Pool Tile

Where does tile actually go on a pool?

Four places, and only the first is universal. A waterline band runs round the pool at the water line, which is where scale and oils collect and where a scrubbable glazed surface earns its keep. Step edges and the top of a bench get tile so there is a visible line where the depth changes. A spa spillway is usually tiled because it is the thing people look at. And some pools are tiled floor to coping, which is a finish decision and a budget of a different order.

Porcelain or glass?

Porcelain is the workhorse and glass is the feature. High fired porcelain is dense, cheap by comparison, comes in the larger formats and takes a scrubbing brush for thirty years without complaint. Glass is brighter and has depth to it because light goes into the tile and comes back, which is why it turns up on spillways and raised walls where it will be looked at. Glass costs more, comes in smaller pieces, and wants a more careful setting job. Plenty of pools use porcelain for the band and glass for one feature.

What does mesh mounted mean?

The small pieces arrive already spaced and stuck to a backing sheet, so you set a square foot at a time instead of a hundred individual chips. It is why mosaics are practical at all: without the mesh, a 1 in. tile band would be a week of work and the spacing would wander. It also means the sheet is the unit you cut, so around a light or a skimmer you cut the mesh and fill with loose pieces off a spare sheet. Buy the spare sheet.

How wide should the band be?

Six inches is the traditional depth and it is traditional for a reason: it is about how far the water level moves between rain, evaporation and a pool full of people, so the scale line stays on tile rather than on plaster. Deeper bands, two or three courses, are a look and they are common on a raised wall or where the coping is heavy. Narrower than a single 6 in. course and you will find the waterline sitting on the plaster below it by August.