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To tile or not to tile - Landscape Architect & Specifier News

CHOOSING A POOL BUILDER
POOL LIGHTING
POOL SAFETY
POOL PLANTINGS
ABOUT POOL FINISHES
POOL DECKING AND COPING
POOL TILE AND STONE FINISHES
POOL AMENITIES AND EXTRAS

Tiles express your soul. Tiles give you unlimited choices. natural stone tiles add warmth and permanence to any surface or pool area. they are universally ideal for all pool designs and styles. traditional, naturalistic, historical and modern or anything between. subdued colors never go out of fashion and can complement any pool style and design. add glitz and glam to your pool without being garish. some pool tiles can be only simply be described as sexy. yes, red crocodile. animal and nature inspired patterns are available in all colors and glazes, both glass and ceramic. feeling bold and boisterous? there are creative tiles for every whim, for example this glass water bubble pattern. tres cool. unmistakeably malachite. only for the financially brazen, but any homeowner can afford this beauty as accents. POOL TILE AND STONE FINISHES The choices in waterline tile are virtually endless, in all ranges of price and quality. Some pool owners choose to finish their pool 'California Style', omitting the waterline tile and running the pool plaster finish directly to the underside of the coping. You may choose to carry the tile to the step risers, on your summer kitchen and planter finishes, pool floor medallions, and accent any other areas around your pool. GLASS TILE Glass, as everyone knows, has a unmistakeble look no matter where it is applied. Glass is typically more expensive than other materials, but posseses a beauty unmatched. This tile is most often used with contemporary pools and spas, but is adapted to any style. In addition to the wide selection of colors, textures and opacity, glass tile is offered with an option of iridescence which provides extra reflectivity. Glass tiles may compliment other pool objects, such as firepots with glass rock. PORCELAIN TILE Porcelain Stone Waterline tile may be used to provide a splash of color or artificial natural stone look. Be cautious when choosing synthetic stone tile as in our experience, synthetic always looks synthetic, and is escpecially distorted when placed adjacent to natural stone. NATURAL STONE Natural stone may be used as waterline tile, a great choice to compliment or contrast your deck material, dependaning on the homeowner's taste. One popular choice is slate waterline tile which may be found in readily available sources in cose effective sizes. Natural Stone Mosaic patterns may be used for waterline tile for a more detailed and classical look. STONE EMBEDDED A stone embedded finish may be chosen as your pool's watertight plaster finish. Products such as Pebble Tech, Pebble Sheen and Pebble Fina offer different textures and include a lifetime warranty of the finish. Be sure that your pool builder files the warranty papers, is a manufacturer approved installer and licensed by the state in order to validate your warranty. Thses finishes prove to be durable yet some tender skinned people such as toddlers may find the stone irritating to the skin when combined with pool water chemicals. Children use a pool by playing on steps, swim-outs and sun-shelves for extended periods of time. This activity may cause tender bottoms and feet to become irriatated. If your pool will include sensitive users, be sure to choose the fine textured Pebble Fina or a similar plaster product. QUARTZ AGGREGATE FINISHES Quartz aggregate finishes such as Diamond Brite™ Finishes are blends of selected quartz aggregates and fortified White Portland Cement offered with optional dyes. This is ideal for both new or re-finished swimming pools and available in a variety of colors and textures. Diamond Brite finishes are factory blended to provide the pool owner with an extremely durable, attractive and economic pool watertight coating. When applied properly, this finish may appear to have a mottled appearance which occurs during the acid wash process, this may be reduced with proper installation of the product by a licensed installer. If your pool has this mottled finish, which some find appealing in many applications, you may choose to have your pool drained and acid washed to homogenize the finish. CHOOSING A POOL BUILDER POOL LIGHTING POOL SAFETY POOL PLANTINGS ABOUT POOL FINISHES POOL DECKING AND COPING POOL TILE AND STONE FINISHES POOL AMENITIES AND EXTRAS MAIN | ABOUT | PROJECTS | POOLS | PLANTS | OPINION | DESIGN | CONTACT 2005-2019 LAND ART LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS