exposed plaster at infinity edge

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fortunate

Silver Supporter
Oct 24, 2022
58
Puerto Rico
I find the infinity edge look can be spoiled by waterline tiles along the infinity edge. When the sea is in the background, the tiles make a border between the pool and the sea.

I'd like to plaster all the way up to the infinity edge so the pool blends seamlessly with the sea. I've read plaster "doesn't hold up well" in alternating wet and dry conditions. How much of an issue would this be in practice? The plaster will be Hydrazzo. I could run the edge pump more than normal to keep it wet all (or most of) the time, or maybe just during the day.
 
fortunate said:
How much of an issue would this be in practice?
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The exposed Hydrazoo will develop cracks and erode over time. It will not last as long as tile will. If you do it plan on redoing it every few years.

@onBalance may have thoughts on exposed plaster.
 
I agree with Allen. Plaster does not do well in alternatively wet and dry conditions. Additionally, achieving a perfect infinity edge with plaster is another concern.
 
I was thinking the pool side of the weir wall will be lower than the outer edge, so the pool looks larger. The weir wall is ~14" thick and the pool juts out, so this gains 14" in aesthetics for both depth and width. I've made renders, here's a bird's eye view:

GpxLslZ[1].jpg

The back side, which is tile:

Z5EyqId[1].jpg

And here's from the perspective of an average height adult:

5729-EN6Z[1].jpg

If the weir wall was tilted the other way, then the top of the wall wouldn't be visible and could be tile. That'd look like this from the exact same perspective:

5730-9P4s[1].jpg

It's not too late to change, but I'm torn. Cons: it makes the pool look smaller. Pros: the top of the wall can be tile and the visual transition from pool wall to background is very clean.

Does a lower outer edge reduce splashing into the lower basin? I'm looking for more pros to convince myself. :D

How much lower (or what angle) should the outer edge of the wall be?

FWIW, the gunite was shot many months ago and the house is being built in the meantime. I don't have a great pic on hand, but in its current state it looks like this:

9bt4CWf[1].jpg
 

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I would slope away from the pool.

It's too late now, but you could have just made the pool bigger if you wanted a bigger pool.

You can use a blue tile that matches the water color so that the tile is mostly not visible.
 
The water level in the pool should always be at the top of the wall, so the plaster can go all of the way up.

You can do a bullnose tile to wrap around the top or you can put a 2” band below the lip to give an edge.
 
You can do a bullnose tile to wrap around the top or you can put a 2” band below the lip to give an edge.
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I'd like the plaster to go all the way up so there's no visual break between the pool and the background.

The water level in the pool should always be at the top of the wall, so the plaster can go all of the way up.
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OK, cool! Wait, wouldn't that mean if the wall was sloped toward the pool that the angled top of the wall would always be under water?
 

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Hmm. I guess where the plaster might be able to dry out is the last inch or so before the drop. Is that right?

5734-ihJX[1].jpg

If plaster to the drop like that pic would only last a couple years, that sucks. If it can be kept wet to keep it alive a lot longer, I think I'd do it.
 
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fortunate said:
Hmm. I guess where the plaster might be able to dry out is the last inch or so before the drop. Is that right?

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If plaster to the drop like that pic would only last a couple years, that sucks. If it can be kept wet to keep it alive a lot longer, I think I'd do it.
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If you intend to run the pumps 24/7 and always have water flowing over the edge then it will not dry out.

If you turn off the pumps for any length of time you can have evaporation that can lose 1/4" to 1" of water and expose the edge.

Also, as @onBalance pointed out you may not be able to get the smooth level edge necessary for an even spillover with plaster. You may find water does not flow well over some areas if plastered. An uneven edge may need greater flow to get water coverage.

There are a bunch of variables that can effect it.
 
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You can put a 1" or 2" band of tile near the top and it should not be noticeable as long as the tile color matches the plaster color.

If you have the edge pump run once or twice a day (or more) for circulation, then the water should stay at the top.

You can program the edge pump to run for 5 minutes every hour or two hours to keep the pool full.
 
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