I was talking to a high dollar pool builder several year's ago & he was telling me that he recomended using Vermiculite for the base instead of sand..You get a very nice bottom if you use this product..Never been happy with the bottom on mine.Wondering how cost would be to take up the base that I have now & try it..I know I prob wouldnot have the patient's to smooth it out..
vermiculite has a base for aboveground
- Thread starter kplaster
- Start date
I don't really know how well it would work, but I think if it were a fantastic option, it would be fairly common (it isn't). The happy bottom-type stuff is quite popular and will give you a flatter bottom than sand.
I have a sand bottom now..I tried to fix it last year..I just made it worse..I started to just shovel up all the sand&go with the Happy Bottom..Would be a big job..But,maybe worth it..pad&coving next go around..Melt In The Sun said:
I've vermiculited AG pools and,as long as the troweler has some degree of skill, the result is FAR better than a sand bottom (as long as the pad is properly compacted) 
That is what the pool builder I talked too..Wonder how much it would cost or would be just has good to take all the sand up&compact the ground again&lay a pad down..waste said:I've vermiculited AG pools and,as long as the troweler has some degree of skill, the result is FAR better than a sand bottom (as long as the pad is properly compacted)
Your exp. how much would I look at to do the vermiculite..pool base is 12 yrs old..Could you go back &repack what's there&then vermiculite..My other prob. is it really worth messing with..If I was going with a new pool would be no ? about doing it..waste said:That's your choice to make.
I have 0 experience with the pads for AG pools
If your original sand is well compacted, you could get away with ~ 1" of vermiculite to do the floor and make the cove vermiculite. On a 18' round ool, we're talking ~ 20 bags of Vermiculite and 10 bags of Portland cement.
Thank's for the input..waste said:If your original sand is well compacted, you could get away with ~ 1" of vermiculite to do the floor and make the cove vermiculite. On a 18' round ool, we're talking ~ 20 bags of Vermiculite and 10 bags of Portland cement.