Glass Tile Spa

[calculus]

Hi, I'm renovating my pool and I'm thinking of putting Glass Tile on the Spa. I live in the Jacksonville, FL area. I heard that Glass Tiles tend to crack with time. I have been reading that the Glass Tiles don't crack as long as they are frost proof. I also read that there is a difference between frost proof and frost resistant.
What do you guys think about Glass Tiles?

 

[ajw22]

Expensive.

You need to maintain all the grout lines to repair cracks and erosion and prevent water from getting behind the tiles and lessening them.

Looks great.

 

[phonedave]

If you want to see some amazing glass tile work, look up Jimmy Reed at Rock Solid Tile. That is all he does. Glass mosaic tile installs in pools, spas, and water features. He does a LOT of high end stuff and is a stickler for details. I forget exactly what product he uses, but I know it is Laticrete products and Bisazza tiles. If he trusts it on the 6 and 7 figure installs he does, it would be good enough for me.

He talks about what he uses here

at about 3:00 in

 

[calculus]

Expensive.

You need to maintain all the grout lines to repair cracks and erosion and prevent water from getting behind the tiles and lessening them.

Looks great.

So, even though that they are frost proof or resistant, they can crack?

 

[ajw22]

Tiles cracking is different then tiles lossening from water getting behind the tiles and eroding the thinset. Using quality products like Lacrite help.

 

[TLT]

[B]calculus[/B] I have the exact same situation as you and just asked the same question yesterday on this forum. Maybe the answer is slightly different if you are in a warm climate. But I don't understand why glass tiles would loosen from water getting behind it anymore than porcelain.

 

[ajw22]

[B]calculus[/B] I have the exact same situation as you and just asked the same question yesterday on this forum. Maybe the answer is slightly different if you are in a warm climate. But I don't understand why glass tiles would loosen from water getting behind it anymore than porcelain.

Nothing different about glass tiles loosening. Issue is the amount of grout lines in a tiled spa and needing to prevent water erosion. Especially if 1”X1” tiles are used.

 

[TLT]

Nothing different about glass tiles loosening. Issue is the amount of grout lines in a tiled spa and needing to prevent water erosion. Especially if 1”X1” tiles are used.

Ohhh, so the less grout line the better. But glass tiles tend to be small mosaic so they the turn corners and sparkle.

 

[spd500]

When I was checking into glass tiles I was told by the supplier that the difference in glass tiles is the heat treating process. If they are properly heat treated they are not supposed to crack according to him. Here in Houston, he used the example of the tile being hot from the sun and cool water being splashed on it creating cracks, if you are in an area that freezes you have other conditions that can also crack tile.

 

[Neto]

i think the biggest problem with glass tile is temperature fluctuations... I am doing my own pool build and i will be using a waterproofing agent after backbuttering the 6" below coping. Something like this WECO WBarrier 1 Gal. Waterproofing Membrane-WE0780114 - The Home Depot