Owner Build all Tile pool: Initial layout and plans

[cowboycasey]

That was the very first thing I told Frank from little tile that I was using, he about fell over and said to rethink it and a 45 minute conversation ensued

It looks AWESOME, he said, But.. there is always a BUT... The white will show every single offset tile and mistake in the whole pool, your eye will follow the contrast with the blue and you will easily see it...

A grey will hide it and create the same color water as white with less contrast....

I am still conflicted but he has 45 years of tilling under his belt and has done thousands of tile pools and I have none...

Here is where it gets interesting, under water you will not see all those little mistakes, the only ones you will see is the 6x6 tiles.. So, I may pay a pro to do the 6x6 tiles perfect as they will be seen and then do my 1x1 tiles all crazzy and no one will ever know.. So with that said I may go white anyways...

I am also learning new things as I help people on the forum, I have been answering more questions on all tile pools and found another product that can be used as a mortar bed bond coat and a mud bed, It is Miracote mortar bed 2000 and I am already using Miracote membrane C as a waterproof layer..

 

[kimkats]

The contrast will be SO worth it!!! Here an idea.................use white for the little tile and a light gray for the 6x6 wateline tiles. Saying that the 6x6 will be easy to install over the 1x1 plus any wiggles or waggles will just be beauty marks!

Kim

 

[cowboycasey]

As long as I install all the tile correct if something is out of place it will be perfect because I did it

 

[Bperry]

What’s going on with the solar heating in the deck? That’s kind of neat if it is what it sounds like. Would cool off the deck and heat the pool at the same time.

 

[cowboycasey]

What’s going on with the solar heating in the deck? That’s kind of neat if it is what it sounds like. Would cool off the deck and heat the pool at the same time.

This is exactly what it is going to do.. free heat from the deck.. Not sure why every single concrete deck does not have this done.. I think it will work great in the spring and fall but in July and Aug I think I will be running at night to cool the pool but I am not sure until I get it in.. I know in Apr my concrete deck was already getting 90 degrees so it should be able to heat the pool starting in Feb or Mar and go through Oct/Nov...

 

[BlueWave8]

Also very interested in the deck heat!

In regards to the tile grout-- I have to agree with Frank!

I don't think your 6" waterline tiles will be hard to get spot on. They are going to be aligned against your coping, right? (or top of shell or form) So you will only have one axis (left-to-right spacing) to get right, and there is a good chance they'll look great. But for all of the rest of the pool....If one "sheet" of tile is spaced a little off, the gaps around all of the tiles on that sheet are off by the same amount, and it kind of magnifies the defect. I think it would be noticeable even under water. Probably not noticeable with swimmers in the pool! I did two bathroom floors with the little tiles on a sheet. They were 1" white tiles with medium-white grout. I had two sheets that were off a little bit in one direction, it was incredibly noticeable, and drove me crazy. I was always looking for a trash can or toilet paper holder to put over top of them to make them less noticeable. Just my two cents...

 

[cowboycasey]

that is exactly what he was saying

 

[cowboycasey]

I just had an major breakthrough on LED lights and I could not figure it out for the life of me.. All these pool lights and landscape lighting are 12V AC and it always blew me away the Pentair and Hayward were using 12v AC.. well I just went to Pool Tone Nicheless 1 1/2 inch Swimming Pool or Spa Light 15 - 100 Feet and they are selling 12v AC LED's also..

So what is crazzy about this... LED's will run off AC or DC but they were designed to run off DC... So LED's running off AC are dimmer and fluctuate as the power reverses AC and AC kills the lights faster as they were not designed to run that way... So why are they doing this.. COST, it costs less to have a 12v AC power supply..
A 100 watt AC power supply costs 80 dollars Emcod ML100S12AC 12VAC transformer 120VAC input 100 Watts max output
A 100 watt DC power supply costs 220 dollars BD 12100CL-Boondocker BD 12100CL (100 Amp 4-Stage Converter/

12V AC Vs 12V DC Landscape Lighting - Next Modern Home

Dazzled by the landscape lighting but also puzzled about it? This article exclusively features all the basic info you need to know about outdoor lighting.

nextmodernhome.com

This video clearly show AC vs DC.. I will be running my lights DC because LED's were designed that way, They will be brighter and be safer...

