choosing a liner, help please!

[riverlee]

http://www.troublefreepool.com/decided-to-build-first-pool-this-spring-t41345-60.html

Page 5 has a couple pics too

Took a couple pics to night I'll post tomorrow...

thank you... i remember reading your thread a while back. you have a great looking pool and backyard there! your liner appears darker than what i am looking for- i didn't re-read to see if the pattern was named in the thread, but it appears to be like the blue granite or blue raleigh pattern. it helps when i can see ones i know are too dark, or ones that i don't like the look of so that i can compare the samples to the ones i think will work! thanks very much for your help! lee

 

[riverlee]

I am trying to get a good one of the side and bottom part of the liner. It was called Gemstone Floor


We have the 8 foot wide, white plastic steps with jets in the sides near the seat. I wanted that because we have little grands who love to play on the steps. I like them. We also didn't do the concrete edge that goes all the way, opting for the white metal edge. With little ones playing in the pool, the edge we have is much more forgiving if someone hits their head. I know the other one is supposed to be preferred but we just did what worked so we wouldn't have to worry about the kids when they are over.

oh, thank you, that looks very much like what i am looking for. you have a really nice pool- and matching fireplace! and i will probably also have the ducks to go with mine. and frogs, i'm afraid... i just am not sure how to get all the critters to stay over in the pond and out of the pool :-D i do know someone with a pool, and that is a good suggestion. but i don't think i'll be able to get a great idea of the liner, especially because theirs is a dark liner with a distracting(to me) pattern. i think that's all i would see... do you remember looking at any of the pebbly patterns like yours that have some white in them too- like this one http://imperialpools.com/wp-content/upl ... large2.jpg i just wonder what sort of diffrence there is with the white added in. thanks so much for the pictures and information. lee

 

[harleysilo]

http://www.troublefreepool.com/decided-to-build-first-pool-this-spring-t41345-60.html

Page 5 has a couple pics too

Took a couple pics to night I'll post tomorrow...

thank you... i remember reading your thread a while back. you have a great looking pool and backyard there! your liner appears darker than what i am looking for- i didn't re-read to see if the pattern was named in the thread, but it appears to be like the blue granite or blue raleigh pattern. it helps when i can see ones i know are too dark, or ones that i don't like the look of so that i can compare the samples to the ones i think will work! thanks very much for your help! lee

No problem glad to help even if it is to elIminate choices! We decided we wanted the tread tex and then had to chose something that matched it....the do offer it in like two or three other patterns...

 

[lkae4]

We did like the ones with the white added in.

The thing with the different patterns was that you kind of lose the pattern once there is water unless you are in the pool. I actually had to go outside to look closely at our bottom pattern and since it is outside my window all day I see it all day but still needed to go close up.

The thing the different patterns seem to do is determine the color you see when you look at the water - navy blue for those water looking designs and different shades of blue for the various pebble and stone variations. Some with more white looked a bit more turquoise which was also pretty. Those tan ones actually are a very pretty acqua blue when filled. My friend has one and it is very pretty.

Maybe even the kitchen sink or a slop sink would give you an idea.

I pick a car in about half an hour - a pool liner took me so much more time. We didn't spend as much time picking out this house. haha

 

[riverlee]

We did like the ones with the white added in.

The thing with the different patterns was that you kind of lose the pattern once there is water unless you are in the pool. I actually had to go outside to look closely at our bottom pattern and since it is outside my window all day I see it all day but still needed to go close up.

The thing the different patterns seem to do is determine the color you see when you look at the water - navy blue for those water looking designs and different shades of blue for the various pebble and stone variations. Some with more white looked a bit more turquoise which was also pretty. Those tan ones actually are a very pretty acqua blue when filled. My friend has one and it is very pretty.

Maybe even the kitchen sink or a slop sink would give you an idea.

