New pool build

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RaganC

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Oct 3, 2020
8
Florida
Hello everyone-
We are first time pool builders, and just picked out our tiles & water color.
I have tried to search but not much luck, this is what we picked out and I’m trying to just find photos of pools with dark waterline tile & grey mosaic tiles around spa. Never seen a pool without blue tiles so I’m trying to reassure myself I’m not making a mistake using greys instead of blues.
It’s a simple rectangular pool with spa & sunself, we live in FLA and get full sun most of the day :)
We picked Blue Granite pebble sheen & Ivory Shellock pavers
Any advice or photos of similar pools would be appreciated!
 

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You've made some very classy color (or rather non-color) choices. I like them. The water is going to be blue, and bluer still deeper down. Probably a deep aqua. That's physics and nothing you can do about that. So the tile will be grey, and the water and pool finish will be a near-grey color close to the tile, and then graduating to a dark aqua as it gets deeper. Your top step will look grey. The next step a bit bluer, etc.

Can you bring those samples home with you? Be sure to get them wet, and while wet view them in varying light conditions (throughout the day and evening), in your yard (where colors from the house or plants or fence can influence your perception of the colors). Grey's can reveal a red or green undertone that is not obvious until certain conditions happen (time of day being the biggie). If they all go the same direction, then that's fine. But if one goes red and the other goes green, even if subtly, that can be visually jarring. Your predominantly blue water will likely take on a green undertone (the deep aqua), and so you don't want the edge tile or coping or deck going red on you. Now, if there is an orangie undertone next to the aqua, that's nice. Orange is the complimentary color to aqua. But if the red undertone is pinkish, pink and aqua are less attractive together, unless you're in a cop show in Miami in the late 1980s.

Keep in mind that this is all very subtle. Most people would not notice the difference in the greys. But you asked about color, so there you go...
 
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I will have black waterline tile, but still in the process of building.

my build

You can follow along with my build as I will add photos all along the process. I would love to see some pics of your design! :giggle:
 
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Dirk said:
You've made some very classy color (or rather non-color) choices. I like them. The water is going to be blue, and bluer still deeper down. Probably a deep aqua. That's physics and nothing you can do about that. So the tile will be grey, and the water and pool finish will be a near-grey color close to the tile, and then graduating to a dark aqua as it gets deeper. Your top step will look grey. The next step a bit bluer, etc.

Can you bring those samples home with you? Be sure to get them wet, and while wet view them in varying light conditions (throughout the day and evening), in your yard (where colors from the house or plants or fence can influence your perception of the colors). Grey's can reveal a red or green undertone that is not obvious until certain conditions happen (time of day being the biggie). If they all go the same direction, then that's fine. But if one goes red and the other goes green, even if subtly, that can be visually jarring. Your predominantly blue water will likely take on a green undertone (the deep aqua), and so you don't want the edge tile or coping or deck going red on you. Now, if there is an orangie undertone next to the aqua, that's nice. Orange is the complimentary color to aqua. But if the red undertone is pinkish, pink and aqua are less attractive together, unless you're in a cop show in Miami in the late 1980s.

Keep in mind that this is all very subtle. Most people would not notice the difference in the greys. But you asked about color, so there you go...
Click to expand...
Great advice I never even thought about the different color tones, I don’t know if I can get the samples but will try, the picture I posted was outside under a screen patio pool at the actual PB office (our pool will be screened also)
once I get all the info on Monday I will post it, it’s a very simple clean lines pool so I’m trying to keep everything simple :)
 
Sorry, one correction. I revisited your samples just now and realized I had mistaken the dark grey tiles for the pool finish, when the actual pool finish is the lighter sample on the right. So your water color might not get to the deep aqua I was describing. Everything else I wrote still applies. Did you see something at the PB's office that gave you a good sense of the water color? The image below is supposed to be Blue Granite, so it'll still likely have the green undertones I was describing, just not quite as dark as I first thought. You can see in this pic what I was talking about regarding the variations at depth. See how the steps start out grey, and get bluer as they go down? That's the physics of light and water doing that. That pool's deep end is bluer still.

If you look really close at the pebble sample, you can make out some earth-tone pebbles: tans and browns. Those are what push the blue water color slightly green (creating that nice natural aqua color).

