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Mosaic Tiles throughout pool - good idea?

16 years ago

We are building a rectangular 35 x 15 pool in South Florida. We were thinking of covering the pool in mosaic ceramic tiles (instead of just doing the water line), but someone told us that this will make the pool get very hot during the summer months (not a good thing in South Florida). Does anyone know if this is true or if there are any other problems with using tiles throughout instead of going with Marblelite?

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Comments (4)

oakrunfarm
16 years ago
I can tell you what little I know about mosaic tiles...

I was planning to use them on only the waterline all the way around a 14' x 45' pool and on my infinity edge. (You can put in mosaic in the search function, and you'll be able to find my post.)

Some people said it would be fine, but others said that there were "issues" like so much grout, and it got dirty, tiles popping off, etc.

I got scared off and decided to go with two rows of 3" x 3" glass tile on the waterline, bench and stairs, and aggregate for the rest of the pool.

The lady at the place I am getting my glass tile told me that small mosaic tile can also be inferior tile in some cases. She said, "sometimes mosaic tile is small for a good reason - it does not have the color, texture and appearance to be an attractive larger tile."

Just food for thought...
tresw
16 years ago
I've never seen a whole pool done in mosaics, that would be cool! One of the display pools at the Hobert showroom in Dallas has a 1x1 mosaic tanning ledge which I really loved the look of. I talked to them about doing that at our pool and they recommended against it due to concerns about the tile popping off over time (like oakrunfarm mentioned). I wouldn't necessarily let that deter you though, if you plan on replacing a couple now and then it may not be a big deal. Some of the PB guys here on the forum have stated that there is special mastic that will help keep small tile in place, so if you make sure your PB is diligent in prep and installation and you keep some spare tile on hand you should be in good shape.
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Hi Space Man-- I haven't decided if edging/accent tile on the steps would be the right look for my pool design, so I was hoping I could play around with it after the concrete stage before making a final decision. I also had no idea what the PB would charge per linear foot to add trim tile. I thought if I paid for it (tile and labor ahead of time) I would be stuck going ahead with it. I have known people who didn't put it in at the start and then added it later. You could see the difference in the finish when this was done--so I know its best to do this the first time around. However, I have not seen the newer pebble finishes with step/trim tile so don't know if it is harder or easier to see steps and bench edges with a pebble-type finish or not. Anyone whose had experience with both types (plain white/solid color vs. pebble) who can speak from experience? Spacemen, I remember looking at your build thread several times. Very, very, nice. I love the natural look, but we can't get away with some of the stone materials like the beautiful slates and I am also hesitant about faux rock holding up here in the Northeast (though I have seen it done). Maybe next time if we move south. However, I am trying to incorporate natural rock materials in the coping and spa facing part of the design. Thanks for the advice.
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Same here. We had the black Pebble Sheen done and they would not do toe tiles because of the issues with the pebbles not fitting around the tiles properly, making the area too rough or not sealing properly. I had beautiful gold glass tiles, 3 per step, that I had to give up using but with the finish we have, it was worth it! Plus they put abelone shells (crushed) into the mix and it looks amazing in the sunlight. We just did some really cool tile on our waterline and let the rest of the pool speak for itself. You could always go with colored plaster (will most likely fade over time) , or some of the other products that have stones but are on an even surface - many posted on this forum with mosaics. Good luck!
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If your pool is in a freeze/thaw part of the country, and exposed to such conditions, you most certainly may have potential problems. That holds true for any tile types. If proper prep, application and the correct setting materials are used, you'll have longevity of the tiles. Tile setting materials, prep materials and setting methods have changed quite a bit in the last 10 years. There are really good products for specific types of tile. Pool chemicals don't play much of a part in tile failure. It's all in the installation. Water intrusion can pop tiles over time so it's best the grout joints and any joints surrounding the tile are sealed. This happens mostly in freeze/thaw areas.
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gk5040
16 years ago
There was a post later last year from someone in Hawaii who used all mosaics. I couldnt find the post, but there were some comments about using mosaics thru the whole pool. Sorry, I dont have time right now to search again, but maybe you can try, let me know if you find it. I'll try to look later.
gk5040
16 years ago
Why did I think this was Hawaii?????? I could have sworn it was posted that way. Maybe she had 2 posts....after searching for a long time I found it, its called...Final Pool Remodel Pics, Posted by scl4 on Sat, Aug 4, 07 at 14:32. Try searching her/his name too to see if there is more on the tiled pool. Good luck.

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