Liner Replacment

[Ryanj52]

I built our pool 6 years ago, it is a cinder block pool 18x36 on one end we have a sun ledge 6” by 18’ then 3 steps going to shallow end. In the rear I made diagonal seats in each corner. I built it as a rectangle since it fit our side yard and it was easier. Blocks were set on cement footings filled with cement and capped with travertine.

So the year I built the pool it rained a lot, I started to used sand as my floor finally got it the way I wanted it put liner in and more rain came. Long story I got the liner installed and we have used the pool for last 6 years. My floor was the only thing that I haven’t been happy with it is uneven and lumpy.

One of my corners came out last season and I fought it a few times and finally gave up at end of season and left it out of track. I called a couple of local companies this week sent them pictures and was told by both that the liner could not be put back in track now and replacement was my only real option.

In 2018 I paid around $3000 for liner from Lantham, and I installed. I was quoted $7000 plus tax to install a new liner from Mcewen. This comes with 1 bag of vermiculite any additional bags are extra. I mentioned to them my floor issues and said i would like a few inches removed so I am waiting on a quote for that. My floor is 18x27 she said something about 26 bags but needed to figure the labor.

So my first question is $7000 reasonable today for a liner replacement?

Is Mcewen as good or better than Lantham?

Does anyone have an idea on what a total floor cost in vermiculite? And is the best way to go?

I have been wanting to redo the floor since I finished it.

Thanks for any advice.

Ryan

 

[PoolStored]

So my first question is $7000 reasonable today for a liner replacement?

If it helps, I paid $5700 two years ago. No floor or side work, just replacement. North East Ohio.

 

[Lanzz]

Almost $10K two years ago, which included a full vermiculite refinish. Would have been about $7K without the extensive work on the floor.

 

[Divin Dave]

I hired a pool company to supply and install a new liner in spring of 2022. I had to replace it because somehow, it developed a ton of tiny pinholes in the bottom. My best guess is due to the rough vermiculite, and my robot rolling back and forth across the bottom a million times, it rubbed holes in it. But thats just my theory on how all those tiny holes got in there. I really don't know for sure how it happened.

Anyways....... My pool is 15 x 30 x 6 deep, my liner replacement was 4200 installed and that included a track bead. Latham 20 mil liner. The guys just had to do a couple of small patches on the vermiculite to smooth out some dents and sharp spots and make it a little more even and smooth in the deep end. Then we swept and vacuumed all of the loose grains of vermiculite out of it. I made sure of that !! The whole exercise took the 3 man crew less than 4 hours. I had already pumped out most of the water before they got here.

I can't help you with a complete vermiculite bottom cost expectation, but I can tell ya, when we built my pool, it took a crew of 4 of us all day long to lay it down. That was some hard work too! If I recall correctly, it took just over 32 bags for a 3ish inch thickness.

 

[Ryanj52]

Thanks for the replies, I received 3 quotes $7000 to replace the liner the floor on the other hand was all over the place. First company was $3600 maybe they wanted me to drain and they will come inspect it again, which I just did and they are coming back hopefully tomorrow. Second company wanted $6000 to redo floor and third company doesn’t want to redo floor. I ended up getting a quote of $4000 for liner and $1500 to install and I am getting quotes to possibly pour a cement floor instead of vermiculite. Excavating company came today and their price was $3200 to remove old floor which I thought was too high and I got 1 quote so far for cement pad to be installed for $3500. So cement floor may end up being more expensive than the vermiculite. I am getting one more quote tomorrow for cement floor, I may end up going with company A and vermiculite floor if their price remains the same after they inspect it will be turn key all done by same company.

 

[sktn77a]

Can't really compare a cement slab floor to a vermiculite floor.

 

[Ryanj52]

I met with cement finishers who offered to excavate for a fraction of the cost that the excavator quoted me so I have decided to do with cement floor. One of the pool companies is going to install the new liner after we pour the floor.

 

[Pool_Medic]

Make sure the liner is measured after the new pour.

 

[Ryanj52]

Yes, I am planning on remeasuring after the pour before I order new liner. I asked the installer to come and check the measurements with me. Hopefully we order next week if the weather holds out.

 

[Ryanj52]

So when I built our pool I put foam padding on walls to protect liner and I am planning on doing that again I also put turf on deck and steps and seats to protect liner. Would you put something on cement floor? I am hoping they smooth out the floor and if that’s the case i am not sure if I should. Any thoughts?

 

[Pool_Medic]

No to foam floors and imo no to foam on walls, because it makes it easier to poke holes accidentally in the liner.

 

[Ryanj52]

Thanks, the foam on the walls helped hide my cinder blocks, before I poured my deck we had a flood and my liner floated since we poured the deck we haven’t had that issue, but when the liner floated so did some of the foam and I had to remove some, the area that I removed you could see the outline one the blocks plus the blocks are pretty rough compared to finished cement. I think I will keep the wall foam and skip anything on floor.