tiles on glass-fibre, anybody have experience?

[in-two]

My pool is, I believe, called "hybrid' construction. The walls are large vertical glass fibre panels with a plastered concrete floor. There is stone coping and a stone deck. I'm thinking about a major re-furb and wondered if installing a few rows of ceramic tiles from the coping to below the waterline might improve the appearance and make the 'tidemark' easier to clean/disappear.
Has anybody tried this? What type of adhesive would be suitable and are there any other issues to be careful of?
The walls are vertical but they do curve gently in the horizontal plane, the pool is a classic 1970's curvy shape.
I'll try and post a pic. but the internet here in Italy runs on red wine and olive oil, so it might take some time!
Appreciate any help you can give me.

in-two

 

[PoolGuyNJ]

Siliconized grout is what is used, just as it would be for a fiberglass pool, if it hasn't been painted. With painted wa;;, the tiles will fall off when the paint lets go.

Scott

 

[in-two]

thanks for timely response, poolguyNJ, I know it was a bit of a dumb question but I'm new to pools, working in a foreign language and there is very little in the way of expert knowledge around here.
Since you mention paint I've read a lot about the pro's and mainly con's about painting the pool on this forum, it's still difficult to decide what to do as the alternatives, re-plastering, lining or perhaps complete tiling don't seem easily available and look costly. My pool floor is originally painted but does need refurbishing after 30 odd years. I've found one company that will do a kind of full glass-fibre resin lining job but I wonder if doing a proper acid wash and paint with Rustoleum pool paint (made here in Europe by a company that paints submarines and bridges)) won't give me a good result for 5-7 years. Just for clarity, the glass-fibre walls don't seem to have been painted, just the floor, and that seems to have lasted at least 10 years (I don't know exactly when it was last done), it might even be original (30 years). I'd appreciate your opinion and any others out there.
Thanks again for your help.

cheers
In-Two

 

[duraleigh]

The tile I have seen placed on fibreglass is adhered with epoxy thinset and grouted with epoxy grout. To my knowledge, epoxy is the only suitable adherent that will stand up to the small "flex" the fireglass will do.

It is fairly difficult to install but an experienced tradesman can do an excellent job.

 

[in-two]

thanks Dave,
Exactly the kind of insight I was looking for. I will probably go for mosaic type tiles (3/4x3/4) to accomodate the curves. All I have to do now is work out how to say 'epoxy tile adhesive' in Italian!
Have you any views on the paint issue? I know there is a lot of stuff on the forum about this but much of it is arguing about particular suppliers and brands of 'coating', rather than an objective review of the options for re-furbishing an old, but good, pool.
I also want to say that if you are responsible for starting and running this site, then huge congratulations, it really is the best resource out there.

In-Two

 

[duraleigh]

Have you any views on the paint issue?

None that are particularly positive. I have no personal experience but the information reported here on the forum is not particularly good.

If you are considering painting only the concrete floor that would likely be more successful than painting the fiberglass as well. If the painted floor has held up for 10+ years, then that performance can probably be duplicated.

Tile around the "tidemark" certainly makes a great looking pool. It also is VERY functional by being easy to clean.

Thank you for the kind words about the forum. The credit goes to our Moderators and our administrator. They do an amazing job behind the scenes of keeping the place nice and tidy. Additional credit to the hundreds of members that come on the forum almost every day and are willing to share their knowledge and experience helping newer folks with whatever pool questions come up.

That is a VERY beautiful pool in a beautiful setting!

 

[PoolGuyNJ]

Unpainted or painted with epoxy paint walls should use 801 and 803 or 804.

See this PDF:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q= ... U_ZURVY6iA

Scott

 

[in-two]

Thanks for the input and product info, I now have to decide between silicon and epoxy. I guess the silicon is more flexible and will accomodate flexing of the pool walls, while epoxy is a more natural fit for glass-fibre as it is essentially the same material.
While I'm thinking about it, here's why we do all this stuff...

 

[DBfan187]

I really like the uh, pool you have there. Very nice looking pool!

 

[in-two]

Thanks DBfan,
A lot of people have admired the pool architecture, particularly the curves and superstructure... but trust me, very high maintenance, difficult to balance and seriously expensive!

Cheers
In-two