Question during the planning stage

[beaumatt]

Hey all, I currently have an inground sport pool with roman steps at each end. I am coming up on needing a new liner and I am just not happy with the selection these days. The pool is concrete walls with a poolcrete bottom and fiberglass roman steps. Can I get some peoples $.02 worth on switching over to a tile lined pool? It seems to me if I can find glass or ceramic tiles at a good price, I could replace the vinyl liner for about the same cost. What are some pitfalls I might not be considering? Is there any concern with the transition between the poolcrete bottom and the solid concrete walls I should consider? What about the fiberglass steps?

Also, I am thinking of possibly removing one of the roman step ends and putting in a tanning ledge. Can anyone give me their thoughts/experiences on tanning ledges? It would be a half moon shaped area in the sunny end of my pool. I can post some pics when I get home this evening. I am thinking I could fill in the void with concrete block and fill, then top it off with concrete.

This is a year or two away, so no big hurry on my part, just trying to think it all the way through and weigh some options.

 

[JasonLion]

Tile needs a completely rigid surface, while vinyl liners are usually put down over surfaces that have a little give to them. For example pool crete has a lot more give than concrete and isn't a suitable base layer for tile. The presumably metal walls and fiberglass stairs are even less appropriate for tile. If applied over those surfaces, the tiles would crack and come off.

 

[beaumatt]

Thanks Jason, my main question was regarding the poolcrete bottom. The walls of my pool are concrete, not metal or plastic, and I was more worried about any transition between the fiberglass steps and any tile I would put on the walls. SO, if I was to move forward, it sounds like I would do best by removing the poolcrete floor and the fiberglass steps and putting in regular concrete in those places prior to any thoughts of tiling...if I am understanding your comments, correct?

 

[MajorDIYer]

If you really wanted to convert to tile, you'd have to excavate the poolcrete bottom then physically tie the new concrete floor into the walls, probably by drilling in rebar every 8-12" at the bottom of the existing wall. The fiberglass steps would have to go and anything else added would have to be tied in in a similar fashion. After you got to the finished solid concrete shell, you'd have to line it with plaster or something to waterproof it before tiling. It is a big construction project that would cost many times more and take much longer than just replacing the liner.

 

[DBfan187]

yup, a friend of mine converted one of his customers pools from a liner to concrete last year, cost just as much as a new pool

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