Tiling Around Swimming Pools: Safety, Durability and Maintenance
Tiling Around Swimming Pools: Safety, Durability and Maintenance
Pool surrounds are some of the harshest environments for tiles. They are constantly exposed to water, chemicals, sunlight and bare feet. Getting the tile selection and detailing right is critical for safety and long-term performance.
In this article, ARDEX Technical Services Advisor James Bradford outlines the key considerations when tiling around swimming pools, from slip resistance and heat build-up to movement joints and ongoing maintenance.
Start with the right tiles
When choosing tiles for pool surrounds, three main factors should be front of mind:
1. Slip resistance – Wet surfaces plus running children is a recipe for accidents if the tiles are too smooth. Natural stones often have inherently good slip resistance, and many porcelain tiles are available with textured or structured finishes designed for wet areas.
2. Heat retention – Tiles are excellent at absorbing and holding heat. Darker colours such as black or deep grey can become uncomfortably hot under summer sun, making them difficult or unsafe to walk on in bare feet.
3. Chemical resistance and durability – Pool chemicals and salt can be tough on some materials. Natural stone in particular usually requires sealing and careful maintenance to prevent staining or damage.
For clients who like the look of stone but don’t want the maintenance, James often recommends porcelain tiles that imitate natural stone. These deliver the appearance of materials like travertine, with far less upkeep around the pool.
Coping vs surrounds – different roles, shared details
Tiling around a pool usually involves two distinct areas:
– The coping – the capping that finishes the edge of the pool.
– The surrounds – the broader paved area where people walk, sit and place furniture.
Although these areas serve different purposes, they must work together to allow for movement and drainage. The linear joint where coping meets the surrounds is especially important.
Movement at the coping/surround interface
Instead of grouting the line where coping tiles meet the surrounding tiles, best practice is to:
– Leave that joint free of rigid grout, and
– Fill it with a flexible, colour-matched sealant (for example, a suitable silicone).
This creates a discreet movement joint that accommodates expansion and contraction between the pool shell and the surrounding slab, reducing the risk of hairline cracks and debonding.
Special considerations with fibreglass pools
Not all pools are concrete. Many residential installations use fibreglass shells dropped into a concrete or compacted base. When tiling coping over these systems, the tile often spans both:
– Concrete on one side, and
– Fibreglass on the other.
You cannot simply use the same cement-based adhesive across both materials. The concrete portion can be bonded with a suitable cement-based adhesive, but the fibreglass section requires a flexible sealant, such as ARDEX CA 20 P or similar, to accommodate movement and differences in behaviour between the two materials.
Achieving high contact coverage with the flexible sealant is essential – not just a few beads or “squiggles”. Inadequate contact can lead to cracks developing along the transition between the concrete and the fibreglass shell.
Maintenance and sealing
Pool areas are exposed to chlorinated or salt water, UV light, and regular wetting and drying cycles. Maintenance advice to clients should reflect the tile type chosen:
– Porcelain tiles – Generally lower maintenance. Regular cleaning is still required, but they are less susceptible to chemical attack and staining. Sealing is often focused on the grout rather than the tile body.
– Natural stone – Higher maintenance. Stones must be sealed with a high-quality penetrating sealer, including the grout joints. The sealer will gradually wear down from UV, traffic and cleaning, so re-application at intervals recommended by the sealer manufacturer is important.
Without proper sealing and maintenance, natural stones can suffer from staining, etching and general surface deterioration over time.
Documentation and technical resources
Because pool environments are complex – combining structural movement, chemical exposure, immersion and foot traffic – it’s important to design systems using up-to-date technical literature.
ARDEX provides detailed technical bulletins and system recommendations for tiling and waterproofing around swimming pools, including guidance on adhesives, grouts, sealants and membranes suited to these conditions.
Installers can refer clients to these documents and use them to support correct product selection and specification.
Key tips for successful pool surrounds
To deliver safe, durable pool tiling systems:
– Prioritise slip resistance and heat considerations when selecting tiles.
– Be clear about the difference between coping and surrounds, and detail a flexible joint where they meet.
– Use flexible sealants to bridge between concrete and fibreglass structures.
– Provide clear guidance on sealing and maintenance, especially for natural stone.
– Refer to ARDEX technical bulletins for pool-specific systems and, when in doubt, contact ARDEX Technical Services for project advice.
With the right materials and detailing, tiled pool surrounds can perform beautifully over many summers of hard use.
ARDEX Technical Hotline: 1800 224 070
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