Grout recommendation for coping stones

[archer_310]

Any recommendations as to what kind of grout I should be using between coping stones around my IG pool? I'm leaving ~1/4" in between the stones. Should it be something that is somewhat flexible to account for expansion/contraction?

Thanks for any info you can give me.

 

[duraleigh]

Are the coping stones set in masonry on top of the bond beam? What type of decking butts up to the coping stones?

 

[archer_310]

I have not installed them as yet. I plan on putting a ring of mortar mix around the pool so the back of the stones have something to sit on, and then using adhesive to attach the stones to the pool top and mortar (hope this makes sense). The stones would be butting up against brick pavers.

 

[bk406]

Is this a liner pool with steel walls or gunite?

 

[archer_310]

steel walls

 

[bk406]

You really don't need a ring of concrete around the back of the beam. Just mortar the stone to the top, it'll be fine. Trying to run a ring of concrete around the back, keeping it level, etc, will be tough. You need to pitch the coping back a touch. Once it sets up, you can go back with mortor in a grout bag (looks like a cake frosting bag) to fill the joints. Is this cantilever coping? This is pretty tough to do even for an experienced mason, so take your time.

 

[solarboy]

Lay them all in place dry and then glue them down one by one. Well that's what I do

 

[archer_310]

Lay them all in place dry and then glue them down one by one. Well that's what I do

This is what I was planning on doing. Did you use anything underneath the part that wasn't supported by the pool frame other than crushed stone? My worry is that the stone may eventually sink and there won't be anything supporting that part of the coping stone when someone steps on it.

 

[solarboy]

Sorry, I've not done coping on a steel walled pool before and I share your concerns but I'm sure others here can answer that.

 

[bk406]

My worry is that the stone may eventually sink and there won't be anything supporting that part of the coping stone when someone steps on it.

Thats not an issue if you use mortar. Mortar will squish through the holes and cutouts in the top of the steel wall and hld the stone on very tightly. Using adhesive, I'm not so sure. I'd advise the use of mortar, not adhesive.

 

[duraleigh]

Well, color me puzzled?? :lol: :lol: I have always been of the belief that you MUST have a solid foundation (concrete) upon which to lay any mortared masonry product.

I can't see how the coping stones could lay on the pool wall or substrate behind the pool wall without cracking unless they have about 3-4 inches of concrete underneath. Have I been making an incorrect assumption on this?

 

[bk406]

I guess i wasnt as clear as i need to be.
You're not going to have a void underneath on the back side. You have to bring up some gravel even with the bottom of the stone or brick you are going to use for coping. It cant hang in mid air, obviously. You use mortor to adhere the stone to the top of the steel wall. The stone is only going to be a foot or so wide so its not like your putting 3 feet of stone on 3 inches of substrate. I'm assuming this is cantaliver coping? If you need to fill in under the back of the coping where it hangs off the bond beam a little, you can put a bed of mortar underneath but you dont need to prep it before hand with a pre poured "collar". As long as you have a good, solid base of gravel thats been compacted, there's no issue. Now adhesive is a different story. I've seen guys pour a concrete collar all the way around and butting the edge of the steel wall. That gives more surface area for adhesive, but with mortar you dont really need to do that prep ahead of time. So I guess in a way you are putting a solid substrate under the back of the stone in the form of mortar rather than pre-poured concrete. The stone adheres to the steel since there are holes and cut outs in the top of the wall for the mortar to squish through. You can also use metal lathe to give it extra security. Theres a lot of differnet ways to do it depending on ones skill level and know how.


That all being said, i dont think setting coping like that on a steel wall pool is a DYI job. Even experienced masons have trouble if they dont do that type of work a lot. I guess if your an amature DYI'er, pouring a solid concrete collar would be the way to go. But a mason that knows what they are doing wouldnt do it.