I pick a car in about half an hour - a pool liner took me so much more time. We didn't spend as much time picking out this house. haha

haha, exactly! so it's interesting you say that about the white added in to the design. that is my biggest concern- i want my water to be blue. as blue as possible, not dark blue, but blue with no signs of green- no aqua or turquoise. like the tan ones, i just don't like them because of that. but i don't want drab blue either! i think maybe i need to stick with different blues in the pattern- like yours or the blue mosaic. i wasn't sure what the white would do, i thought maybe make it more sparkly looking or something , but if it adds turquoise or something like that then it is not what i want. and yes, i don't expect to see the pattern, just the effect it creates in the water. i would prefer not to tell what the actual pattern is. i looked at one of the prism liners today and that's all i could see was the pattern. i din't like that. actually all three liners i've gone to see were that basic prism design, just different shades, this is one http://imperialpools.com/wp-content/upl ... argess.jpg so that really helped me at least decide to go with a smaller pattern like the pebbles. or mosaics. they seem very similar. i thought about using the bathtub, but the lighting in there is so different than daylight that i'm afraid it will not be realistic and could mistakenly turn me away from something. my kitchen sink is black, so i don't know that would be helpful either to see it with the dark around it. pictures help me the most, even though i know the color representations are not necessarily accurate. and your description of the different liners, that helps a lot too. thank you again, i really appreciate your help.

 

[lkae4]

When we started the process I actually thought we would just get one of those glimmer look liners just like the one in your link and then when I saw one I didn't like it. I also thought about anything too specific might look dated in a few years. And that look is more specific.

I just remembered the other trick we used. If you put the sample a short distance from you and squint your eyes, you lose the pattern but you get a better idea of the end color. The further away you put the sample also and look at it you get a good idea.

I make stage costumes and that is something we do to see what fabric is going to look like on stage from a distance. You lose all but the most bold patterns when they are up on a stage but in a fabric store I can get an idea of what it will look like with those tricks.

 

[riverlee]

When we started the process I actually thought we would just get one of those glimmer look liners just like the one in your link and then when I saw one I didn't like it. I also thought about anything too specific might look dated in a few years. And that look is more specific.

I just remembered the other trick we used. If you put the sample a short distance from you and squint your eyes, you lose the pattern but you get a better idea of the end color. The further away you put the sample also and look at it you get a good idea.

I make stage costumes and that is something we do to see what fabric is going to look like on stage from a distance. You lose all but the most bold patterns when they are up on a stage but in a fabric store I can get an idea of what it will look like with those tricks.

that's a very interesting little trick! i think i forgot to ask you, how do the seams look in your liner? another forum member was kind enough to email me photos of his blue mosaic liner. i think the two (yours and his)look very much the same color. he did mention that his seams are more noticable than he would like, and i think any liner, since i'm not getting a light one, is going to make me unhappy in that respect, but i am just going to resign myself to that and try not to think about them. i just wonder too if some manufacturers do seams better than others or if they are pretty much equal. if it's the nature of seams, then i can accept that. but if my seams look worse than they need to, i can't accept that!

 

[lkae4]

Boy do we think alike! I was very concerned with the seams. My builder said the darker the liner the more visible the seams are. You can definitely see my seams but only if you are really looking for them. Ours are mainly on places where there is a change in direction or shape so it looks a little architectural. Our builder said that our liner color was moderate enough that the seams wouldn't be an issue and the aren't. I was prepared not to be happy with seams but ours are fine. I wouldn't have been happy if they were just random seams in random places but they seem to make sense where they are.

 

[riverlee]

Boy do we think alike! I was very concerned with the seams. My builder said the darker the liner the more visible the seams are. You can definitely see my seams but only if you are really looking for them. Ours are mainly on places where there is a change in direction or shape so it looks a little architectural. Our builder said that our liner color was moderate enough that the seams wouldn't be an issue and the aren't. I was prepared not to be happy with seams but ours are fine. I wouldn't have been happy if they were just random seams in random places but they seem to make sense where they are.

well that's interesting. and it makes me wonder all the more if the manufacturers differ in their seam abilities, though it seems that they should not. and i will have to ask the builder about how they typically place seams- i don't think mine will end up lining up with anything, so i won't have that benefit. my pool is big and crazy shaped so i think i'm in trouble there i do think darker liners look terrible in the seams if they are printed on white. so i'm glad i don't like the darker look. thanks again. i'm determined to decide today which liner!

