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Designing a pool is an exciting undertaking, but it can also be stressful! With so many types of pool tile out there, choosing the best one for your budget and preferences is often challenging. In this blog post, well offer up nine helpful tips to help you select the ideal tile for your pool.
Before you start shopping, being aware that pool tile is not the same as your typical bathroom or kitchen tile is extremely important. Using indoor tile for your pool will not get you the results youre looking for because its not meant to be completely submerged in water. Indoor tile is intended for use in an area with mild, steady temperatures and soft lighting.
In contrast, pool tile is specially treated to withstand pool chemicals, intense sunlight, rain, and fluctuating temperatures. If you use regular kitchen or bathroom tile for your pool, its much more likely to need frequent repairs and replacement down the line due to the increased risk of cracking, fading, and corrosion.
Pool tile is built to be highly durable. Its non-porous and has a special glaze that protects it from fading and cracking. This glazed coating is formulated to make the tile water-resistant and easy to clean.
So, when youre shopping for pool tile, ensure that the tile youre looking at is specifically meant for pools or has the qualification of pool-rated. This will help you find a tile durable enough to stand up to the elements and retain its high-quality look for years to come.
Its always wise to set your budget before finding the tile of your dreams. And its especially smart to have a bit of a cushion as well. As anyone whos done home improvements and renovations knows, the original budget always seems to grow as the project goes on.
Once youve figured out how much you can realistically spend on pool tile, itll be easier to narrow down your search to options that fit within your budget. Remember to factor in the cost of professional installation, especially if youre planning on creating an intricate design that may take a lot of time and money to complete.
Next, youll want to learn about the various tile materials and their respective advantages and drawbacks. Heres a brief overview of the most common pool tile materials.
Glass is a highly popular material, thanks to its dimensional, dramatic, and luxurious look. Its currently extremely trendy and is known to increase a homes resale value. A glass-tiled pool shimmers in the sunlight and has a very opulent look. This is especially true of glass mosaics along the pools waterline. There is also a wide variety of glass pool tile colors and designs to choose from.
However, the dazzling look of glass pool tile comes with a very high cost that isnt always budget-friendly. Still, the price has dropped notably in recent years, and you can now find some types of glass tile for less than $10 per square foot.
Another potential drawback is that glass tile can be more slippery than porcelain and stone, so its not ideal for pools that children frequently use.
Stone is another popular pool tile material due to its natural look. There are many variations of stone in different colors and designs, and they offer a lovely organic aesthetic. Plus, theyre much more resistant to slipping than other pool tile materials, so stone tiles tend to be a safer choice.
Porcelain tile is the most common material used for pools. Its classic but can still have a modern look, and it comes in unlimited shapes, colors, sizes, and patterns. Porcelain is a durable and dense material thats easy to both install and maintain. Although soft to the touch, its relatively resistant to slipping and is less slick than glass tile.
When comparing your budget to your favorite tile choices, try to tailor your selection toward quality rather than appearance. Of course, everyone wants to have a beautiful pool, but what good is a beautiful pool if the tile needs to be replaced shortly after its initial installation? Selecting a high-quality, durable tile rather than a flashy one that sacrifices quality is always the better choice because it will last longer.
Porcelain is often the best choice when keeping both quality and aesthetics in mind. This is especially true if youre working with a limited budget. In comparison to stone and glass, porcelain is generally much more affordable and readily available. Plus, if you work with an expert, you can create intricate porcelain mosaic designs for incredible visual appeal.
Another tile characteristic to think about when making your decision is required upkeep. For example, small tiles are more difficult to maintain than larger ones due to the number of seams between tiles. When you have small, detailed patterns, you tend to get more dirt buildup in the tile seams. Larger tiles typically come with lower cleaning costs. Still, additional maintenance may be worth it to have the captivating designs you envision. A pool can truly be a work of art, especially with beautiful tiles like the Newport Loft Leaf Glass Mosaic Blend below.
In terms of size, many of todays pool designers are choosing to use large format tiles. These allow them to span large areas with fewer grout lines. To create an attention-grabbing focal point, you can intersperse large tiles with decorative accents, especially at the pools waterline. Conversely, you could choose to utilize decorative accents throughout the entire design of the pool. This gorgeous Newport Beach Wave Chevron Glass Mosaic Blend works terrifically as an accent piece.
If you have an irregularly-shaped pool, you may have to stick with smaller tiles rather than large format ones. This is because, with free-form and kidney-shaped pools especially, its much easier to wrap small tiles around curves and corners.
Of course, color is one of most significant choices youll have to make as youre selecting your ideal pool tile. Many pool owners love iridescent tiles that appear to change color depending on the angle at which the sunlight and water hit them.
A common choice for luxury spas and hotel pools is white tile. White exudes a sense of relaxation, and it makes the pool water appear sky blue.
For many pool owners, though, blue tile remains the color of choice. It makes the water look bright blue, creating that classic pool look. There are unlimited shades of blue pool tile out there, along with mosaics and various designs to choose from.
Something to remember is that its not always a good idea to use a dark color for the pools base. This is because deep water can distort tile color and make it difficult to tell how deep the pool actually is. In some cases, this can become a safety issue. If youre set on using a dark color, you might consider designing the pool to have contrasting bands of multiple shades. This can give the pool users a better idea of how deep the pool is.
If you dont want to stick to the traditional blue or white tiles, bright colors and eye-catching patterns can really add personality and character to your pool.
Another thing to note is that you can combine various types and colors of tile to create a one-of-a-kind pool design. For example, you could use ceramic tile for most of the pool, but add glass mosaic tiles at the waterline. This also enables you to save some money in comparison to using glass tiles for the entire pool.
