Stone

[R.ellison2010]

Hello,

My pool remodel starts in a few weeks and would like to know the pros and cons of manufactured stone versus natural stone. And is there a rule of thumb on the size of stone to be used for the area around the back of the round spa radius?

 

[kimkats]

Use what you like! There was one slide build that use larger stones with wide grout lines that came out great. There was also one where they use smaller than a fist sized stones with almost no grout lines that also came out great. It all depends on what you like and your area.

If you would like to share a pic of what you are working with AND give us an idea of what you like then we can help you decide what will look best for your build.

As far as natural or man made I am not sure if it really matters. It depends on what you like. Of course there are some very soft stone that should not be used where water will flow over it but it sounds like this will be a dry area.

Kim

 

[R.ellison2010]

Use what you like! There was one slide build that use larger stones with wide grout lines that came out great. There was also one where they use smaller than a fist sized stones with almost no grout lines that also came out great. It all depends on what you like and your area.

If you would like to share a pic of what you are working with AND give us an idea of what you like then we can help you decide what will look best for your build.

As far as natural or man made I am not sure if it really matters. It depends on what you like. Of course there are some very soft stone that should not be used where water will flow over it but it sounds like this will be a dry area.

Kim

Thanks for the input kimkats. I've heard that manufactured stone might not hold up well on a pool. Any thoughts on this?

 

[kimkats]

Hummmmmmm I don't really know about that. I will put out a call to some that may have some insight on this. @bdavis466 @Pool Clown @JoyfulNoise (Matt you for the science behind man made stone if there is any)

 

[lasvegaspools]

The benefit of real stone v faux stone is the ability to clean done the road if needed. Real stone can be bead blasted, high power pressure washed or even sandblasted and look new again. The manufactured stones have color applied to the surface and if abrasive cleaning the color is often removed.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

My pool’s waterfall uses real stones (boulders really). There are a few people in this world that I would trust to do faux stone out of concrete....ok, just one guy, but he’s currently busy remodeling his man-cave with some prehistoric Barbie & Ken layouts ....

@bdavis466

 

[bmoreswim]

Many houses use manufactured stone veneers which look quite nice. I did a fireplace inside with this stuff... Eldorado Stone - Stone Veneer, Architectural Stone and Brick Products They have an e-book available for download which discuses the subject, albeit with a horse in the race. My personal feel is that manufactured stone works rather well on surfaces. Real stone works well everywhere, at a cost.

 

[bdavis466]

My pool’s waterfall uses real stones (boulders really). There are a few people in this world that I would trust to do faux stone out of concrete....ok, just one guy, but he’s currently busy remodeling his man-cave with some prehistoric Barbie & Ken layouts ....

@bdavis466

Fake it 'til you make it or errr........ make it fake

Many houses use manufactured stone veneers which look quite nice. I did a fireplace inside with this stuff... Eldorado Stone - Stone Veneer, Architectural Stone and Brick Products They have an e-book available for download which discuses the subject, albeit with a horse in the race. My personal feel is that manufactured stone works rather well on surfaces. Real stone works well everywhere, at a cost.

You are correct except in a pool application. Manufactured stone does not hold up well around water unless it is diligently sealed and reapplied regularly. Natural stone is a much better choice but stay away from slate, sandstone and the softer flagstones. Quartzite is a good choice

 

[kimkats]

You are correct except in a pool application. Manufactured stone does not hold up well around water unless it is diligently sealed and reapplied regularly. Natural stone is a much better choice but stay away from slate, sandstone and the softer flagstones. Quartzite is a good choice

Well there we go! You and I both learned some important info! THANKS everyone!

Kim(I NEVER know what to expect when I have you two in the same room! At least I know I will get a good laugh out of it! )

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Well there we go! You and I both learned some important info! THANKS everyone!

Kim(I NEVER know what to expect when I have you two in the same room! At least I know I will get a good laugh out of it! )

Some day Brian and I will meet face-to-face and, after the initial shock wears off, there’s no telling what kind of crazy will happen....”what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” will be the operative principle....

 

[Arizonarob]

What happens in Vegas will follow you two home like a stray cat you feed one to many times.

 

[bdavis466]

Some day Brian and I will meet face-to-face and, after the initial shock wears off, there’s no telling what kind of crazy will happen....”what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” will be the operative principle....

I keep wandering around Legoland shouting your name. I never realized there are so many Matts in this world - almost as many hugs I've given to the wrong stranger

 

[JoyfulNoise]

We’ll be at LEGOLAND in late April....I’ll send you the itinerary....I’ll be hanging out at the water park in my speedos, you can hug me then...

 

[bdavis466]

We’ll be at LEGOLAND in late April....I’ll send you the itinerary....I’ll be hanging out at the water park in my speedos, you can hug me then...

I'll be the naked guy

 

[Arizonarob]

I'll be the naked guy

 

[Arizonarob]

We’ll be at LEGOLAND in late April....I’ll send you the itinerary....I’ll be hanging out at the pee park in my speedos, you can hug me then...

There Matt, I fixed it for ya!

 

[JoyfulNoise]

There Matt, I fixed it for ya!

Oh I don’t swim there, I just hang out and make small-talk with all the LEGO statues while doing my best mister universe poses ...

 

[bdavis466]

Wait a minute - maybe I have seen you there

 

[dotbombjoe]

So, no more legoland passes after this year runs out...ok then! ;-)

 

[Pool Clown]

Manufactured stone is typically concrete, or some type of similar mix. Stone is, well, stone. There are different types of stone (hardness and/or durability),
If you can get around the hardness thing, Concrete is the same type of material as your decks will be. So when it comes to the sun beating on the coping you wont have spots that are absorbing the suns heat at different rates (different sized rocks) like you would with an all concrete product. With heat comes expansion and contraction. Will this affect stone more than concrete? Sometimes it does and in other areas there is not as much of this affect that results in undesirable movement, but concrete sometimes has bad days too...

Take away from this? I just wasted a minute of your time with no definitive answer!

If your spa is going to be raised, you may want to take that into consideration when deciding the width of the coping around it. Depending on the height, you may want to use this area as a sitting platform. You will want it to be at least 12-18 inches wide for structural reasons. Anything beyond that, is just money. 12-18" is typically the thickness throughout the pool.