Walk-In Pool Steps

[tiffieturtle86]

Well we got our official bid from our PB today. Surprisingly, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The one thing that I am curious about is this idea of walk-in pool steps. I had originally wanted to do plastic/acrylic/fiberglass pool steps, but the PB told me that I may want to check out doing vinyl over steps. The price is only about $300 to $500 more to go with a vinyl over option, but I am not sure if it is worth it. He has given us the option of going to other pools he has put in to test out the vinyl over steps, which I totally appreciate.

1) How do vinyl over steps hold up over time? I know that they are built out of vermiculite, or at least that's what I thought, but I want to make sure that they will stand up to the test of time.
2) How slick do vinyl oversteps get in comparison to plastic steps? This is the biggest thing that I have a question over because I do not want people, in particular older adults, to slip and fall in the pool with a vinyl over steps. I have used plastic/acrylic/fiberglass steps in friends' pools, but this is new to me. I know that those really have a decent amount of grip for you to walk in on and I've never felt unsure of my grip on the step. The vinyl over worries me because of how slick regular vinyl gets in a pool.
3) How well do vinyl over steps do in comparison to their plastic/acrylic/fiberglass counterparts for appearance? According to PB, the acrylic/plastic/fiberglass ones can yellow over time (5-7 years). This may lead to them being replaced. Vinyl over will only require new liner when the current one wears out.
4) Do vinyl over steps wear the liner out faster?

I'm interested to see what everyone has to say about this because I know this is the new big thing for vinyl IGs. The other problem that we face is unless we go with vinyl over steps, our auto cover cannot be flushmount under the coping (unless it is a corner plastic/acrylic/fiberglass step). I am not real keen on wanting to put my steps in the corner, but rather put them in the center of one side of the pool.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Actually I think the steps are made of metal or wood and then covered with something foam soft like before the vinyl goes on. I would prefer those to fiberglass steps myself.

What shape is your pool? You can do steps the entire length of the entrance end if you desire.

Take a look at some of these older threads that discuss this - https://www.google.com/search?sitesearch=www.troublefreepool.com&q=vinyl+steps&submit.x=0&submit.y=0

Maddie

 

[AftonJeeper]

Maddie is correct, my steps are steel and covered with foam. My PB did not back fill them completely so they sound hollow. They are not slippery to us but I have noticed the older folks having issue walking down them. I believe this is because we do not have a handrail, so I have got one I'll be installing soon.

Personally I like the look of the vinyl steps better than fiberglass.

I have two dogs, one that is constantly in and out of the pool and so far the liner has held up well to her abuse. My pool is only a year old.

 

[tiffieturtle86]

Actually I think the steps are made of metal or wood and then covered with something foam soft like before the vinyl goes on. I would prefer those to fiberglass steps myself.

What shape is your pool? You can do steps the entire length of the entrance end if you desire.

The pool would be rectangular to maximize square footage, it's looking like a 18x38. I know the PB said he can do any configuration for a vinyl over, but I just don't know if I'm sold.

The PB says he forms them with metal, backfills with vermiculite, then tops it with some type of foam before putting the vinyl over.

 

[tiffieturtle86]

Maddie is correct, my steps are steel and covered with foam. My PB did not back fill them completely so they sound hollow. They are not slippery to us but I have noticed the older folks having issue walking down them. I believe this is because we do not have a handrail, so I have got one I'll be installing soon.

Personally I like the look of the vinyl steps better than fiberglass.

I have two dogs, one that is constantly in and out of the pool and so far the liner has held up well to her abuse. My pool is only a year old.

The slickness is my fear, as my mom has graciously decided to help pay for the pool with premise that she can use it (I would've let her anyways!). I'm even more sure now that I will need to preview them before having them put in my pool. She has balance problems anyways, so the last thing I need is a slippery surface.

I do have to say though that the vinyl over are much more aesthetically appealing than fiberglass. I just wonder how those bad boys hold up over time... As long as my auto cover can go over them, that works for me!

 

[harleysilo]

The pool would be rectangular to maximize square footage, it's looking like a 18x38. I know the PB said he can do any configuration for a vinyl over, but I just don't know if I'm sold.

The PB says he forms them with metal, backfills with vermiculite, then tops it with some type of foam before putting the vinyl over.

My steps were sprayed in and formed with gunite, as were my pool walls. The liner over my steps and swimouts has a different texture than the rest of the pool. It was the Geo-Tex version of the same liner and is not slippery at all.

We also made our top step a 3' ledge which the kids enjoyed when they were little and adults still enjoy sitting on.