Are you interested in learning more about Blue Glass Pool Tiles? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!
If youve ever purchased paint before, then you know just how different colors can appear under multiple types of lighting. The same concept holds true for pool tiles. As you narrow down your favorite options, order samples so that you can take them outside and see what the colors and patterns look like in the sunlight. You can also play around with different designs and see how various tiles look together. This can save you from having to deal with the hassle of returning a tile that doesnt look the same as it did online or in the store.
Designing a pool involves aesthetics, but it should also consider utility and practicality. Whos going to be using the pool the most? If the answer is children, then stone or ceramic tile will be better than glass since glass tends to be much slicker and prone to slips and falls. Meanwhile, a pool mainly meant for adults to relax in may benefit from the luxuriousness of glass tile.
In continuation of our last tip, remember to prioritize safety! The area immediately outside of the pool must have slip-resistant tiles. Although its most common to worry about kids slipping and falling, adults can potentially hurt themselves as well. Choosing tiles with surfaces meant to prevent slipping can minimize accidents and ensure everyone can safely get into and out of the pool.
Tiling a pool should not be a DIY project unless you have the experience and skillset to do so. Although it may sound appealing to tile your pool yourself and save money, you could end up spending a lot more if you make mistakes the first time around and have to turn to a pro to help you fix the problems. If you can, find a professional tiler that has great references and glowing reviews. Its also good to do some research regarding adhesive and grout beforehand so youll have an idea of whether or not the tiler is going about the project correctly.
At Tilezz.com, we have a gorgeous selection of pool tiles in multiple colors, materials, and designs. And were not limited to pool tileif you have any other tile needs indoors, youll love our product range of stone, porcelain, ceramic, and glass tiles. From your pools waterline to your kitchen backsplash, weve got you covered. Take some time to browse Tilezz.com today!
Ceramic mosaics are the more traditional pool tiles. "Tilers like them because they bond really well to the shell of the pool and have stood the test of time," Amanda says. "They are normally cheaper to buy and lay than glass mosaics." The down side is that there is a limited colour range to choose from. "Glass mosaics have become more popular in the last 10 years," Amanda says. "Pool buyers like them because there is a huge colour range to choose from and a variety of effects such as pearl, crystal and gold available. They shimmer and sparkle, bringing the pool to life."
A matter of size
Ceramic mosaic pool tiles range in size from 23mm square to 95 x 45mm rectangles. Glass mosaic tiles range in size from 20mm to 48mm for crystal glass tiles. "Normally, you wouldnt use a tile bigger than 100mm to fully tile a pool as it is too difficult to make it look good due to the curved bottoms of sprayed concrete swimming pools," Amanda says. "However, the most common sizes used for fully tiling pools are 20mm to 58mm."
Colour me beautiful
Amanda says the most popular colours for swimming pools are blue tiles. They are available in light to dark shades in both ceramic and glass. "Many people use white tiles to achieve a light blue water colour," she adds. Other popular colours for full tiling are aqua, black and charcoal tiles. "We have sold chocolate tiles to fully tile pools," Amanda recalls. "This gives the pool a green tone to the water. We have also sold red tiles to fully tile a pool!"
Get in shape
In the past pool tiles were traditionally square, but Amanda says that rectangular tiles have increased in popularity during the past five years. One thing that remains unchanged us that pool tiles are different to their indoor cousins. Pool tiles need to be fired at a high temperature and have low water absorption so wall tiles are unsuitable for use in swimming pools. They also need to be supplied in a sheet format (i.e. the tiles are typically supplied on a mesh backing) so they are easy to lay.
However, there are some similarities too. Just as there are different grout colours for indoor tiles, you can choose different grout colours for pools. But Amanda says the most popular grout colours used remain grey and white.
Latest trends
Amanda says the latest pool tile trend is the increasing use of mosaic blends. "Mosaic blends contain at least three different coloured tiles," she explains. "They can either be subtle such as the White Crystal Pearl Blend 20mm or dramatic such as the Cuban 23mm.
While mosaic pictures were popular with the ancient Romans, today's trend towards minimalism means they're not a common sight in the average backyard pool. "Mosaic pictures are a very personal item in a swimming pool," Amanda says. "It is only a small percentage of pools that include them. The predominant design trend at the moment is minimalism, so most people dont consider including one. The people who buy them usually like decoration and have a personal reason for incorporating their design into the pool or on the feature wall."
The benefits
Lining a pool with tiles has long been regarded as the superior finish due to their appearance, silky smoothness and superior durability. Amanda says fully tiled pools are the easiest to maintain and have the most positive effect on house resale values. "You also have the greatest control over the final water colour and lets face it, the water colour is the first thing you notice when you look at a pool!" she says.
Not everyone has a concrete pool, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy their beauty. Amanda says the waterline of fibreglass pools can be tiled to make them look more like an in-ground concrete pool.
Regardless of what type of pool you have Amanda has a few tips for choosing the right tile for your needs. "If fully tiling a pool, it is best to look at a pool magazine and see what water colour you like," she says. "Then we can take a step backwards and figure out what tile will give you the water colour you desire. Sometimes it can be a surprising suggestion.
When choosing a waterline tile for your pool, you can choose a tile to:
1.Contrast with the water colour.
2.Match the water colour
3.Match the pool coping colour.
Amanda says the most popular option for waterline tiles is normally to pick a tile to contrast with the water colour. "For example, we sell a lot of charcoal waterline tiles to pick up the colour used as trim colours on their house. Charcoal tiles also tone in really nicely with blue water."
Many thanks to the team at The Pool Tile Company for all their help and advice in producing this article. For more information visit http://www.pooltile.com.au or call 656 086.
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