You’re planning your pool deck renovation and installation. You’ve already selected the hardscape material and you think you’re done. But then your contractor asks what you want to use for coping. Here are some ideas and suggestions to help you find the best pool coping for your project.
3 Reasons Why Pool Coping is Critical
- Cleanliness. Pool coping helps keep loose landscaping material away from the water like rocks or mulch ensuring your pool water stays cleaner.
- Safety. Having a slip resistant barrier is an added safety precaution around most pools.
- Design/Accent. Coping acts as defining line to accent the pool perimeter whether contrasting in color or size. This defining band around the pool usually ranges between 12-16 inches in depth with an overhang of 1-2 inches.
5 Ideas for Pool Coping:
- Concrete (Precast): Companies like Stepstone offer coping edge pieces made of precast concrete. Because of its durability, concrete has long been a favorite for pool contractors. Cost per square foot is usually in the moderate range and you don’t have the acid sensitivity that some natural stones do.
Natural Stone: For an elegant and refined look, you may consider dimensional (squares & rectangles) pieces of natural stones such as travertine, bluestone, or limestone.
- Travertine has been an old favorite for pool coping because of its pocked and porous surface that allows water to absorb better than harder stones. Its earthy tones also lend itself nicely to an outdoor environment.
- Limestone is soft on the feet and will not heat up in summer. Available in various textures such as bush hammered for extra slip resistance—another good choice for coping.
- Bluestone is a bit tougher than the two previous stones and may require less maintenance over the years. Check with your pool contractor to see which of these stones may need to be sealed depending on the type of pool water you have.
- Porcelain: This material is a great option for people who don’t want to fuss too much about maintenance. Stain, fade and mildew resistant. But most porcelain does not come thick enough to drill into—something you need to consider if installing an automatic pool cover.
Styles Of Coping:
Bullnose coping offers that smooth curved edge in the shape of a C. This is considered a more traditional look and often goes well with a classic stone like travertine.
Contemporary pool coping often comes with an eased edge which means they start with a sharp ninety-degree lip and grind it down to soften the edge you would sit on.
If you’re going with a more relaxed or organic look, then you can use flagstone as your coping. This would give you a broken, mosaic appearance running along the edge of your pool.
Looking for more pool coping ideas? Follow this blog or speak to someone with experience in the field. Peninsula Building Materials supplies custom pool coping for radius shapes and varying edge profiles. While the best source for information on pool coping is your pool contractor, the second best might just be the team here at Peninsula Building Materials. Come on down so we can browse some options together.
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