What Is Pool Coping? Getting to Know The most important part of your Poolscape!
Installing a swimming pool may seem exciting, but without sufficient knowledge on the nitty-gritty of pool construction and design, it can get quite challenging too. It isn’t simply about concretizing a huge hole in the ground and filling it up with water. There are several factors to decide upon in the process, and at some point, you’re going to see the importance of pool coping.
What is Pool coping?
Coping is the material used to cap the edge of an inground swimming pool made of concrete. It can also be placed around a swimming pool shell wall. Besides magnifying a pool’s visual appeal, it also holds a lot of basic functions.
What is the importance of coping, practically and aesthetically?
The practical use of coping in a swimming pool is to preserve the pool’s structure by keeping the pool shell and the surrounding surface area separated from each other. Apart from that, swimming pool coping prevents water from flowing beyond the pool shell.
Adding coping to your pool is also a safety measure as it allows anyone swimming to grab on to the edge without slipping.
In terms of aesthetics, coping also adds an ornamental accent to highlight the edges of a swimming pool and conceal the concrete beneath.
Where can coping be used?
Coping is placed over the pool’s bond beam, which is the horizontal structure installed to give added durability to the pool wall. The coping conceals not only the pool’s concrete edges but the steel protruding from the pool walls as well.
Besides capping the edge of a swimming pool, coping can also serve as the capping or covering of a house wall, considering that the top horizontal surface of a wall can be a vulnerable area for water to seep in.
What are some options for material styles?
If you ever decide to install coping on your swimming pool, there are numerous materials to choose from. Natural stone pool coping, tile coping, and precast concrete remain the most popular options.
There is also a variety of coping material to use for vinyl-lined pools or DIY inground pools. Top-mount coping is made of heavy aluminum with an all-weather finish where the pool deck can be poured onto. Cantilever-edge coping involves foam forms that are mounted on top of the pool wall and can be embellished through stamping or staining.
Pool coping also comes in different finishes. The three general styles are the square edge, the rebated square edge, and the single bullnose.
Size, density, and slip-resistance should also be given careful thought. Before making any choices on each parameter, it’s worth noting that a pool’s coping should be able to endure constantly alternating wet and dry conditions.
There are so many elements to consider in installing coping on your swimming pool. It’s important to consult a pool design expert to find out which products suit your pool best.
Pool coping options
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