The coping around your pool is kind of like the frame around a fine painting. Makes a big difference to the look and feel of the painting, in this case, a Plunge Pool. And, think of pool coping as the finishing touch that gives you something to grab onto when you’re ready to get in or out of the pool, it also helps protects your pool from water damage. Understanding how it works and your available options will help you make a selection for your pool’s border or frame.
Coping plays a few important roles too, it helps maintains the pool’s structural integrity, boosts swimmer safety and comfort, and enhances a pool’s visual appeal.
The coping is the material used to cap the pool edge or shell wall and options include poured-in-place concrete, pre-cast pavers, tile, or natural stone – travertine or flagstone for example. This important element of your plunge pool keeps any water and debris from going in behind pool wall, helping safeguarding it from damage or cracking. It also provides an opportunity for a decorative accent, which can greatly enhance the appearance of the plunge pool. In addition to serving as the decorative edge that conceals the pools concrete edge, coping provides a non-skid surface. And typically, pool coping is installed in a 12-inch pieces around the pool perimeter.
Pool Coping Materials
Companies that make coping products also have different types of pool edging materials and copings, like bullnose or straight edge to achieve a seamless look between the pool and plunge pool deck. The various materials in order of popularity are:
- Pavers: Concrete Pavers such as those from TechoBloc, a popular brand that comes in many different colors, textures, and finishes and has become a popular choice for coping. A good advantage of pavers is if one cracks, it can be taken out and replaced, unlike concrete. And they last forever.
- Travertine: As most of you know, travertine comes in a wide variety of colors, is slip-resistant, and stays cool to the touch, making it a great option to use for plunge pool coping, especially in warmer climates. It’s also affordable for such a great look.
- Concrete: Concrete easy to work with, and typically the affordable than other materials. Doesn’t typically give you the best polished look though. But a good budget option.
- Sandstone: This type of coping material is unusual in its colorings, grains, and texture. Striking and durable, sandstone does need to have a sealant put on as it is a porous material. It is not as popular of a choice to use as other materials. As part of the natural stone family, sandstone retains heat.
- Bluestone: You might think these beautiful stones come in just blue, but you’ll find they are available in tan, grey and various brown shades too. Bluestone coping and similar natural stones, do absorb and hold heat though…but not enough to really be concerned with. Beautiful choice.
Coping can make a small contribution to pool maintenance too. By slightly overhanging the inside edges of the pool, coping prevents runoff water from hosing down your pool from pouring down the tile and pool’s frame. On some plunge pools, the coping is configured with a slight outward angle.
Carolina Plunge Pools or your Hardscape Contractor can help recommend styles and colors that best fit your plunge pool, the pools interior color and the rest of your deck and outdoor living space.