Installing pool coping - porcelain pavers

[denmanbw]

My wife and I had a fiberglass pool installed late last summer and are looking to finish the job by installing coping. We will be using 2 cm thick exterior grade porcelain pavers (20" x 40"). We purchased the materials late last fall with most of the fabrication performed before delivery (custom cuts for the spa and bullnose profile) but did not initiate the job due to weather.

The tiles will cover the fiberglass lip and concrete bond beam but not extend out any further (grass will serve as the deck around the pool with the option of expanding the pavers over time should we desire -- please see attached image).

I spoke with a few masons with varied approaches/concerns regarding best installation method and none of them in agreement.

These can be installed in a variety of ways including sand base over gravel, thin set mortar, directly on grass, etc. Rather than mortar the paver to the bond beam I would consider attaching them to the 3 inch fiberglass lip using a constructive adhesive with sand used under the paver to allow for leveling and appropriate slope.

Curious to know your thoughts. Thanks!

 

[ajw22]

I would not structurally connect the pavers on grass to the pool. They need to be different structures. They will expand and contract and move at different rates. Whatever you attach to the bond beam needs to float above the ground and not be connected.

Pool Expansion Joint

• ajw22
• Jan 25, 2019

 

[jimmythegreek]

if they are in fact 2cm thick you are talking tile thickness. theres no other way than to use exterior grade thinset and set them onto the concrete bond beam. anything else and they will crack and move, especially when the winter comes and they frost heave, i see you are in CT

 

[denmanbw]

Thank you both for your replies!

Allen - the pavers will only be fixed to the bond beam not the grass but we expand the deck later with a space between the coping and deck

Jimmythegreek - Yes, 2 cm thick. Mason wanted to use Schluter-DITRA as an uncoupling membrane between bond beam and the tile but seems unnecessary. Yes CT so freeze/thaw is a concern. May be Mapai latex modified is the way to go . . .

Last Fall I applied GE ext vault to a sample tile and stuck it on the spa and it survived all winter with out any problems. Pool contractor recommends PL adhesive to glue pieces to the spa.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[denmanbw]

Thank you both for your replies!

Allen - the pavers will only be fixed to the bond beam not the grass but we expand the deck later with a space between the coping and deck

Jimmythegreek - Yes, 2 cm thick. Mason wanted to use Schluter-DITRA as an uncoupling membrane between bond beam and the tile but seems unnecessary. Yes CT so freeze/thaw is a concern. May be Mapai latex modified is the way to go . . .

Last Fall I applied GE ext vault to a sample tile and stuck it on the spa and it survived all winter with out any problems. Pool contractor recommends PL adhesive to glue pieces to the spa.

Thanks for the feedback!

GE exterior caulk not vault

 

[jimmythegreek]

so they are actually tiles, you are kinda throwing people off by calling them pavers you must be very careful every fall/winter of any cracks or even hairlines in the grout joints. any water getting in there will pop one loose. you had good results because it was just one tile, it could breath. when the water cant get out because of surrounding tile/grout it goes under and pops them off. no thinset/mortar is waterproof 100% it all holds moisture some worst than others. I would scuff the fiberglass surface and thinset right to it. its locked into the bond beam for it to move means a crack in the bond beam, at that point you need major repair

 

[jimbowrench]

This! Sticks to fiberglass or concrete.
Pool coping glued to fiberglass and concrete bond beam.
.

Spa coping glued to fiberglass and concrete landscape block.
.

Two Colorado winter's with no issues!

 

[denmanbw]

Thanks for the information. Is there any grout between the pavers? When you applied the adhesive did you do it in a fashion that allows for drainage?

 

[jimbowrench]

Thanks for the information. Is there any grout between the pavers? When you applied the adhesive did you do it in a fashion that allows for drainage?

No grout between the pavers. I was going to mortar between the pavers, but when I started cutting, I liked the way it looked butted together. Plus I have an auto cover on the pool, and felt it would slide over the coping easier without the mortar joints. Coping slopes away from pool and spa at about 1%.

 

[denmanbw]

This may be a ridiculous question but I do not understand why they would need to be mortared to the concrete bond beam at all.

Unlike large format tiles one might install indoors, these are capable of withstanding pedestrian traffic even when pedestal mounted. Technically see no need to achieve greater than 95% mortar contact with tile and substrate as industry standards would dictate.

Sorry for any confusion referring to these as "pavers" but that seems to be the industry terminology unlike indoor large format tiles.

Thanks again

 

[jimmythegreek]

they arent heavy, whats gonna keep them in place? its an easy simply job to DIY, totally up to you how you wanna approach it. I always do things just once, and done properly. I am a belt AND suspenders guy on any of my customers jobs, and I get crazy OCD with my own

jimbowrench do your glued down copings see any moisture during the winter? your cover completely covers everything?

 

[jimbowrench]

they arent heavy, whats gonna keep them in place? its an easy simply job to DIY, totally up to you how you wanna approach it. I always do things just once, and done properly. I am a belt AND suspenders guy on any of my customers jobs, and I get crazy OCD with my own

jimbowrench do your glued down copings see any moisture during the winter? your cover completely covers everything?

Mesh safety cover in the winter, so moisture yes.

 

[denmanbw]

Thank you Jimmythegreek. I appreciate your feedback. These forums are great but it is often difficult to explain by text.

When I said not mortar them I was considering the use of a landscape adhesive to fix them to the fiberglass lip as well as portions of the bond beam (not 100% coverage).

Believe me I am quite OCD as well or I would not be researching this so thoroughly. Assume I use a medium bed mortar do you recommend or feel I would need to use a slurry bond coat first to help the mortar stick to the bond beam?

Brent

 

[jimbowrench]

From the picture, it looks like an ideal situation for adhesive. If leveling the coping is necessary, I would use flat washers in each corner of the piece of coping. Stacking them if needed. Then I would glue the coping to both the bond beam and the pool shell.

 

[jimmythegreek]

you could prob get away with glue if the whole bond beam is flat. theres a thickness that once you surpass you lose some strength with glue, so dont overhang too far if you do. it would be just as easy to lay a bead of SRW adhesive on the fiberglass and notch trowel some mud to the back and stick them, having mud under the tile lets you pitch it properly and has more support. if you want it nice you look down the coping and its all level and straight, that is VERY hard to do with adhesive, it skins over fast. with a mud job, you can do one whole side and go back and adjust if needed.