Pool Reno Design Help- Dark Pools and Waterline Tile

[Chspool]

Helping a friend with her pool renovation in Charleston, SC we’re planning on using the Wet Edge Signature Matrix and want a dreamy dark color. Trying to choose between black, black magic and midnight. Any pictures other than in the dedicated picture thread?

Also, did you choose your waterline tile to match the pool water or the coping? Her pool deck is beautiful reclaimed brick but her current coping is the ugly 1980s red terracotta looking brick. We’re going to whitewash it to blend with the reclaimed patio brick

 

[kimkats]

Hi and welcome to TFP. I see you have found the plaster thread so you are one up already. Now lets talk about dark plaster.

So far there has only been one very dark pool done on here that I know of. They are not a part of the share plaster thread though. I can't find it anymore as it was a while ago. Her plaster company did an AWESOME job with it.

NOW...............after saying the above I want you to notice I said the word "one" about dark plaster. The reason is there are very few plaster installers that can do it properly The darker the plaster the more it tends to show mottling. Depending the the skills or lack of skills of the installers the worst it is.

It is VERY important that you see, in person, as much of their past work with darker plaster as possible. Don't let them tell you "oh we do it all of the time". The proof is in the seeing. Also make sure it is exact same people doing the work on her pool as did the pools you see. Not just the same company but the same crew as well.

Kim

 

[Dirk]

@mcleod, can you weigh in on the white washing of the coping? Or any other advice to modernize the look of the coping, deck or edge tile?

 

[Dirk]

I'm not seeing how changing the color of the coping is going to make it "blend" better with the deck. It's already a dead ringer color that matches the deck. Did you mean contrast with, or otherwise frame the deck? Personally, I don't like that red brick look, or the coping color. Both seem very dated to me. More pics of the house and yard would help you to get better advice about a color scheme. That is if you want the pool to look a part of the entire landscape. Start there.

And/or discuss the overall theme you're trying to achieve. Many love that brick look. Others freshen their yard with modern grays or other neutrals (red is not a neutral color). What else is in view of the pool that can be used as key colors? That might influence a choice for edge tile or coping color. Does the owner like monotone themes (tints and shades of the same colors) that imbue tranquility? Or contrasting colors that create a bold look? Subued colors, or bright colors?

I've called in my guru who knows all there is to know about altering the color of tile and brick. He can give us his thoughts about what is possible. But he'll also need a sense of the rest of the surrounding materials (fence color, house color, etc) to advise about specific colors.

As Kim points out, the darker you go with the finish, the more mottling you're likely to get. My previous dark finish was very starkly mottled. My new finish hasn't started mottling yet. Another here has a brand new dark finish that was "born" mottled. So it's a risk. I personally don't mind it, it's just looks "organic" to me, the variations of the color. But if you're looking for a pure, solid, perfect dark color, you have to face the possibility of being disappointed, at first or in the future as it ages.

Right now, the blue-green of the pool, the bright blue of the tile and brick red are fighting tooth and nail with each other. So you're on the right track, in seeking the fix. Post pics of the surrounding yard and of the house. Fill us in on the type of colors that the owner likes. And we'll go from there.

I didn't design my pool. The previous homeowners did. But I love it. It is considered dark, but it's not black. It turns a lighter shade depending on the time of day. My edge tile is river rock, which I love. It supports the color of the pool finish, and it matches river rock pathways that decorate my landscaping, which tie together my yard and pool. The deck is a contrasting color to the water, but the turquoise and tan are harmonious and organic (not artificial like some pool color schemes look like to me).

 

[Dirk]

PS. I'll preview part of what @mcleod will advise. Don't experiment with colors on the existing tiles and bricks. Go get yourself some that match as close as possible and treat those first (like the whitewashing). Get enough to fool with and perfect the method and end color, and enough to layout on top of the existing coping to see what the visual effect will be, how it will look. Some treatments of tile and stone can't be reversed, so don't risk the existing materials until you are sure of the end result.

 

[Chspool]

I'm not seeing how changing the color of the coping is going to make it "blend" better with the deck. It's already a dead ringer color that matches the deck. Did you mean contrast with, or otherwise frame the deck? Personally, I don't like that red brick look, or the coping color. Both seem very dated to me. More pics of the house and yard would help you to get better advice about a color scheme. That is if you want the pool to look a part of the entire landscape. Start there.

And/or discuss the overall theme you're trying to achieve. Many love that brick look. Others freshen their yard with modern grays or other neutrals (red is not a neutral color). What else is in view of the pool that can be used as key colors? That might influence a choice for edge tile or coping color. Does the owner like monotone themes (tints and shades of the same colors) that imbue tranquility? Or contrasting colors that create a bold look? Subued colors, or bright colors?

