Need quick advice: Salt Water and Travertine

[gocubs418]

All,

I was going to go with stamped concrete and Salt Water pool in Texas. However, my builder strongly wants me to go with Travertine over stamped concrete. He is practically "giving me" the option to upgrade at no cost.

Since I will have Oklahoma flagstone, Travertine deck, and a Grotto rock waterfall, should I go against Salt water and stick with a regular old chlorine system? I don't want to damage all of my coping and stone.

Thoughts?

 

[mgmoore7]

I research this to death when I just did my pool with salt water and travertine in Florida at the end I have travertine and I have salt water

 

[gocubs418]

I research this to death when I just did my pool with salt water and travertine in Florida at the end I have travertine and I have salt water

Did you seal it?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

See this thread - Pictures of Salt Water flagstone or coping damage?

We have yet to get a detailed or definitive report of stone damage due completely to salt water pools. You would think that, with over 100,000 TFP users and a large fraction of those as SWG pool owners, if salt were truly the problem builders make it out to be then we'd have massive amounts of data on it.

You can put the terms "salt" "stone" "damage" (keep the double quotes around each term) in the TFP Search box and get lots of posts returned discussing this issue...I'll save you the trouble, the damage (if any at all) is indistinguishable from normal wear & tear. If you like the look of the travertine and stone you have selected and you want the ease of an SWG, then I say go for it!! There's greater likelihood of you being miserable for not getting what you wanted out of your pool build than for any definitive evidence of salt damage to show up here!

(And use a sealer if you like, just know that it raises the cost of the install and it has to be reapplied on a regular basis, ~2-3 years at most)

 

[Wilky]

I am in Maryland and we did a travertine deck and coping with a salt water pool about 4 years ago. No problems.

- - - Updated - - -

...also, we did not seal it and it is dry laid, so no mortar joints to allow for expansion (In Maryland). We like the look and feel of it not being sealed. Just beware of red wine!

 

[mgmoore7]

Did you seal it?

Not yet but probably will

 

[mgmoore7]

And by the way, the richness of the look it far anf above concrete IMO