 

[kevreh]

That's not really what you need to drive/power LEDs. Way overkill. I don't know the exact specs on those LEDs, but I saw language that said "Lights consume a maximum of 18 Watts of power". At 12vdc thats about 1.5 amps. Searching on Amazon for "LED driver" will get you all sorts of results.

 

[cowboycasey]

Ohhh, I know but it is also running my stereo and sub right now... It is way overkill but it has never been overworked

 

[kevreh]

Car stereo or something like that?

 

[cowboycasey]

Boat stereo with sub

Sub kind of sucks and really does not add anything.. I really do not do anything normal.. I will post later what I am doing for my next outdoor speaker system..

Here is a tease..

 

[jimmythegreek]

I'm with you Casey. I love to do things outside the box. Personal challenge is what my guys call it

 

[cowboycasey]

Well the stereo is done.. WOW, I was not expecting that much sound and the coverage is amazing... I can clearly here the music anywhere in my yard and I am sure the neighbors yards 2 houses down..

This really was not expensive for what you get..

This amp is way overkill for what I am using it for but I had it already laying around... But for the price, $200 when I bought it you can not beat it.. It will run up to 8 of these speakers with NO ISSUE...

Crown Pro XLi1500 900w 2 Channel DJ/PA Power Amplifier Professional Am

Discover unbeatable deals on audio gear and electronics at AudioSavings.com - Your premier destination for top-quality headphones, speakers, amplifiers, and more. Shop now for the latest in audio excellence!

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Bluetooth HD... https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08J7MKYN1

This is amazing, it has HD audio with a built in ESS DAC for great sounding music.. The Bluetooth connection is amazing, I tested over 300 feet away through a brick wall and never lost connection or sound quality... The volume is controlled through your phone...

Amazon.com: 1Mii Bluetooth 5.0 Transmitter Receiver for Home Stereo TV, HiFi Wireless Audio Adapter with Audiophile ESS DAC & AptX HD/Low Latency, Long Range, Optical RCA AUX 3.5mm Outputs/Inputs: Electronics

Amazon.com: 1Mii Bluetooth 5.0 Transmitter Receiver for Home Stereo TV, HiFi Wireless Audio Adapter with Audiophile ESS DAC & AptX HD/Low Latency, Long Range, Optical RCA AUX 3.5mm Outputs/Inputs: Electronics

smile.amazon.com

I really did not need the rack but I did not want to set it all on my table and take up space...

Amazon.com: StarTech.com 6U Wall Mount Network Equipment Rack - 14 Inch Deep - 19" Patch Panel Bracket for Shallow Server Equipment- 44lbs Capacity (WALLMOUNT6), Black: Electronics

Amazon.com: StarTech.com 6U Wall Mount Network Equipment Rack - 14 Inch Deep - 19" Patch Panel Bracket for Shallow Server Equipment- 44lbs Capacity (WALLMOUNT6), Black: Electronics

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The Polk Audio Atrium 6 are great sounding speakers.. They have Great mid base and Highs.. The bass is not there but these do not have subs in them.. If you are expecting bass you will be wanting because it is not there... You can clearly hear the music any where in my backyard..

Just a word of caution... If you do this system.

1. turn the amp all the way down.
2. turn your phone all the way up.
3. slowly turn the amp up..... till your neighbors are screaming at you then stop...

you do not want to blow up your brand new Polk's and this will do it easily..

This is where I have mine set

 

[Smalone]

I just had an major breakthrough on LED lights and I could not figure it out for the life of me.. All these pool lights and landscape lighting are 12V AC and it always blew me away the Pentair and Hayward were using 12v AC.. well I just went to Pool Tone Nicheless 1 1/2 inch Swimming Pool or Spa Light 15 - 100 Feet and they are selling 12v AC LED's also..