 

[harleysilo]

The seams in my liner are noticeable. Some are a little darker, most are whiteish. Of course you can only see them because the pool is so sparkly and clean! In my pool the seems occur (95% of the time) where there is a change of plane. I don't know how they would do it in a freeform shaped pool, but you can ask, possibly you can affect it.

Here are some pics from last night, just to drive home the fact you don't like dark liners

Side of pool looking down, you can see the whiteish seem on the bottom of the picture, and if you look closely you'll see two seems running parallel up the middle of the pic.

I think it is good you are thinking this through, nobody even told me about the seems, nor the fact that i would be able to see them.

 

[riverlee]

The seams in my liner are noticeable. Some are a little darker, most are whiteish. Of course you can only see them because the pool is so sparkly and clean! In my pool the seems occur (95% of the time) where there is a change of plane. I don't know how they would do it in a freeform shaped pool, but you can ask, possibly you can affect it.

Here are some pics from last night, just to drive home the fact you don't like dark liners

Side of pool looking down, you can see the whiteish seem on the bottom of the picture, and if you look closely you'll see two seems running parallel up the middle of the pic.

I think it is good you are thinking this through, nobody even told me about the seems, nor the fact that i would be able to see them.

haha, thanks for convincing me all the more! and think how much more noticable the sparkly cleanness would be if your pool were lighter just kidding! i actually think that your seams look really good for a darker liner. granted, the picture as it appears on my computer might be deceiving, but they don't appear nearly as noticable as a couple i have seen. do you know what brand your liner is? now i am even more convinced that it differs by manufacturer. and my pool, crazy shaped as it will be, is not free form, but odd. i had a feeling that seams occur on changes in plane for one, so that will create 3 in itself. and i am guessing one more might be there. but yea, i think they definitely should warn people that seams are noticable. i wouldn't want to suddenly find that out by seeing it in my brand new pool! thanks for posting the pictures :-D lee

 

[lkae4]

OK, since I was in the pool anyway I got my phone and took some really close pictures.

,

,

,

I took pictures of the liner so that you can see the seams. They are really not noticeable unless you are looking for them.

I also tried to get really close to the design under the water line so you can look at the sample picture of Estate Tile and see what that translates to under water.

Hope this helps. And, I now figured out how to get pictures up here and so I can ask questions about my equipment and show the parts I am talking about.

Nancy

 

[riverlee]

OK, since I was in the pool anyway I got my phone and took some really close pictures.

I took pictures of the liner so that you can see the seams. They are really not noticeable unless you are looking for them.

I also tried to get really close to the design under the water line so you can look at the sample picture of Estate Tile and see what that translates to under water.

Hope this helps. And, I now figured out how to get pictures up here and so I can ask questions about my equipment and show the parts I am talking about.

Nancy

yes thank you, that helps. you are doing a great job with the pictures! i do like the look of the gemstone in the water. oh and i think your seams look good too. so, i was leaning towards your gemstone pattern over the mosaic, then i called gli to ask them what they thought about their version of the gemstone ( the mtn. summit) versus the mosaic, and the lady said the mosaic is bluer in her opinion. the summit has a slight different color- she said turquoise at first!- to it compared to the mosaic blue. now i am torn. and i still wonder if i am in the wrong ballpark altogether! i was looking at some pictures i had marked for liners i liked last night, and i came across a bunch of pools on this one site that has so many awesome sparkly blue water looking pools. and i want to get that! how do i know if my pool will look like that?? like this, though this might be a tad darker than i prefer...[attachment=0:fzg7x1u3]pool liner.jpg[/attachment:fzg7x1u3]