Be mindful of picking the water color (any color) from a computer screen. That is a good way to end up disappointed. The color is subject to the quality and color accuracy of the monitor. The best way is to observe the finish is in an actual pool. Then place your samples near the water, and get them wet with a wet finger or cloth. Maybe the PB can get you in somewhere to see that particular finish color.

images.jpeg
 
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Since your pool will be covered, the color effects of the sun and surrounding landscape elements will be minimized. In that case, your perception of the water and tile color will be most affected by the deck, and secondarily by the color of the screen room and/or the exterior wall of your house. Especially if there is a ceiling. If the sky and sun are visible through the roof, then you're back to the sunlight affecting the color somewhat.

Any chance the PB's pool was Blue Granite? If so, that's going to be about as good as it gets for picking your colors...

Don't get as carried away as I'm describing. There is some voodoo involved. You can't pre-create exactly what it's going to look like, so you do the best you can and it'll turn out great. Dial back the minutia I gave you by about 75% and you'll be good to go! ;)

While I do color for a living, to be honest, I got most of this stuff from a weird occurrence I had. I was repainting my house, and fell in love with a color scheme of a house around the corner. The owners were kind enough to give me the color names. I put them on my house, and stood back at the end of the day and it was OK. Next day, I came home from an errand and as my house came into view, in full sun now, I was totally bummed out. Not only did it not look at all like my neighbors house, but one color looked a bit green, and the other took on a pinkish shade. It was awful, and I had to repaint again. The colors looked so good on the other house, but it faced a different direction, had way more trees around it, and didn't have the sun exposure mine did. That's all it took to ruin the palette.
 
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@Dirk, I was wondering what your job was since you are so knowledgeable about color. With this post and the one about the browns, I’ve been amazed with your thoughts on color. I used to work at a photo lab WAY back in the day so I understand a little of what you’re saying but not enough.
 
Harumph! Trying to get a peek behind the curtain, are you? You'll have to come back tomorrow (or look for a PM)...

 

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Dirk said:
Since your pool will be covered, the color effects of the sun and surrounding landscape elements will be minimized. In that case, your perception of the water and tile color will be most affected by the deck, and secondarily by the color of the screen room and/or the exterior wall of your house. Especially if there is a ceiling. If the sky and sun are visible through the roof, then you're back to the sunlight affecting the color somewhat.

Any chance the PB's pool was Blue Granite? If so, that's going to be about as good as it gets for picking your colors...

Don't get as carried away as I'm describing. There is some voodoo involved. You can't pre-create exactly what it's going to look like, so you do the best you can and it'll turn out great. Dial back the minutia I gave you by about 75% and you'll be good to go! ;)

While I do color for a living, to be honest, I got most of this stuff from a weird occurrence I had. I was repainting my house, and fell in love with a color scheme of a house around the corner. The owners were kind enough to give me the color names. I put them on my house, and stood back at the end of the day and it was OK. Next day, I came home from an errand and as my house came into view, in full sun now, I was totally bummed out. Not only did it not look at all like my neighbors house, but one color looked a bit green, and the other took on a pinkish shade. It was awful, and I had to repaint again. The colors looked so good on the other house, but it faced a different direction, had way more trees around it, and didn't have the sun exposure mine did. That's all it took to ruin the palette.
Click to expand...
We have seen the Blue a Granite in person and loved it, the PB pool was a shade darker pebble tec but don’t recall the color. Our home is a Greige color and the patio will have a 10’ cover (white ceiling) along the back of the home, the actual pool will have a screen cover. I will post the final drawing tmrw :)
Thanks for all the advice!
 
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By "Greige color" did you mean "grey color?" Sounds like you're good-to-go. If you're feelin' saucy, see if the PB will lend you the swatches for a day. Put them near your exterior wall and wander out there several times throughout the day and early evening. Observe them dry, then run a wet rag over them. If they have any undertones at all, see how they stack up to the wall color. If they stay neutral, or even a little green, they'll look great with your pool.
 
Dirk said:
By "Greige color" did you mean "grey color?" Sounds like you're good-to-go. If you're feelin' saucy, see if the PB will lend you the swatches for a day. Put them near your exterior wall and wander out there several times throughout the day and early evening. Observe them dry, then run a wet rag over them. If they have any undertones at all, see how they stack up to the wall color. If they stay neutral, or even a little green, they'll look great with your pool.
Click to expand...
It’s SW Functional Grey, so depending on the light it can take on a khaki tone or a more grey tone
 
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