Waterline Tile Installation (Fiberglass Shell)

[uvavi8r]

Doing some reading on the forum, and while looking have found that the consensus (or at least the post that I read) was that silicon based products were best for waterline tile installation on a fiberglass pool. The two products that I came across the most were NovaGard and FlexTile. The tile I am looking to install is Lunada Bay as shown below:


My questions for the experts are as follows:

• Is the silicon based product the correct for this application (the installation instructions on the website only address gunite pools, my wife is calling the tile manufacturer tech support to get some clarity)
• Is there a reliable/reasonable source for the NovaGard? I have only found one place (looking to get the clear adhesive and grey grout)
• When installing on a fiberglass pool, there will be a "lip" at the bottom, how do the pros manage this? Is there just a 45 degree grout line that eases the transition?

Again, many thanks in advance.

 

[ajw22]

@mknauss has experience using Novagard on his fiberglass pool.

@Texas Splash may also have some ideas.

 

[mknauss]

I have used Novagard to repair my tile. Should have insisted the pool builder use it originally. They pushed back saying it was not needed and I was still green on the ways of pools. Do NOT use a cement based grout. It will crack, and if your water has much CH in it, you will get calcium scale from evaporation of the water wicking up the grout. Then that gets behind the tile and forces it off. Not good.

The Novagard works well where I used it to replace tile. It is impervious to water. It is a pain to use. You must be very careful, use lots of sponges and fresh water to smooth the grout and clean the tile. An applier that has only ever used regular grout will struggle.

At the bottom of the tile, which is below water level, we used a bead of the Novagard to smooth that transition. The pool builder agreed to that and it is in perfect condition 7 years later.

 

[uvavi8r]

The Novagard works well where I used it to replace tile. It is impervious to water. It is a pain to use. You must be very careful, use lots of sponges and fresh water to smooth the grout and clean the tile. An applier that has only ever used regular grout will struggle.

Thanks for the recommendation, your comment about "it is a pain to use" concerns me regarding the grout...as you can see from the image, the glass isn't 100% smooth...is this going to cause problems, or is it just a matter of ensuring everything is wiped, cleaned and re-wiped? I have seen some videos where they are using the scrubbies to get the grout done...I have done a bit of tile work (traditional), just wondering if this is a 1 banana or 6 banana job.

I have a sample sheet of the tile...I might practice on that to see how hard it is to do...