Building foundation to add pool ladder/steps inside Intex Pool Floor? Carpet?

[h0va4life]

I have an intex 12x24 that will be installed soon. I plan to add a ladder/steps as I've read that the ladder provided is not comfortable for most. What are your recommendations for the pools foundation besides concrete? I want to avoid leaving imprints on the floor and stretching/potentially damaging the liner.

Any thoughts on carpet topped off with the tarp included with the intex?

I have really aggressive bermuda grass as well, unsure about rodents - i dont recall seeing any holes in yard besides from ants.

 

[Newdude]

I plan to add a ladder/steps as I've read that the ladder provided is not comfortable for most.

That's one way to put it. What they mean is that it's so flimsy that most adults don't feel safe using it.

Are you handy ? I would build a small platform with stairs outside and then use wedding cake steps inside. There are also ladders designed to be bolted to a deck/platform, keeping the bulk or all of the weight off the liner.

I would do either of those for my own sturdiness and not at all for the liner. The liner can handle any entry system. If people frequently ripped their liners, nobody would use ladders. Are there a few reports online? Sure. But the 1.1 million without a problem didn't leave a review on Amazon because their ladder didn't rip the liner. The 3 who had a problem sure did tho.

The house we moved to came with an above ground and they skipped the platform and bolted the half ladder right to the stairs. It worked very well. The ladder was conifer brand.

 

[h0va4life]

That's one way to put it. What they mean is that it's so flimsy that most adults don't feel safe using it.

Are you handy ? I would build a small platform with stairs outside and then use wedding cake steps inside. There are also ladders designed to be bolted to a deck/platform, keeping the bulk or all of the weight off the liner.

I would do either of those for my own sturdiness and not at all for the liner. The liner can handle any entry system. If people frequently ripped their liners, nobody would use ladders. Are there a few reports online? Sure. But the 1.1 million without a problem didn't leave a review on Amazon because their ladder didn't rip the liner. The 3 who had a problem sure did tho.

The house we moved to came with an above ground and they skipped the platform and bolted the half ladder right to the stairs. It worked very well. The ladder was conifer brand.

View attachment 477664

yeah I meant overall comfort including the sturdiness and overall space/height - as you get older some people don't like bending over to get a handle on the bars when turning around to enter/exit the pool.

Thanks for the recommendation regarding the platform - i might have to consider especially since i have an intex pool and not one of the pools like your own - the frame is made of aluminum tubes, so its hard to drill in and I rather pass on that anyway.

 

[kimkats]

You can put house foam under the pool bottom. That is so comfy on the feet and really keeps most anything from growing up through the bottom. The worry I have about the carpet is it becoming water logged and getting nasty with mold and such.

 

[h0va4life]

You can put house foam under the pool bottom. That is so comfy on the feet and really keeps most anything from growing up through the bottom. The worry I have about the carpet is it becoming water logged and getting nasty with mold and such.

Thank you - I've read about the foam and found some vendors on facebook selling it for cheap. How will it hold up if I put a ladder or other objects inside the pool - I know I will do my best to make sure there arent any sharp edges, but curious if indenting is an issue. Whats the minimum recommended thickness? 2"?

 

[kimkats]

I don't really know what thickness is used the most. I would think any would work depending on your wallet. The "good" steps should really not leave much of any dent in it. If nothing else it will help hold them in place even better!

 

[VinnyinNJ]

My dealer included a 36 inch square plastic ladder pool base, it's maybe 4 inches deep and has kind of a honeycomb design facing the ground to give it rigidity. I bought a pool ladder system for my AG pool and the base seems wide enough with a little room to spare. I haven't used it yet, will be putting it down in a couple of weeks. I would imagine something like this under the liner would give you a solid foundation. If you are using a sand base just make sure you have the sand packed around it.

For inside the pool we had used a bath mat for a bathtub; the dealer included a pool mat which is huge for this purpose as well. This protects the liner from the ladder.

Just a couple of thoughts.