http://youtu.be/8lTsnTG1Me4

Silicone

I'm in the sealant industry. When someone tells me they used a silicone, I assume it's a generic from a hardware store. A person in the sealant industry doesn't say "silicone". It's Oxime silicone, Alkoxy silicone, Benzamide silicone, Acetoxy silicone, Amine silicone or Aminoxy silicone. This is what you buy in a retail store. It's labeled "100% silicone rubber". Almost all of it is Acetoxy cure. Almost all of it is produced by the same compounder. It's shipped in 55 gal. drums to a private packager. Customers supply caulking tubes with their names and jargon to the packager. The packager colors the silicone white, black or whatever color is desired. Now the product is shipped to the store for you to purchase. You have several different choices, but they're probably from the same compounder. You only have access to one silicone formula in these stores, Acetoxy. You might find an Alkoxy formula, but it's almost identical to the Acetoxy in properties. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of silicone rubber formulas. Low odor, flowable, 2 part, fast cure and slow cure are just a few of the properties you can incorperate. Each formula is compounded for a specific purpose. These products are not interchangable. Who needs these products? The medical industry, construction industry, movie industry, water industry, electrical industry, aerospace industry, and almost evry other industry you can think of. When you say silicone doesn't work, I have to assume you used the wrong silicone formula.

Over the Lip Tile Install. "Silicone Rubber Grout"

I recently read an article in Aqua magazine about expansion joints in tiled pools. It seems to be a problem. Perhaps they should consider using the product from the Tile Council of North America hand book. “Silicone Rubber Grout”.




This pool will be put on a truck and shipped hundreds of miles to a port. It will be put on a ship and transported to an island. It will then be put on another truck and be delivered to the customer.



This installer has ordered many pools with tile for many years. No tile has ever fallen off and no grout has ever dislodged.



Sorry for the partial photos. The customer will send photos of the pool installed.

3 Methods of drawing a tile line on a fiberglass pool.

In the article "How to water level a fiberglass pool" I explained how to find the starting point for the tile line. The 3 starting points are for:

1) A poured cantilever deck.

2) A brick or stone cantilever deck, where the deck material sits on the lip of the pool.

3) A regular deck where the deck is level with the pool lip.

In this article I will explain the 3 methods of drawing the tile line marks around the pool from the starting point.

If the pool is full of water, pump the water out until it reaches the starting point. Use a simple lead pencil to draw marks about every 12 inches around the entire pool. The tile will be installed on this line.

The pool has some water in it, but the water is below the starting point. Use a ruler or tape measure to measure up from the water to the starting point. Use this measurement to measure from the water up about every 12 inches, and place marks around the entire pool.

There's very little water in the pool and measuring up to the starting is not feasible. This process will require 2 people. You will use an instrument I call a water level. It's a clear plastic tube, about 25 feet long and has a diameter of 1/2 inch. This tubing can be purchased at most hardware stores. Fill the plastic tube with water. Leave about 6 inches on both ends of the tube void of water.Be sure there is no air trapped in the tube. Person A holds the tube against the pool wall at the starting point. Person B holds the other end of the tube against the pool wall about every 12 inches from the starting point. Person A moves the tube up or down until the water in the tube is level with the starting point. He then says "Mark" and person B puts a mark on the pool. Repeat this process around the entire pool.  

Now you know where the tile will go. 

WATER LEVELING TILE ON A FIBERGLASS POOL

Tiling a fiberglass pool on location is far different than tiling in the factory. In a factory an L shaped template is used to draw a line level with the pool lip. The tile is installed on that line. If the pool is out of level an inch, the tile will be out of level an inch. The tile should be installed on location to insure that it's perfectly water leveled. The best tile installation will be achieved if the skimmer is the high point of the pool, and a cantilever deck is installed.

There are three factors to consider when tiling on location.

1) Will the pool receive a regular deck (A deck level with the pool lip.)? You will draw a water level line around the pool to meet the top of the skimmer hole. The top of the tile will be set on this line.

2) Well the pool receive a poured cantilever deck (Cement is poured over the pool lip)? At the highest point of the pool lip you will measure down 7 inches and draw a water level line around the pool. The bottom of the tile will set on this line.

3) Will the pool receive cantilever brick or stone (The brick or stone is placed on the pool lip)? At the highest point of the pool lip you will measure down 6 inches and draw a water level line around the pool. The bottom of the tile will be set on this line.

Item 2 or 3 can result in tile being above the lip of the pool. In this case I create a temporary wall behind the tile to firmly hold it in place until the deck is poured. This is achieved by adhering stacks of one inch tiles to the pool lip directly behind the water line tile to hold it vertically in place until the deck is poured. The stacked tiles are covered and encapsulated when the deck is poured.

