I should probably stop being lazy and just start a build thread lol

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[SoonerWing]

JoyfulNoise why is Glass tile a nightmare?

 

[Paris69]

Yes why is glass a nightmare? My mason guys installed it and was cake.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

To all glass people - I'm not trying to pick a fight. Here are my reasons that are purely subjective and personal -

1. Glass color can depends on the backing glue color if the glass tile is not backed with a white coating. If not done right, it looks bad. Also, having laid more tile in my life than I ever wanted to, 1" glass tile on vertical surfaces is a nightmare to lay. Mixed rectangular and squares is even more of a nightmare.

2. Calcium scale on glass looks ugly

3. Incredibly hard to clean glass tile with calcium scale as it is easily scratched.

Now, with that said, if you've done glass tile in your pool and you're happy with it, great for you. I'm glad. I don't like the look of glass tile at all and I would never use it or recommend it. That's my personal preference and opinion which is just as valid as yours. Feel free to voice your own opinions about glass if you like it.

Sorry if I sound prickly, but I know how social media works and, especially, internet forums - folks read something and, because they don't know the person posting and they don't like seeing subjective opinions contrary to their own, they ramp up their outrageously outrageous outrage machine to DEFCON 5 as if a slew of bad things were just said about their mother. Then, in less than a post, it goes from being a discussion of ideas to series of ad-hominem attacks.

By all means voice your opinions loud & proud but please keep your emotionalism to yourself.


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[JayBauman]

Check out my build thread in my signature. I don't have any waterline tile. My decking rolls into my coping which is my waterline material. It's all concrete.

 

[Patrick_B]

I think no waterline tile and plaster in place of it would be a very poor choice in Texas, but there is nothing wrong with glass tile. It is no more a nightmare than anything else! CH scaling looks bad on anything. I've managed my pool for a year being over 700 CH without a trace of waterline scale. If you like glass tile then by all means get it. Especially at cost. No Brainer.