Pool needs to be replastered. Thinking about tiling it instead of plaster. Anyone done this? The cost is all over the place on the interwebs, but tile is durable and evidently there's very little maintenance.

On vacations in Mexico past, most small pools ARE fully tiled.
TMI: daily maintenance was to brush the pool sides/bottom to the drain which exhausted 10% water then fill with fresh water (no pumps)
You can appreciate the synergy ... and simpler lifestyle?

Asked our pool builder about this very topic after returning from Mexico (land of fully tiled pools). He said "yeah we've done a few on request, but very expensive."

It's very pricey here in the states. I've found that pools in resorts in other countries that are all tile is due to the ease of maintenance, access to cheap labor, and the lack of knowledge to install pool plaster. None of the tile installs that I've seen have been particularly good, mostly average or acceptable at best.

I just did an estimate for an all tile 11'x6' spa, 175 sf of glass tile with with epoxy grout and an allowance for $15/sf tile and it came out to $13,500.

The 26'x12' all tile spa I did last year with mosaic tile and regular grey grout was around $19,000.

The other issue with an all tile spa is that you will see every imperfection of the pool shell that you typically do not see with plaster. This means you either deal with it or your tile guy will have a lot of prep work smoothing out the shell to make it acceptable for tile installation.

Last comment is that if your chemicals get off track that tile becomes slicker than pig ***** Even if you don't actively have algae forming or an algae bloom, that tile becomes very slick.

Edit:

The old owner of the company told me a story before he retired that they were building a pool for a wealthy gentleman & were in a meeting discussing the pool design. The guy asks if he could have an all tile pool and the company owner responded that if he could afford to buy another Porsche like the one in the driveway then he could afford an all tile pool. The guys responds that he's got two other Porsches in the garage so that shouldn't be a problem.

To save the labor cost my wife wants us to do the tile ourselves. I can barely change a light bulb. That's a hard NO.

Unless your pool has 90 degree walls, I think that would be nightmare project.

JBLHAG03 said:

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Unless your pool has 90 degree walls, I think that would be nightmare project.

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Long video, but he starts tiling at around the 18-minute mark...



Around the 32-minute mark he starts to have to cut tile because of the wall/floor angle. That does seem like an issue for a novice.

My wife keeps reading that it's less maintenance and upkeep. And like Corps 12 said it probably gets slick.

I don't have a pool, so pardon my ignorance, but what possible upkeep do you have with a plaster pool that you don't have with tile?

htxag09 said:

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I don't have a pool, so pardon my ignorance, but what possible upkeep do you have with a plaster pool that you don't have with tile?

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I copied this from another site. My ignorance is probably on par with yours as my wife is the "pool boy". I am just listening to her suggestion that she wants an all tile pool.

https://www.aquablumosaics.com/blogs/news/concrete-pool-finishes-plaster-aggregate-or-tile

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On the down side, plaster does require a bit more maintenance and care than other surfaces if you want it to last as long as possible. It also exhibits stains more often than the other surfaces due to it being more porous in nature. This surface especially accommodates algae, which means the plaster requires surface maintenance weekly as well as acid washing every three to five years.

And while plaster is the least expensive interior surface, it also has the shortest life span something like five to 10 years.

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We replastered a couple years ago, and put in a liner that bonds to the pool, and has a 10 yr warranty.

Hornbeck said:

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We replastered a couple years ago, and put in a liner that bonds to the pool, and has a 10 yr warranty.

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Sounds like Eco Finish. Was it torch applied?

Corps_Ag12 said:

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Hornbeck said:

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We replastered a couple years ago, and put in a liner that bonds to the pool, and has a 10 yr warranty.

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Sounds like Eco Finish. Was it torch applied?

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No, they sprayed it on, and then threw beads on it. I think it's called pebble tech or something?

Hornbeck said:

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Corps_Ag12 said:

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Hornbeck said:

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We replastered a couple years ago, and put in a liner that bonds to the pool, and has a 10 yr warranty.