I have not noticed any "wear" from walking on the liner on the steps if that is what you mean.

 

[Nectarologist]

Well we got our official bid from our PB today. Surprisingly, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The one thing that I am curious about is this idea of walk-in pool steps. I had originally wanted to do plastic/acrylic/fiberglass pool steps, but the PB told me that I may want to check out doing vinyl over steps. The price is only about $300 to $500 more to go with a vinyl over option, but I am not sure if it is worth it. He has given us the option of going to other pools he has put in to test out the vinyl over steps, which I totally appreciate.

1) How do vinyl over steps hold up over time? I know that they are built out of vermiculite, or at least that's what I thought, but I want to make sure that they will stand up to the test of time. They hold up well, not like the plastic steps of course but you won't have to replace your liner because the step area wears prematurely.
2) How slick do vinyl oversteps get in comparison to plastic steps? This is the biggest thing that I have a question over because I do not want people, in particular older adults, to slip and fall in the pool with a vinyl over steps. I have used plastic/acrylic/fiberglass steps in friends' pools, but this is new to me. I know that those really have a decent amount of grip for you to walk in on and I've never felt unsure of my grip on the step. The vinyl over worries me because of how slick regular vinyl gets in a pool. This was my biggest concern. I was in a friend's pool and their steps were slippery so I thought "forget this, I'll go with plastic" (knew i was putting a pool in the next spring). But my builder assured me it was their care of the water that led to it. So I went for it b/c I think it looks much better and he was right. I've never had a problem and I'm sure it's because I keep my chemicals balanced. If you're still unsure get a liner that has texture on the stairs part. It's not necessary though and I wouldn't forego a line a liked just to order a textured one.
3) How well do vinyl over steps do in comparison to their plastic/acrylic/fiberglass counterparts for appearance? According to PB, the acrylic/plastic/fiberglass ones can yellow over time (5-7 years). This may lead to them being replaced. Vinyl over will only require new liner when the current one wears out. I don't see yellowing on young pools like that. Chem balance is the key.
4) Do vinyl over steps wear the liner out faster? Than plastic yes but so does plaster compared to plastic. You won't replace the liner any quicker than if you had plastic steps b/c you went with it over the stairs.

I'm interested to see what everyone has to say about this because I know this is the new big thing for vinyl IGs. The other problem that we face is unless we go with vinyl over steps, our auto cover cannot be flushmount under the coping (unless it is a corner plastic/acrylic/fiberglass step). I am not real keen on wanting to put my steps in the corner, but rather put them in the center of one side of the pool.

I would 100% again go for it. Also know there are people who have vinyl over the sun shelf and love them without problems. they don't experience any problems because of it. My roman end is a bench and we spend a lot of time sitting on it without issues. I'm amazed at how vinyl liners can be manufactured now. 20 years ago it was plastic steps and a rectangle. I've had more than one person ask me if my pool was a liner or not (before getting in of course). To me the steps and coping goes a long way to making the look of a pool too so keep that in mind.. Good luck!

 

[tiffieturtle86]

Yes, the PB did mention it has a completely different texture. He said they use a slightly different liner type over the steps. I'm glad that you haven't had any wear on the liner, as that is something I have considered as well.

Do you find that people use your bench, or sit on the steps? I am thinking of 8ft steps and no bench, but the quote we got had them already figured into it.

- - - Updated - - -

Thank you for your response!

Indeed, I too wondered if the slippery-ness would be controlled by properly balancing chemicals and brushing the steps thoroughly and often. I like the look of the vinyl over better, but not at the expense of it being considerably more slippery than a plastic pool step.

 

[blbncsu]

For what its worth after all the other comments:

- We have 6' wide vinyl lines steps. As noted they are steel steps, then covered with a foam padding before the liner goes atop them. Not fully backfilled so the top 2 steps does have a bit of a 'springy' feel to it.
- I would say they did start out fairly slippery the first couple of years and did have to warn people to be careful. But now after 6 seasons of usage they seemed to have become less slippery. They've held up well no issues, the edges where they transition from horizontal to vertical have whitened over time.
But they definitely look better than the standard white fiberglass drop in steps. And the vast majority of people and kids end up hanging out on them...so lots of good usage.

 

[lmisko]

I also have the steel step with the padded vinyl over the top. Our step has a noticeably rougher texture than the rest of the vinyl in the pool. Our PB suggested it as soon as we said we wanted steps. It was a negligible cost difference. However, the steps are not slippery at all. And it seamlessly blends in with the rest of the pool.