Pool liner buying considerations

There are a number of important considerations that need to be given to the purchase of swimming pool liners and accessories and they are performance, comfort and cosmetic based.

The build format and style of the pool will automatically pre-determine some selections, but in other areas decisions will be based upon personal choice and preference. Below are some guides and tips intended to assist in these decisions. If you want to know the advanatges and disadvantages of a vinyl liner versus a tiled lining, see this page - Vinyl versus tiles and grout.

Pool type and liner type

In-ground swimming pools

In-ground pools have plinths, hard landscaping, or copings surrounding them and are therefore only suitable for a beaded liner, i.e. one that fits into a track that runs around the pool.

If you have or are considering buying and in-ground pool, then it will require a beaded pool liner

Above-ground swimming pools

Above-ground and semi-above ground swimming pools can accommodate either a beaded liner or an overlap liner. In both cases the definition defines the way in which the liner is attached and terminated at the top of the pool. The flexibility of this style of pool is a result of the top lip that the free-standing pool body has. This lip allows either, a track to run just below the top of the inside of the pool, or an overlap to occur over the top of the pool.

If a new swimming pool liner is intended as a replacement for an existing liner, then it is usual to use the same fixing mechanism (i.e. beaded or overlap) for the replacement liner.

In general terms, the cost of fitting a beaded liner will be slightly higher than an overlap liner, but a beaded liner is usually considered to offer a smarter and more professional finish. Beaded liners are also available in a greater range of colours and patterns offering greater choice and giving them a more “up-market” appearance.

Pool liner material and thickness

Currently the best material from which to have a swimming pool liner made is vinyl.

Vinyl liners come in a range of thicknesses (defined by gauge) with the thinnest vinyl starting at just below 20 gauge and the thickest vinyl being around 30 gauge.

As a general guide, the higher the gauge, the more durable and resilient will be the liner. It should however be noted that many companies only offer a choice of vinyl gauge on the walls of the liner and not on the liner base.

Avoid cheap liners. Liners that are sold at reduced prices normally have a problem that may be damage, an issue with the vinyl or some other imperfection. The saving made by buying a second quality or imperfect liner will quickly disappear as corrective treatment or replacement are required. Always buy liners made with the thickest and best quality vinyl.

Other components

A number of companies now offer additional components aimed at making swimming pool liners work more efficiently and extending their life. These components can be suitable for in-ground, above-ground and semi-above-ground swimming pools. The extent to which they will benefit a pool and liner is a matter of opinion.

Pool Coving

Pool coving is used at the junction of the pool's walls and the pool's base and protects and softens the pool at this juncture.

Traditionally this treatment was achieved with sand, but there are various quick-fit sticky foams that perform this function in the same way. These foams have the advantage of not washing away or altering in shape like sand and they are quick and easy to fit. They can be used with a sand base.

Wall foam (wall pads)

Wall foam acts as a barrier between the pool and the liner. It is sandwiched between the swimming pool and the swimming pool liner and is not visible. Wall foam offers a slight cushioning to the feel of a pool and protects the liner from any potentially damaging flaws in the pool walls. It is also clamed to help prevent the puncture and degradation of liners caused by the corrosion of metal pools.

Pool bottom pads

These pool base protectors can be made of foam or a geotextile. They offer a layer of padding and cushioning that makes the swimming pool base more tactile and helps prevent puncturing from below.

When using any kind of tile or strip padding it is necessary to use a seaming tape to ensure that the panels butt one another perfectly and do not move after the liner has been fitted.

More specialised additions

In addition to the more common pool liner accessories described above, there are a number of other additions that may have benefits or desirable features in certain conditions. They include.

An overlap to beading converter

As the title suggests, this fitting (sometimes called a bead receiver) allows an above-ground pool with an overlapping liner to be converted into a beaded liner. The bead receiver clips over the top of the pool with a suspended profile that receives a beaded liner.

Coping strips

Coping strips are very simple, they clip over the top of the pool and an overlapping liner to hold the liner securely in place. A top rail then completes the appearance of the pool's top edge.