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Sounds like Eco Finish. Was it torch applied?

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No, they sprayed it on, and then threw beads on it. I think it's called pebble tech or something?

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Gotcha, not really a liner, just a different type of plaster. PebbleTec is a brand but is used generically for a stone & plaster surface like Kleenex is for tissues.

rlb28 said:

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Pool needs to be replastered. Thinking about tiling it instead of plaster. Anyone done this? The cost is all over the place on the interwebs, but tile is durable and evidently there's very little maintenance.

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You like cuts and scrapes if every single tile isn't perfect?

You like cleaning grout by hand? How about for the entire pool?

Make sure you buy a crap ton of extra tiles to replace all the broken, chipped or fallen out tiles. Good chance they get discontinued.

Do you like walking on ice? Same concept for the bottom of the pool.

Most pools finished in all tile isn't because it's a better option, it's because it's the only option. Not a lot of plaster companies or equipment in far away places without constant business. Lots of dudes that tile floors.

I legitimately know nothing about a tiled pool except that I have swam in many of them and never had a cut foot. From what I read maintenance is easier than a plastered pool. Not sure if that's true.

Got it, I wanted something that wouldn't rust through like our old surface did, requiring draining the pool, jackhammering it out, spraying crap on the rebar, covering it back with new gunite, and rusting through in the same spot later that year. It was a very frustrating experience and got a pool guy in CS fired for how quick it happened.

rlb28 said:

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I legitimately know nothing about a tiled pool except that I have swam in many of them and never had a cut foot. From what I read maintenance is easier than a plastered pool. Not sure if that's true.

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Not really, but you probably don't have to worry about alkalinity or calcium hardness as much in an all tile pool.

The pool we had in Costa Rica at the AirBnB was all tile. I asked about service to the owner and it was serviced twice a week. Labor is cheap in those places that have all tile.

Seems like there is a lot of **** talking tile going on here - just pay attention to all of the sun ledges on resort pools out there that are tiled as an accent. I think the main reason to not use tile is cost, it's labor intensive versus plaster. There's no slipping, a brush takes care of the grout, and if the install is done well, a few pieces of attic stock should be enough.

I've got no dog in this hunt, as my pool is a stock tank, I just thought I'd chime in as I've GC's projects with tile pools and our good friends just finished an install with a tiled sun ledge.

The most important initial consideration for tiling your pool is the potential temperature changes that your pool will experience based off where you are located.

After that, proper waterproofing and surface prep.

Laticrete has an excellent set of procedures to follow.

Tile can be done horribly wrong, or exceptionally well. Same with other finishes like pebble Tec. The level of success depends on the installer and supervision.

I've been building pools for 23 years, and the company in business for 35. We have done just about everything.
And I would never consider all-tile for my personal pool.

Hope this is helpful. Feel free to pm me if you'd like any type of guidance
Gig 'em

Edit to add that a large reason all tile pools perform well at resorts/vacation homes is that they are often in tropical climates that don't have huge temperature swings. And labor is extremely cheap

Aggietaco said:

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Seems like there is a lot of **** talking tile going on here - just pay attention to all of the sun ledges on resort pools out there that are tiled as an accent. I think the main reason to not use tile is cost, it's labor intensive versus plaster. There's no slipping, a brush takes care of the grout, and if the install is done well, a few pieces of attic stock should be enough.

I've got no dog in this hunt, as my pool is a stock tank, I just thought I'd chime in as I've GC's projects with tile pools and our good friends just finished an install with a tiled sun ledge.

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There's a reason the tile you mentioned is only on accents and areas not used by people. And it isn't just cost.

My background is being involved in the design, costing, and construction of over 400 high end commercial pools before I left the industry.

Re-did ours with Pebblesheen about 3 years ago, much smoother on the feet than Pebbletec, looks great. We used the Aqua Blue.

https://pebbletec.com/product/pebblesheen/aqua-blue/