Choosing Your Tiles

Today we’re going to talk about one of my favorite aspects of all our Gunite pools and spas—tiles!

In our last blog we discussed how tiles get replaced. Today we’re going to look at different types of tiles.

Did you know porcelain and glass tiles come in endless sizes, colors, textures, and in some cases, shapes? Hold onto your bathing suite, because we are diving deep!

Matching or coordinating your tile line and other accent tiles to your Gunite finish can be one of the most fun aspects of planning your pool-as long as you don’t get bogged down in all the options! There is not right or wrong color, size, or texture to use as long as you’re tiles are pool grade porcelain or glass, and installed by a licensed pool contractor.

The typical waterline tile is 6” x 6” square, and laid close together to limit both the need of a grout filler and the change of water seeping in behind the tiles down the road and loosening the mortar. Larger tiles, such as 6” x 12”, or 12” x 24” are generally only used on accent walls, such as the pool cover box or a spillover edge. We’ve also see completely different colored tiles used for spas and accents.

(On this open build, the homeowner opted for a custom cut waterline tile of Elements Zinc 6" x 24", which gives a very fluid look to the perimeter of the pool.) 

(This Gunite Pool Spa Combo utilizes a Quartzite Sand 6" x 6" tile around the perimeter of the pool, and a darker tile around the spa. Our team used Elements Bronze tiles in two sizes: 12" x 24" around the top of the spa wall, and a custom cut tile around the perimeter of the spa. This is a great use of different sized tiles to give a sleek finish, avoiding a visually clunky appearance. I also personally love the tiles on the corner of the spa, you can see they have been cut to provide a gentler corner, safer for bathers and visually really lovely.)

Some people will put 1” x 1” or 1” x 2” glass tiles on their steps and other key features for some added visual “oomph.”

(See how the tiles on this pool's stairs really pop, even in the photo of the same pool below. Tile work like this can be both a visual experience and a safety feature.)

Art through mosaics has long been a human tradition (just check out ancient Rome and Greece!) and has influenced a lot of modern life. The pool industry is no exception. From tile line mosaics at the top of a pool to mosaic designs and accents in the pool itself, there are countless ways to express yourself through your pool.

(This Gunite Pool Spa Combo was a great project because it features Aqua Beryl 1" x 1" glass tiles on the spa wall, spa and pool steps and benches. Additionally, along the length of the pool floor we placed custom sea-star and fish shaped mosaic tiles as a fun feature. As you can see, even from a distant, these accent tiles are quite eye catching!)

And for those who delight in swim as a form of exercise, a tile lane marker on the floor of the pool such as featured here, or even a visual marker on the wall, like this 3 by 3 target made up of Elements Zinc 6" x 6" set in the Gunite finish can be unique ways to celebrate wellness and your own creativity. I also want to point out how this pool on the right utilizes Elements Zinc tiles which are the same color as those we looked at in the first image (6" x 24" waterline) and yet they look totally different depending on the color finish they are matched with! Color theory is wild. 

The final mix and match I wanted to share with you is from a 2020 build, and features Black Glossy 6" x 6" tiles on the spillover edge, and a gray Rodio 6" x 6" tile around the perimeter of the pool, and down the walls of the catch basin. In this photo of the empty pool still under construction you can easily see the unfinished contrast, and in the finished photo below the bold statement of the black spillover edge stands out in comparison to how to Rodio tile blends into the coping and patio pavers. It is an interesting and compelling design. 

These are just a few examples of the nearly endless creative tiles and conformations of tile accents one can utilize in their pool. As limitless as the types of tiles out there, and as limitless as the uniqueness of all our clients, so too are the combinations and accents of the tiles we install on the pools we design and build. What would your pool say about you?