Pool spa tile

[Susan34]

Hello...our pool is under construction. We have a raised spa that is 16 inches above ground, will spillway onto the tanning ledge.
my PB has said that tiling the top of the spa (where you would sit and turn to get in, so not in water) is not advisable, as the grout would be very rough when you to sit and turn to get in. he thinks putting travertine is a better option. Although given the rough surface of travertine, I think travertine may also be rough on the skin...one of the folks that works for the builder also felt there may not be any difference.

I will likely go with ceramic tiles rather then glass.

Our decking is travertine.

I like the clean lines of of the spa with using tile. I am open to 1x1, 1x2, etc...basically any size that will produce a very clean line look.

any thought would be helpful! Thanks!!

 

[Nikilyn]

I have also wondered about tiling the top of ours and not having a cap but the only pictures I can find of that are with an infinity edge all the way around. I'm curious to know if you can or not. The roughness isn't an issue for me because it isn't as tall as yours and no one will be sitting on it and turning to get in and out. As for travertine, it's actually pretty smooth and they use very small grout lines when installing it. The smoothness is one of the reasons I don't like it around a pool. I find it too slippery, at least at the pools I've been at, except our neighborhood pool. They used a horrible stone that has so many holes in it. But anyway, I'm curious to see what people say about the tile being used. Glad I'm not the only one wondering.

 

[Susan34]

I have seen pix of spas that are not infinity with tile on top all the way around. Looks beautiful! I am worried about the travertine and have them picking out some that would have more pitting in it. Most people say it is not slippery, but there can be slipping if not a little careful And do not wear flip flops on it when the surface is wet. the plus side is that it does not get hot.

 

[mmardini]

I wanted to do this as well to our spa but don’t wanna even think of the cost it would be to demo what we have now to do it. I’ll show you a pic of our pool and one I found with tile all around the spa. Soooo pretty!!

 

[NCMike]

No experience with tile but I do have travertine on my raised span. The only spot that I would call rough is where they meet, the grout lines. If you sit in the middle of a travertine tile and spin its fine and doesn't seem rough. Maybe with smaller tiles and larger grout lines it would be rougher on the bottom? Just a guess but makes sense to me.

 

[Nikilyn]

I wanted to do this as well to our spa but don’t wanna even think of the cost it would be to demo what we have now to do it. I’ll show you a pic of our pool and one I found with tile all around the spa. Soooo pretty!!

Thanks for posting that pic. I've searched for pics but none popped up. Funny how if you don't search for the right words you won't get results.

 

[mmardini]

Thanks for posting that pic. I've searched for pics but none popped up. Funny how if you don't search for the right words you won't get results.

No problem! It’s a gorgeous look I’d kill to do it. The more tile the better in my book!