Although seemingly a minute detail, tile and pool coping can be the detail that pulls your pool together. To be exact, pool coping is one of the last steps to constructing or remodeling a pool. When you remodel your pool, retile and recoping your pool is an essential process to ensure your entire redesign properly comes together. If you’re looking for experts on retile and recoping a pool, get in touch with JR Pool Plastering & Texas Gunite Ltd.
What is pool coping?
Coping is the part of your pool that you grab onto when you exit the pool or swim along the edges. It provides a viable grip around the edges of your pool and gently pushes any residual water toward deck drains. It also creates a definite divide between your pool’s shell and the water. Without pool coping, the only thing separating your pool and the deck would be slabs of concrete or gunite.
Pool coping is a necessary aspect of your pool. So, if you’re thinking about remodeling your pool, JR Pool Plastering & Texas Gunite Ltd. can show you various options that can make your new and improved pool stand out. Even a brief retile and recoping project can make your pool get the glow up it needs.
You Can’t Cope Without Pool Coping
You can think of pool coping as the cap of the edge of any pool. It serves two major purposes:
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Surrounds the shell of the swimming pool and provides grip alongside the edge.
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Guards water and debris from slipping behind the shell, preventing damage and cracks.
A pool without coping would be incomplete. Along with protecting the shell of your pool, which holds the water and prevents all of it from seeping into the ground, it also as a safety net for swimmers in and around the pool. Its slip-resistant properties allow those standing on the edge where water often pools outside a sturdy surface to stand without falling in. It’s also a surface swimmers in the pool can grab onto easily when they need a break from swimming or floating.
Of course, it also adds an aesthetic effect to the edges of your pool. After all, although it provides practical effects, most people enjoy pools because they’re great to look at and make an excellent distraction from the heat. Most pool copings are tile or some type of natural stone. A few popular choices include concrete, paver stone, brick, or natural stones.
Coping is often precast on straight edges, on corners, and around curved sections. Traditionally, they were made of concrete or a porous stone in a gray-white color that could fit seamlessly with the rest of your pool design. However, JR Pool Plastering & Texas Gunite Ltd. can change out the materials of the pool coping so that it matches the look you want. We can ensure that the recoping will look great and provide your pool shell with ample protection.
Not every pool design has pool coping. Some designs have a pool deck that extends from the edge of the pool or a little over the edge, which serves both as pool decking and coping. However, it will mostly depend on the overall design of your pool, so you can go over the details with our experts to see if a decking or coping is better for your remodeled look.
Deciding on the Design of Your Recoping Process
Most pool shells are made of concrete, which is durable and easy to handle. There are many pool coping styles that match various styles. All you have to do is give our experts a general style you want your remodeled pool to have, and we can present a few options that best match the look you’re going for. If you’re not sure what you like, you can check out our past work to get a better idea.
Popular materials for pool coping include the following
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Concrete – Concrete coping is the easiest to work with and the most affordable option out of all of those available. Not only that, but concrete is also versatile enough to mesh well with various designs, making it one of the most popular choices for pool coping.
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Paver Stone or Brick – You can arrange pavers into a myriad of patterns because they come in various colors, textures, and finishes. They’re a popular choice after concrete because of their versatile appearance. Considering both pavers and bricks come in single pieces, if one portion breaks or cracks, you can easily replace it unlike with concrete.
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Travertine – Travertine is a type of natural stone that comes in various warm-toned colors, such as white, tan, cream, and a rusty brown. Sealed and treated properly, it provides a naturally slip-resistant surface and usually stays cool to the touch. It’s also more affordable compared to other natural stones, like marble.
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Sandstone – Sandstone coping gives your pool coping a unique look because this natural stone has unusual color, grain, and texture. Although it’s noticeable from a distance, it needs to be treated properly with sealant and tends to retain heat, so it’s not as popular here under the Southern sun.
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Flagstone – Flagstones come in various sizes and colors, and their appearance can make anyone go, “Wow.” However, like other natural stones, they need to be sealed to maintain their beautiful appearance, and they tend to retain heat, although that’s never stopped them from being a popular choice.
JR Pool Plastering & Texas Gunite Ltd. can install various types of pool coping, including standard cantilever or a cantilever band, bullnose, custom, receptor, or a pre-cast. We can show you examples of each type so that you can choose the best style to match with the rest of your remodeled pool. Get inspired with what we’ve worked with so far!
Pool Tiles – Where Your Water Meets Coping
Usually, retile and recoping are part of the same process, so when you call JR Pool Plastering & Texas Gunite Ltd. for recoping we can also retile your pool. If the pool coping is the cap to your pool shell, the tiling along the edges is the neck. Tiles are usually installed so that the top six inches of your pool is tile. The water level should reach halfway up the tile, so the color and design you choose for the tile should create an accent for the pool between the plaster and your coping.
What is the purpose of pool tiles?
Pool tiles make pools easier to maintain while providing another aesthetic detail to your poolside landscape. The water’s edge is where a lot of dirt, debris, fallen items, etc. tend to float. Even if you try to keep it clean, it’s easy for the water to leave a water-line ring along the edges of the pool. Pool tiles can help avoid having that ring line around the top of your pool.
There are various sizes of pool tiles you can choose from. Some common sizes include 6″ X 6″ tiles, 3″ X 3″ tiles, and 2″ X 2″ tiles. They also come in various colors and designs, and you can discuss with our experts the best ones to match with the rest of your remodeled pool. We’ll work with you to ensure that your entire design matches with your desired look.
Reasons to For Retile & Recoping Your Pool Edge
Overtime, pool coping and tile can wear down from constant exposure to the elements, pool chemicals, and other substances. They can also chip or become discolored. Even if you take phenonmenal care of your poolside space, you could simply grow tired of the current design of your pool. Whether you end up remodeling your entire pool or simply want to replace the current coping and tile, JR Pool Plastering & Texas Gunite Ltd. can help you with either process.
Usually, when you want to recope your pool edge, you’ll want to retile it too. That’s because removing the coping may also remove some tiles or cause them to shift out of place. Retile and recoping your pool can give you the chance to remodel parts of your pool that may have left you dissatisfied. So, take advantage of this chance to make some small changes that can impact the entire space!
Learn more about how remodeling your pool space can be beneficial for you and your entire household through our monthly blogs. JR Pool Plastering & Texas Gunite Ltd. has years of experience remodeling pools for many homeowners. We can handle everything from transforming your standard pool into a gunite pool to simple work like replastering your pool.
Get Riled Up for Retile & Recoping Services
JR Pool Plastering & Texas Gunite Ltd. has helped clients throughout the greater Houston area. To get started on changing up your pool to the vision you have in mind, give our team a call at your convenience. We’ll come out to you to check out the area and discuss the details. Even the smallest update can change up how you feel about your poolside area, so retile and recope your pool before it wears down for a change of pace.