I've called in my guru who knows all there is to know about altering the color of tile and brick. He can give us his thoughts about what is possible. But he'll also need a sense of the rest of the surrounding materials (fence color, house color, etc) to advise about specific colors.

As Kim points out, the darker you go with the finish, the more mottling you're likely to get. My previous dark finish was very starkly mottled. My new finish hasn't started mottling yet. Another here has a brand new dark finish that was "born" mottled. So it's a risk. I personally don't mind it, it's just looks "organic" to me, the variations of the color. But if you're looking for a pure, solid, perfect dark color, you have to face the possibility of being disappointed, at first or in the future as it ages.

Right now, the blue-green of the pool, the bright blue of the tile and brick red are fighting tooth and nail with each other. So you're on the right track, in seeking the fix. Post pics of the surrounding yard and of the house. Fill us in on the type of colors that the owner likes. And we'll go from there.

I didn't design my pool. The previous homeowners did. But I love it. It is considered dark, but it's not black. It turns a lighter shade depending on the time of day. My edge tile is river rock, which I love. It supports the color of the pool finish, and it matches river rock pathways that decorate my landscaping, which tie together my yard and pool. The deck is a contrasting color to the water, but the turquoise and tan are harmonious and organic (not artificial like some pool color schemes look like to me).

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This is absolutely gorgeous! I tried to post a better picture of the yard/ pool in additok to the original but it wouldn’t go through. I’ll post below- and thank you for your thorough response. The brick will coping will be whitewashed to contrast the existing brick patio pool deck area. I should’ve given background on my abilities. I’m a renovation consultant and professionally paint faux finishes. I’ve done everything from making fiberglass look like wood, faux marbling mantles to exterior garage door finishes and staining concrete driveways. What product was used on your pool? We’re going to see one this week that the company did in wet edge black. I’ve seen photos and it’s lovely but you’re correct nothing like seeing it in person.

 

[Dirk]

My pool has a pebble finish. There is no brand, it's a custom product sold by a single pool finish shop. And there isn't really a color name I can share. I told them to darken what I had before, which was probably some sort of Tahoe Blue (deep turquoise). So sorry, I can't give you a meaningful spec.

When you view other pools, be aware that the overall color effect will be affected by all sorts of variables. Where you're standing relative to the pool, time of day, day of year, clouds in the sky, the color of the house, the deck, the fence, the plants, etc. Also, the depth. A top step can be a grey color, but the shallow end will be bluer and the deep end will be bluer still. Just one example: if you decide you like the color of a 5' deep sports pool and apply it to your 8' deep diving pool, you'll get an entirely different look.

It's very tricky picking a pool color, because of the variables. I tried, and visited showrooms and brought home samples, etc. I consulted many times with the installer's designer, to her eventual near-exasperation. She finally gave up and declared "I know what you want." Relieved to not have to take responsibility for the final decision, I told her "OK." And she nailed it. Don't overlook the opportunity to talk to an experienced pro, they'll know stuff you won't. Worked for me, anyway.

 

[mcleod]

This is absolutely gorgeous! I tried to post a better picture of the yard/ pool in additok to the original but it wouldn’t go through. I’ll post below- and thank you for your thorough response. The brick will coping will be whitewashed to contrast the existing brick patio pool deck area. I should’ve given background on my abilities. I’m a renovation consultant and professionally paint faux finishes. I’ve done everything from making fiberglass look like wood, faux marbling mantles to exterior garage door finishes and staining concrete driveways. What product was used on your pool? We’re going to see one this week that the company did in wet edge black. I’ve seen photos and it’s lovely but you’re correct nothing like seeing it in person.

Good morning
My friend @Dirk has raised me from my autumnal slumber to take-a-look-see at this thread. I see that you are a professional faux artist so my advice may be repetitive to what you already know. For that I apologize in advance. Quick background I was in the preservation, restoration, and colorizing of stone, tile, and concrete business. I helped Dirk stop the granulation of that stone around his pool. From the picture I'm guessing that the coping is a hard fired? If so, how absorptive is the material? Does it wet out quickly or not so much? If quickly, then there's a possibility.

The things I would consider before colorizing if it were my pool.
The exposure of the surface to environmental elements-water, sunlight (UV), abrasion.
Can the process of color alteration withstand all three?
Will the coloring agent require a protective, sacrificial coating, and how does that hold up to the elements above?
What's the process of re-coating either the sacrificial coat to the coloring agent? How often?
*Aesthetics opinion...I think white washing would be too stark. I would attempt to bring the the coping towards one of the darker shades in the brick.

With all that said above, my advice would be to remove the coping and the dark blue tile when the pool plaster is redone. It will allow more options to find compatible colors to the brick, and is a more enduring installation than treating just the surface. If you go this way then look at using a non-cementitious grout, more color stable and water and stain resistant.

McLeod