Swimming Pool Waterproofing: Tile Surfacing or Coating?

As temperatures rise, water parks and home swimming pools are becoming increasingly popular. When constructing or repairing pools, choosing the right pool coating presents a significant challenge. Pools, being long-term water storage structures, are subjected to stress deformation during water storage and replacement, and are affected by temperature fluctuations, hence demanding high-quality waterproof materials. Pool coatings must possess excellent water resistance, aging resistance, and corrosion resistance, and should be both rigid and flexible to withstand hydraulic pressure and substrate deformation.

Currently, there are two primary methods for swimming pool waterproofing: tile surfacing and waterproof coating application, each with its advantages and disadvantages:

1. Tile Surfacing:
   • Pros: Decorative, chemically stable, easy to clean.
   • Cons: Lengthy construction period; grouted joints can be uncomfortable to walk on and slippery, posing a risk of injury; tiles lack elasticity and can expand or contract with pool temperature variations, leading to detachment or cracking, creating safety hazards and potential leaks.
2. Waterproof Coating:
   • Pros: Better overall waterproofing, convenient construction.
   • Cons: Ordinary waterproof coatings have poor weather resistance and can discolor over time, especially in continuously submerged areas. They are susceptible to chemical erosion, leading to fading, cracking, or detachment. Moist areas can be slippery, although quartz sand can be added to improve surface roughness for slip resistance, this is not ideal as it can be abrasive and increase injury risk in case of falls.

So, how do we choose the right materials to address these issues?

For tile-surfaced pools, an elastic, high-performance transparent waterproof coating, Polyaspartic Polyurea, can be added. This transparent waterproof paint is specifically designed for tile-based pools. It's easy to apply directly on tile surfaces without altering their natural color, enhancing waterproofing and walking comfort. It can also be used for repairing damaged or leaking pools. This material possesses excellent anti-slip, wear resistance, and environmental friendliness, ensuring high safety standards.

For pools with waterproof coatings, it’s crucial to consider the performance of the materials used. Polyaspartic Polyurea coatings integrate waterproofing, decoration, and corrosion protection. This high-strength elastic waterproof material offers efficient waterproofing and comfortable walking experience. Its outstanding weather resistance, UV and temperature fluctuation resilience make it ideal for long-term outdoor use without discoloration, powdering, or cracking. Its exceptional elasticity effectively prevents cracking due to concrete substrates and thermal cycling, demonstrating strong environmental adaptability. With excellent adhesion, it remains bubble-free, non-peeling, and non-hollow over time, providing slip resistance and wear resistance, making it an ideal choice for swimming pool waterproofing.

Feiyang has been specializing in the production of raw materials for polyaspartic coatings for 30 years and can provide polyaspartic resins, hardeners and coating formulations. Some of our polyaspartic coating formulations: Polyaspartic Coating

Feel free to contact us: marketing@feiyang.com.cn

Our products list:

• Polyaspartic Resin
• Isocyanate Hardener
• Special Chemical

Learn more polyaspartic knowledge: Polyaspartic FAQ

Shenzhen Feiyang Protech Corp., Ltd. specializes in researching and producing polyaspartic polyurea resin and other new chemical products. We are recognized as a "National Special New Key Little Giant" and a "State-level High-tech Enterprise", with more than 50 polyaspartic polyurea invention patents. We also participated in the preparation of 13 industry standards for polyaspartic polyurea materials as a leading company in this field, ranking No.1 in the Chinese market.

In the coating industry, polyaspartic polyurea is used in construction machinery, automobile, containers, fan blades, marine heavy corrosion protection, and high-end industrial and commercial floor coatings. In the adhesive field, it is mainly used in sealants, stone adhesives, electronic adhesives, film circuit packaging adhesives, and other high-end applications. In the waterproofing materials sector, it is primarily used in hydroelectric dams, water parks, building waterproofing repair materials, and other areas. In the structural materials field, it is applied to curling tracks, artificial ice skating rinks, and other structural materials.

Polyaspartic polyurea is considered a high-end new material in the strategy of manufacturing power. We have broken the foreign technology monopoly and filled the domestic market gap. Due to its comprehensive characteristics of "Environmental protection, Energy saving, and Long durability", polyaspartic polyurea can contribute to the realization of genuine carbon neutrality in the coatings, adhesives, and materials industries.

Since 2012, Feiyang polyaspartic ester resin has been supplied overseas. It has been widely used to replace Bayer's current polyaspartic system in many coating companies and has been applied in anti-corrosion and waterproofing by international coating companies.