So what is crazzy about this... LED's will run off AC or DC but they were designed to run off DC... So LED's running off AC are dimmer and fluctuate as the power reverses AC and AC kills the lights faster as they were not designed to run that way... So why are they doing this.. COST, it costs less to have a 12v AC power supply..
A 100 watt AC power supply costs 80 dollars Emcod ML100S12AC 12VAC transformer 120VAC input 100 Watts max output
A 100 watt DC power supply costs 220 dollars BD 12100CL-Boondocker BD 12100CL (100 Amp 4-Stage Converter/

12V AC Vs 12V DC Landscape Lighting - Next Modern Home

Dazzled by the landscape lighting but also puzzled about it? This article exclusively features all the basic info you need to know about outdoor lighting.

nextmodernhome.com

This video clearly show AC vs DC.. I will be running my lights DC because LED's were designed that way, They will be brighter and be safer...

I would make sure you check the specific lights you plan on using. I just went through this a few weeks ago and most of the better quality/professional landscape lights are actually designed to run with AC power. Check Voltlighting.com for example.
Another advantage of A/C is most can be dimmed.

 

[BigD23]

Here are my basic plans, don't laugh to hard

I am asking if this looks good or do I need to change anything.. No thin skin, if it is wrong please let me know, I would rather fix it now while in the planning stage...
@mas985 What do you think of the plumbing layout and pipe diameter?

Updated 12 Apr 2020
20 foot wide and added step length

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8 feet on the right will be tight if you want to put chaise lounges or a reasonably sized table and chairs. I would add 2-4 feet if you want to do that.

 

[BigD23]

I thought about the steps on the side, if I did 3 foot steps on both sides it would take 6 foot instead of 4 foot.. But the nice thing about that is it would be 1 single ledge at 13 feet of usable space.... With 2 bubblers in the middle would look AWESOME

I really like the idea of the white tiles on the swim lane side, did not think about that...

I have my eye on a rail that I like... Artisan Series Stair Rail (ART-1004) | S.R.Smith

And the deep end ladder Artisan Series Ladder Rail (ART-1003) | S.R.Smith

Thank you very much, that helps

Love the rail and ladder!

 

[cowboycasey]

8 feet on the right will be tight if you want to put chaise lounges or a reasonably sized table and chairs. I would add 2-4 feet if you want to do that.

I have about 24 feet of concrete before the pool where those will go.. The reason I am making it that wide, that is the side I am building a sauna on and I want the concrete pad to match.. Thank you very much for the suggestions, keep them coming...

It is easier to see a pic, the pool will start at the bottom of this picture, about 5 feet from the current patio..

 

[Sean ATX]

Hi there, @cowboycasey, I'm watching this with a lot of interest. One question though, for a pool of this size is there any risk of the concrete below the tile cracking? How do you account for that?

 

[cowboycasey]

Hi there, @cowboycasey, I'm watching this with a lot of interest. One question though, for a pool of this size is there any risk of the concrete below the tile cracking? How do you account for that?

There is a risk and that is why I am going with shotcrete instead of gunite... shotcrete can be 5500 PSI and WAY harder than gunite... I am also going about 6 to 8 inches thick.. and 10 inches thick on the bond beam... The next big thing is the rebar.. It will be #3 with grade 60 or 60,000 tensile strength.. the rebar will be set between 8 inches and 12 inches on center...

If the prices ever go down I was thinking about going to 7000 PSI shotcrete but in 100 years they may yell at me in the grave if someone tries to cut it out..

Grade 60 Rebar​

Grade 60 rebar offers a minimum yield strength of 60,000 pounds per square inch, or 420 megapascals on the metric grading scale. It also features a continuous line system, with one line running along the length of the bar which is offset a minimum of five spaces from the center. These characteristics make grade 60 rebar particularly well-suited for medium- to heavy-duty concrete reinforcement applications.