Are Waterline Tiles Necessary?

Benefits of Waterline Tiles

Waterline tiles on your swimming pool are essential for both the maintenance and aesthetics of your swimming pool. These tiles are mounted at the top of your swimming pool, just below the protective cap.

These tiles are ideally installed as a six-inch band on the waterline of your pool. This will help you prevent sunscreen, pollen, body oils, and all other substances that enter the pool from creating a scummy, yellow line on the pool’s waterline.

These tiles will also take care of the minerals and calcium deposits that build up around the perimeter of your swimming pool due to hard water.

It would be much easier for swimming pool owners to clean this “bathtub ring” from the waterline tiles than if you had to clear it off from bare plaster.

Waterline tiles on a swimming pool also serve significantly as a design element. You can choose from a wide variety of tiling options, from blue mosaic tiles to subway tiles, to help you set your swimming pool apart from the rest.

Even the surface of your waterline tiles will affect the visual impact of your pool. If you wish to have a different luminous and shiny swimming pool when the sunlight reflects off the surface, then going for a glass mosaic tile is a much better alternative than porcelain tiles.

Glass tiles versus porcelain

Besides reflective properties, you need to consider numerous other significant factors when deciding on the most common waterline tile choices.

 

Porcelain tiles

Porcelain tiles are the number one choice for swimming pool owners. It is a durable and dense swimming pool tile that is easy to install and maintain.

Porcelain swimming pool tiles are soft to touch and come in a wide variety of colors and styles, making it easy for you to select the perfect tile that matches the rest of your swimming pool features and coloring.

Another beneficial quality of porcelain pool tiles is that they offer you intricate sketch patterns such as blueberry mosaic.

 

Glass swimming pool tiles

Glass pool tiles are the latest and most fashionable swimming pool tile trend. Many pool owners believe that it is a more visually appealing, luxurious swimming pool tile that will help them increase the overall value of their property during resale.

Be it for your waterline or the entire surface; glass mosaic tiles are surging in popularity thanks to their beautiful transparent looks and a wide variety of colors that perfectly reflect the sunlight and mirror water movement.

The drawback for these tiles, however, is their price. They are generally more expensive, even without including the additional cost to get them installed. This is the only reason why most swimming pool buyers have second thoughts about getting them installed.

Nevertheless, the price for swimming pool tiles has seen a fall in the past years to the extent that now you can find many beautiful glass pool tiles that cost under $10 per square foot.

 

Sizing them up

Ideally sold in 12-inch square sheets, most waterline tiles come in a variety of chip sizes, including:

• 1 x 1
• 1 x 2
• 2 x 2
• 3 x 3
• And standard 6 x 6

A trendy choice amongst pool owners is using brick-shaped large subway tiles or mixing different modular designs.

The tile size you choose is nothing but a matter of personal taste. Nevertheless, it would help if you kept in mind that smaller waterline tiles are often preferred in swimming pools with irregular shapes since they are much easier to fit around the corners.

Some high-end swimming pool designers also believe that using smaller chip-sized tiles will give your swimming pool an opulent look and feel.

 

The role of color

Ideally, waterline tiles are supposed to be submerged half underwater, allowing the remaining 3 inches to be visible from the above. This 3-inch top can have a powerful impact on the overall design of your swimming pool.

Most swimming pool owners love to take advantage of this waterline tile color to compliment other aspects of the area, such as deck surface, coping, or even the trim color of their home.

Other swimming pool owners love to make this waterline the focal point of their swimming pool. This is the type of situation where glass tiles can be a great choice, thanks to their eye-popping allure.

You can also consider using an iridescent glass mosaic tile that changes its tone depending on the angle of sunlight. This ever-changing appearance will add more beauty and interest to your home’s swimming pool and the entire landscape.

You should also know that the color of your waterline swimming pool tile will also impact the visual perception of your swimming pool water. Luxury spas and hotels tend to use white mosaic pool tiles since the color white denotes relaxation and purity while making the swimming pool water appear sky blue.

Nevertheless, the most commonly preferred swimming pool tile amongst homeowners is blue mosaic tile since it makes the water look blue. If you plan to use your waterline as the main focus point, you can make the water look like a rich ocean blue color by using darker blue mosaic tile on the waterline.

 

Get in touch with Fujiwa Tiles

Do you need help figuring out what waterline tile you should use for your Dallas, Texas, home swimming pool? Or maybe you have a few questions? Our professionals from Fujiwa Tiles are always here to help you!

Give Fujiwa Tiles a call and our experts will make sure to answer all your queries. We are the number one swimming pool tile provider in Dallas, TX.