Hello! I am currently going through a remodel of our 1974 gunite pool. The tile was just redone and I am not happy with the appearance at all. The owner of the company is telling me that it is normal to have a gap like this when new tile is put into an old pool. Is this true? He said if he sets the tile up higher we will have an inconsistent tile line. But honestly this gap is just unacceptable and unsightly IMO. The previous tile was not like this. There were some small gaps in a few areas from settling over time but they were nothing like this and the size wasn’t nearly the size of these. He had no plans for filling it until we discussed it and he said he can put caulk in there. I would love some professional opinions from those who have done remodels on pools with cantilevered decks, please! Thanks in advance!
HELP! Pool Remodel - Gap between tile and cantilevered deck. Is this normal?
- Thread starter amamille
- Start date
Hootz
Bronze Supporter
- Feb 5, 2018
- 374
- Pool Size
- 24000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
I agree that it doesn’t look good with a gap. However, it is normal to have such a gap, the job just isn’t finished. Most likely when the pool was built with the original deck, there was a similar gap and it was either filled with tile grout or a caulk/sealer of some sort. Look at your image I copied here, you can see some of the original sealer left and it fills the gap well.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,525
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
You do not fill the gap on a cantilevered deck with tile grout or any solid material or it will crack over time. The deck needs to be able to move relative to the pool.
The gap is usually left open, or some put a plastic strip in the gap, or a flexible mastic sealer can be put on. Whatever is used must be flexible.
I recommend keeping the gap open and it will require no future maintenance. Anything you put in there will gather dirt and become a maintenance item.
www.troublefreepool.com
The gap is usually left open, or some put a plastic strip in the gap, or a flexible mastic sealer can be put on. Whatever is used must be flexible.
I recommend keeping the gap open and it will require no future maintenance. Anything you put in there will gather dirt and become a maintenance item.
Expansion Joints and Coping - Further Reading
www.troublefreepool.com
Thank you for your reply! So I should have included original photos from what we had before, there were some spots with a gap before but very few. In most places, the upper edge of the tile was just very slightly tucked behind the white plastic piece that comes from underneath the pool deck to hide the gap. What I’m not understanding is why can’t the tiles be set where they were originally? We never had a single original tile shear off when they were located up higher, so why can’t they put the new tiles in the location of the originals? Here’s some photos of the old tiles.
Attachments
Hootz
Bronze Supporter
- Feb 5, 2018
- 374
- Pool Size
- 24000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
Thank you for clarifyingYou do not fill the gap on a cantilevered deck with tile grout or any solid material or it will crack over time. The deck needs to be able to move relative to the pool.
The gap is usually left open, or some put a plastic strip int he gap, or a flexible mastic sealer can be put on. Whatever is used must be flexible.
I recommend keeping the gap open and it will require no future maintenance. Anything you put in there will gather dirt and become a maintenance item.
Expansion Joints and Coping - Further Reading
He explained this to me so I do understand the physics of the deck moving. Check out my reply with previous photos of the original tiles. I’m just wondering why the new tiles can’t be set in the place where the original tiles were if there were no issues with the original tiles being in that location from 1974-now? I mean, looking at the gap in my photos, is this really acceptable to have it look this awful? It looks so unfinished and everyone who has seen it can’t believe it’s the “finished” tile jobYou do not fill the gap on a cantilevered deck with tile grout or any solid material or it will crack over time. The deck needs to be able to move relative to the pool.
The gap is usually left open, or some put a plastic strip int he gap, or a flexible mastic sealer can be put on. Whatever is used must be flexible.
I recommend keeping the gap open and it will require no future maintenance. Anything you put in there will gather dirt and become a maintenance item.
Expansion Joints and Coping - Further Reading
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,525
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
It is not clear to me that your old deck was cantilevered coping the way your new deck is.
I think the builder changed the type of coping and deck that required the structural changes.
I think the builder changed the type of coping and deck that required the structural changes.
Nothing changed about the coping, we still have the same cantilevered pool deck. The only thing that changed was the old tiles were removed and the new tiles were set lower than the original tiles. Even the same white plastic strip is present that covers the expansion joint. I'm assuming that's the purpose of that white plastic strip around the pool, so why not have it hide the new tile line as well? Just wanted opinions from some people in the business who have tiled for a remodel job similar to mine to see if this is something that is done typically to leave a big unsightly gap?
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,525
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
I took a closer look now that you told me they put a plastic strip in the gap.
If the yellow line is the plastic strip in the expansion gap and the unfinished strip is between the yellow and red line then I agree with you.
The grout put between the tiles should be put between the top of the tile and the plastic strip.
If the yellow line is the plastic strip in the expansion gap and the unfinished strip is between the yellow and red line then I agree with you.
The grout put between the tiles should be put between the top of the tile and the plastic strip.
Yes, the yellow is the plastic/expansion joint and the red is the top of the tile. But he told me that grouting that area would potentially lead to a risk of the tiles shearing off the walls with the movement of the deck. I personally just wanted him to retile and set the tiles up higher but he's saying that's not possible without having a wavy lower tile line. I just don't understand how you can't put new tiles in the location of the existing/previous tiles. I appreciate your replies!
Your old photos look like there was a flexible mastic joint as well. I’d agree the new gap having some grout in places and none in others looks odd. But I wouldn’t fill it with grout. The grout will crack off as the deck shifts.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,525
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Hard to tell from your pics but it looks like your old tile was a different size and that may be a factor.
Same size but we are replastering as well after the tile so I assumed it wouldn’t matter and any gap at the bottom of the tile line would then be filled with the new plaster?