 

[harleysilo]

Neat, but probably useless.... http://kafko.com/main.php?mod=vinylvisu ... nyl_id=194

 

[riverlee]

Neat, but probably useless.... http://kafko.com/main.php?mod=vinylvisu ... nyl_id=194

yea, thanks, i saw that the other night. but you're right, it is not very helpful, unfortunately. i just don't understand why there aren't lots of pictures of liners in pools to help choose liners. if i were a manufacturer of liners or a pool builder, i would put up lots of pictures labeled with that sort of info. it might take a bit of effort, but it sure would be helpful to people.

 

[techguy]

This is what I have. Its called MOSAIC DIAMOND.

Here is one sites that sell this design.

Here it is during install.

 

[riverlee]

This is what I have. Its called MOSAIC DIAMOND.

Here is one sites that sell this design.

[Here it is during install.

that's a nice looking liner- how does your water look with it? are the pebbles whiteish where it's light or very light blue? those tan pebbles scare me a little, even though there are few- i think any tan colors bring out the aqua a little. seems the white might have that effect too. thanks very much for posting! lee

 

[lkae4]

Tonight was the first time that we swam in our pool at night with the light on. It looks completely different at night with the light. For the first time you can actually tell that the pattern is supposed to look like little pebbles. At night you can see every seam - not the color difference because we don't really have much of a color difference - but the little bump where there is a seam. It didn't bother me as much as I would have thought. Our light is at the deep end and really only lights up that part of the pool. We have an L and the L part is 40" deep and then it drops off into the deeper part. The deeper part is the only part that gets lit. It looks fine but I didn't realize that till tonight. Our pool was built in the fall of last year and closed almost as soon as it was finished so we are just starting to really use it now.

Once you decide you will have to let us all know what you picked. I think whatever you pick it will look great because by the time you narrow it down to the ones you might like they are all something you would be happy with.

Good luck with your decision.

Nancy

 

[riverlee]

Tonight was the first time that we swam in our pool at night with the light on. It looks completely different at night with the light. For the first time you can actually tell that the pattern is supposed to look like little pebbles. At night you can see every seam - not the color difference because we don't really have much of a color difference - but the little bump where there is a seam. It didn't bother me as much as I would have thought. Our light is at the deep end and really only lights up that part of the pool. We have an L and the L part is 40" deep and then it drops off into the deeper part. The deeper part is the only part that gets lit. It looks fine but I didn't realize that till tonight. Our pool was built in the fall of last year and closed almost as soon as it was finished so we are just starting to really use it now.

Once you decide you will have to let us all know what you picked. I think whatever you pick it will look great because by the time you narrow it down to the ones you might like they are all something you would be happy with.

Good luck with your decision.

Nancy

i'm happy for you that you are getting to enjoy your pool finally, that must have been a little disappointing last fall. at the rate i'm going, it will be fall when mine gets done... and speaking of lights, that will be my other issue, but at least i can decide on the locations for those after he gets my pool ordered and added to his building schedule. at least i hope that's the case. would you add one more light to yours if you knew what it would look like? that's good to know about your seams. i'm not surprised based on how they appear in the pictures you took earlier. i keep going back and forth, and in circles too, about which liner. this is crazy! i'm expecting a call from the builder hopefully tomorrow, so i will find out when exactly i need to meet with him again and decide. i'll just have to stop looking at pictures of pools after that because otherwise i will change my mind five times but it will be too late! thanks again for your help. have lots of fun in your beautiful pool!

 

[techguy]

that's a nice looking liner- how does your water look with it? are the pebbles whiteish where it's light or very light blue? those tan pebbles scare me a little, even though there are few- i think any tan colors bring out the aqua a little. seems the white might have that effect too. thanks very much for posting! lee

I didn't see this posting until after the sun went down. I will take some photos in the morning.