Help - Should I be able to see behind water tiles?

[NicoleIvy2004]

Pool was recently completed and I swam in it for the first time yesterday. While in there, we noticed this at the skimmer. As you can see, the water tile that butts up next to the skimmer does not have any mortar (might be using the wrong word) to cover the edge. This is on both sides of the skimmer.

Should it be like this? Water obviously gets behind that tile and possible all the neighboring ones too, and I imagine this would shorten the life of those tiles staying adhered. Thoughts?

 

[Jimrahbe]

Nikki,

My tile goes right into the skimmer...

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[drknapp]

MIne goes into the skimmer also. That doesn't look finished to me. I would be worried about water getting behind the tile that's there and loosening it up over time.

 

[ajw22]

They should at least put grout along the vertical edges of the tile where it abuts the skimmer mouth. Talk to your builder about having someone come out and clean that up.

Do you just have one skimmer?

The skimmer mouth should have been tiled. Although the skimmer mouth looks small and tiling it will further reduce the opening.

There was poor planning during the build around the skimmer mouth and the tile layout should have been spaced so the tile came up to the edge of the skimmer mouth.

The thinset behind the tile having gaps is typical 2020's poor build quality. Doing it correctly should not have those gaps but it is too late to correct now.

Discuss it with your builder and see what he proposes to do.

 

[NicoleIvy2004]

@ajw22 Absolutely. I will speak with them today. This is not the first thing they've done that we haven't been too happy about. We used them because they were the same company that built the pool in 1991, but clearly, the workers then were much more skilled than today.

I thought the big blob of thinset behind the water tiles was weird because that leaves the outter edges of the tile nothing to lean against, but I understand too that this pool has zero straight lines (all curves) and you can't curve tile.

What should they have done instead of just putting a blob of thinset in the center of each water tile? Somehow filled in the space with more so it'd just be kinda think so there's no air between the tiles and the pool itself?

Before the reno, there was never tiling *inside* the skimmer either. We do only have that one skimmer.

 

[ajw22]

[What should they have done instead of just putting a blob of thinset in the center of each water tile? Somehow filled in the space with more so it'd just be kinda think so there's no air between the tiles and the pool itself?

Hard to second guess with the curves.

The tiler can't see behind the tile when it is laid he only has one shot at laying it on the wall properly. Do the curves make it difficult to ensure there is 100% coverage of thinset.

I would not worry about that.

Before the reno, there was never tiling *inside* the skimmer either. We do only have that one skimmer.

The issue is the layout with the tile not getting to the skimmer mouth edge. And the lack of grout along the vertical edge. The grout is an easy fix. The rest you will just have to live with.

 

[NicoleIvy2004]

Hard to second guess with the curves.

The tiler can't see behind the tile when it is laid he only has one shot at laying it on the wall properly. Do the curves make it difficult to ensure there is 100% coverage of thinset.

I would not worry about that.


The issue is the layout with the tile not getting to the skimmer mouth edge. And the lack of grout along the vertical edge. The grout is an easy fix. The rest you will just have to live with.

What is the rest that I need to live with? I just wanna be sure I'm understanding your past messages.

 

[ajw22]

What is the rest that I need to live with? I just wanna be sure I'm understanding your past messages.

The thinset coverage, the tile not coming to the skimmer mouth edge, and the skimmer mouth not tiled.

 

[NicoleIvy2004]

The thinset coverage, the tile not coming to the skimmer mouth edge, and the skimmer mouth not tiled.

Okay, yeah, I def can live without tile inside the skimmer mouth since it was never that way. But the thinset coverage....that's the material "blob" on the back of the water tile(s) that adheres it to the pool? Yeah, I will ask them just out of curiosity why they only put it in the center of each tile. I noticed this during construction but didn't ask at that point. Thank you. I just emailed the warranty dept but I'm also going to the store since I'm required to give them a water sample today.

 

[ajw22]

that's the material "blob" on the back of the water tile(s) that adheres it to the pool?

Putting a blob of thinset on t he back of the tile and sticking it on the wall is not the best practice.

The correct way of tiling is to put a layer if thinset on the wall with a notched trowel. Then you butter the back of the tile and stick it on the wall. That ensures complete coverage of the thinset to the wall and tile.

The correct way takes more work. Lazy tilers will quickly put a blob of thinset on a tile, stick it on the wall, and move to the next tile. It is faster and not better.

 

[sktn77a]

Lazy tilers will quickly put a blob of thinset on a tile, stick it on the wall, and move to the next tile. It is faster and not better.

Yup, that's what our guy did. Thankfully nothing has fallen off yet (7 years on).

I think the best you can do it have them put as much grout on that gap and clean it up to the skimmer. Looks like about 1/2" - 3/4" which is a lot for grout but not enough for an additional bit of tile.