Over the course of your pool’s life it’s natural for the tiles to begin to show signs of aging. Typically you’ll see fading and water stains. Some might even begin to crack and fall off. This is often due to water finding it’s way into the bed (the wall behind the tile) through small cracks. Whatever the case may be, it’s important to know your options to revive the image of your pool tile before you think to retile your pool.
While some people want to immediately jump to an all-out tile makeover, a costly and arduous endeavor, you can take a few easy steps to extend the life of your current tiles. In most cases, well-kept pool tiles can last around 20 years before a full re-tiling is necessary.
Here are a few good places to start before you commit to the investment of a total pool tile replacement.
Tile Repair
If some of your tiles have reached the point where they are cracking and falling off, it’s not that difficult to repair those individual tiles that need the extra care. It’s really just a matter of:
- Releasing the damaged tile with a flathead.
- Removing grout from the fallen tile (or replacing if broken).
- Prepare the tile bed.
- Apply fresh mortar to tile wall, let dry for 24 hrs, and
- Grout the tile.
Repairing a fallen pool tile isn’t rocket science and can be done by just about anyone. We’ve found a handy step-by-step guide that will help walk you through the process if you get stuck. Here it is!
Deep Clean Your Tile
Other than having an algae green swimming pool, one of the biggest eyesores is having faded and stained pool tile. Let’s face it, with the beating your tile takes from the sun and the harsh chemicals, your pool tiles are bound to get worn down. Fortunately, a good scrubbing and removing calcium deposits will have your tiles looking brand new.
General Tile Care
Build up of lime, scale deposits of calcium (as mentioned above), oils, and other minerals can all impact and accelerate the aging process of your tile. With the right tile maintenance year round, you can prevent most of this from getting too bad. Here’s a pretty good guide on SFGate that outlines some great year-round steps for maintaining your pool tiles.
If All Else Fails…
If you’ve tried everything outlined above and your tiles are still looking grimey, then it may be time to call a professional and have your tiles completely replaced. Then again, if you’re a brave enough soul, you can make the attempt to re-tile your pool yourself! Here’s a guide to walk you step-by-step through that process. Now, if you do go down that road and things start going South, don’t hesitate to give us a call. We are more than happy to take care of it for you!