Last year we had our pool redone. It’s pebble tech with a tile waterline. From the beginning the grout line between tile and coping was cracking and popping. I mean within a day of them apply the grout. Maybe it was mortar not grout, sorry not a tile guy. They redid it and within weeks of them finishing the remodel it was cracking and popping again all over the pool. They said it was how narrow the space was between the tile and the existing coping was, was causing the issue. They did not redo the coping or the concrete deck. When they redid grout/mortar between top of tile and coping the first time they just put more grout/mortar down and did not actual clean out the old stuff so that’s what I thought had happened. At this point they now redo it for a third time and bring in a “better”crew to actually grind out all the old stuff. They then went back with hydraulic cement. We have now come out of winter and the space between tile and coping is cracking and popping. They are now saying the coping is wrong and because it’s smooth it’s not grabbing or something. They are the professionals and that should have been handled in the quote stage if something was wrong with the coping. Their answer for one is they only have a 1 year warranty on tile( crazy seeing that it’s not been fixed once correctly), and only solution they have left is to go back with actual cocking instead of the grout/mortar. Which would look bad. This has been going on since October of 2022 so we are fed up with them. Looks like people have asked about stone and what not but not actual tile butted up to the coping. We are desperate at this point any help would be appreciated.
Grout/mortar between tile and coping keeps popping
- Thread starter mfoy5199
- Start date
-
- Tags
- grout mortar tile coping
You cant apply rigid grout between the deck and tile like that. The deck expands and contracts at different rate than the pool shell and so there needs to be a flexible expansion joint between the tile and coping.
Last edited:
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,063
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Awesome thank you for responding. Will read what you sent me tonight when off work. Are you saying that caulking/mastic is going have to be used instead of grout since it’s “flexible”
Yes, but it’s not really that simple. The decking should be free to move independently from the pool shell. Otherwise, the decking can push on the pool bond beam and crack it which is really bad. Ideally you want an air gap between. coping and the pool bond beam which the tile is attached to and then you just seal the face of that gap with flexible mastic.
When they redid the decking on mine, they didn’t leave an air gap and it started causing damage fairly quickly. if I ever redo it, I plan to cut a two or 3 inch deep slot between the tile and the coping, and then seal that with flexible sealant.