Many Americans love to swim, either alone or in a public pool, for sports or for leisure. Competitive swimming has found its way into the Olympics, but most Americans are not looking to win a gold medal in the pool. Instead, private homeowners can choose to have a swimming pool installed in their back yard, and professional pool crews can build and install it. This is not something to attempt alone; a lot of tough and technical work is involved in making a swimming pool, and that includes putting down pool tile arrangements. Pool tiles vary in their size, shape, appearance, and quality, and there’s a lot to choose from for aesthetics in a pool. Public swimming pools may also have crews worn on them to install attractive new tiles or replace damaged ones, too. For example, mosaic pool tiles can be used to create attractive images on a pool’s walls or floors, and mosaic pool tiles can make images of sea life, waves, or more. Swimming pool tile design can vary widely, and this can make for a fun industry. What is there to know?
Install the Pool
Many private homeowners opt to have professional crews install a small swimming pool in their backyard, and public pools can built with a similar procedure. Once the pool’s location is chosen, the foundation will be dug to create the space for the pool. Once the foundation is ready, crews will pour concrete to create the walls and floor of the pool, and other hardware such as the water filter and pumps are installed as well. Once all of that is done, the more aesthetic work can be started. Pools need ladders and lights, and those can be installed at this stage. And of course, plaster and tiles must be added to finish the walls before any swimmers ever enter the pool. And once all the tiles and plaster are added, the pool is filled with water. Extra features such as diving boards or a retractable protective screen may be added as well. The tiles, meanwhile, are a particularly important part of a pool’s aesthetics and maintenance. What should a pool owner keep in mind about ceramic pool tile or mosaic pool tiles?
Tiles for the Pool
Ceramics goes back a long way, over 37,000 years for making pottery and other vessels. Ever since, ceramics and other materials have also been used to create pool tiles, and tiles are useful elsewhere, too. Subway tile, for example, is a common use for such materials, and the walls of a shower in the home use tiles as well. Bathroom shower tile may not quite be the same as pool tile, however, and not all tiles are interchangeable. Some tiles are meant to stay dry, such as those in a subway or a kitchen floor, so someone looking for pool construction or repair work must order the right tiles for the job.
In a swimming pool, there must always be plaster and tiles in place for the comfort and convenience of all swimmers, and these materials sometimes need maintenance. Tiles may sometimes break or come free, or they may simply go out of fashion. If there is any problem with the tiles or plaster in a pool, the pool can be emptied of all water, and workers will get started on all affected tiles and plaster. Damaged plaster may form sharp points that can harm skin, so damaged plaster can be scraped off and a new layer can be added. Old tiles may be pried off and replaced as well, and if a pool owner wants new tiles types put in, such as mosaic pool tiles, entire swaths of tiles can be removed for this. After all, mosaic pool tiles can make for an attractive visual, so a bare-bones pool can have some tiles removed to make room for these decorative models. In public pools, this can make a pool more distinctive and draw in more crowds, while a private pool owner may like the personal expression that mosaic pool tiles give. Other attractive tiles, such as mother of pearl tiles or glass pool tile models, can also be used. Waterline tiles may also be a different color or shade to boost visual variety.