RV tiling

Yes, you can tile your RV. These are photos of a tile install I did in a 1996 motorhome. I'm not a great photographer, but you get the idea. The tile is a 2" X 2" unglazed, slip resistant product. The adhesive is R&R silicone rubber. The grout is R&R silicone rubber grout.   Two other companies have attempted to duplicate my silicone rubber products. They don't install tile, so I doubt if their products have evolved. I developed these products for the fiberglass spa and pool industry, but the same technology can be used in RVs, boats, and mobile homes. I've also utilized these products to tile many bathrooms. The silicone rubber grout is flexible, non porous and stain resistance. This makes maintenance on any of these almost nonexistent.

What tile should I use on my fiberglass pool?

Many customers have asked me "What tile should I use on my fiberglass pool?". I think we should start with the definitions of tile. Websters definitions and the tile industry definitions are slightly different. Let's start with these three terms Ceramic, Porcelain and Glass. The tile industry uses these terms to identify the density of the tile. The   "density" refers to the quantity of water the tile will absorb when submerged under water.

1) Ceramic is usually floor tile. It will absorb about 20% of its weight when submerged.

2) Porcelain (Sometimes referred to as Frost Proof) absorbs less than .05% of its weight when submerged.

3) Glass is usually 100% dense. It absorbs no water when submerged.

Water is about the only substance know that expands when frozen. This expansion of water can crush the hull of a ship. It has no problem shattering a tile. When your pool is closed for winter, the water must be below the tile line. A non frost proof tile can crack with the movement of fiberglass. This will produce a razor sharp edge where the crack occurs. Therefor, only porcelain or glass tile can be used on a fiberglass pool.

Now we know that we need glass or porcelain. Lets address the shape or size of the tile.

One of the most appealing features of a fiberglass pool is the wide variety of shapes available. Almost all of these shapes contain curves and contours that flow in and out. You want the tile to hug these contours. The pattern pieces in your tile should not exceed 2 inches in width. FSP Inc. offers the largest selection of tiles that fit on a fiberglass pool. Our 18 styles with numerous colors will give you more than 70 choices, They can be viewed here:    http://www.fiberglassswimmingpooltiling.com/choices.html

We look forward to serving you.

Bob Ault   

Should I tile my fiberglass pool?

Are you interested in having tile on your fiberglass pool? You might hear this statement "You don't need tile". I agree with that statement. I also agree with this statement "You don't need a fiberglass pool." It's all a matter of choice for you to make.

If you have decided to purchase a fiberglass pool and you are debating the question of tile, here are some things to consider.

1) Tile is more than an aesthetic addition. Body oils, dirt and mineral deposits will accumulate at the water line on your pool. The surface of your pool can be damaged by constant scrubbing or exposure to caustic substances. Hard bisque tile and silicone rubber grout can withstand this treatment.

2) Tile should not be installed at the factory where your pool is manufactured. Factory tile will be level with the lip of the pool. No installer can guarantee that your pool will be 100% level. The best installer in the country will be at least 1/2 in. out of level. Your tile should be installed after the pool is in the ground and at least 3/4 full of water.

3) You are probably dealing with an ethical contractor if he or she tries to talk you out of tile. They don't want to sell a job function they don't feel compfortable with. It would be financially beneficial to take your money and do a less than desirable job. Do your research if your contractor tells you they can tile your pool. More than half of the fiberglass pool installers that say they can tile, do not know how to tile a fiberglass pool properly.

Never pick a contractor because they say they can install tile on your pool. Choose the contractor that you have researched and feel comfortable with. You have other options when it comes to tiling the pool.

Tile choice is your next decision. The color and the pattern are not the most important factors. The configuration of the tile will determine the final appearance. Will it fit properly on your pool? One of the beautiful features of a fiberglass pool is the variety of shapes available. We have 154 different pool models listed in our files. This is a general statement that will apply to most of these models. No pattern piece should excede 2 inches in width. Some of the models can accept 3 inches in width and a very small number can accept 6 inches in width. I recommend that you stay with the 2 inch rule to be safe.

You've decided that you want tile, but the price is too high or the contractor doesn't want to do it. You can do it yourself. Some of the best installations I've ever seen were done by homeowners. The right materials and the proper instructions can make this task easy. I con tile the most difficult pool in 4 hours or less, because I have personally tiled more than 5000 fiberglass pools. It will take you 2 days.

Here is an address to a page that will show you how to tile

http://www.fiberglassswimmingpooltiling.com/howtotile.html