Pool Paver Ideas: Copings, Grip, Heat and Salt Water

Pool paver ideas for the coping

The coping is the row of units along the pool's edge. Bosun's pool buyer's guide says good coping should provide a comfortable edge to sit on and prevent water from running behind the pool shell.

SmartStone's pool paving page points to the sharp edges and lugs of normal pavers, and says rounded copings are generally a practical choice.

Revelstone sets limits for its own copings. It says the pool water acidity will attack the surface of its products and that they will deteriorate if submerged. On its Devon cappings, the 70mm downstand that hangs into the pool must never sit permanently in water, Revelstone says. It adds that water running over the surface of its products for an extended period of time will cause surface erosion. For other copings, the maker's own instructions set the limits.

Grip when the paving is wet

The maker pages quoted here call their pavers non-slip without giving a test value on those pages. SmartStone calls concrete paving inherently non-slip because its surface is porous. Corobrik says the natural texture of clay pavers makes them safe for walking even when wet.

The pendulum test gives a number to compare. Ireland's Health and Safety Authority publishes this scale of slip probabilities for straight walking on a horizontal surface.

The HSA says higher PTVs may be required on a non-level surface, where pedestrians turn, or on other higher-risk surfaces such as stairs, swimming pools and sporting areas. It says wet tests should be conducted, because people slip on wet surfaces or in wet shoes. Ask the supplier for a wet PTV result for the exact paver and finish. Texture plays a part: the CMA says rougher blocks provide better skid resistance than smoother ones.

Revelstone says its products in their natural state offer a slip-resistant finish, and that if sealed they become more slippery, especially when wet.

Heat and glare around the pool

The US Environmental Protection Agency's draft Cool Pavements compendium says conventional concrete and asphalt pavements in the United States can reach peak summertime surface temperatures of 48 to 67°C. Its figure on albedo shows a white stripe on a brick wall about 3 to 5°C cooler than the darker areas around it.

Bosun's pool buyer's guide weighs heat against glare: the palest pavers stay coolest but can dazzle, so it favours a neutral light grey that cuts glare and still feels cool underfoot.

The same EPA document notes that cement generally darkens over time as foot and vehicle traffic dirty it.

Salt chlorinators: the makers disagree

SmartStone and Revelstone give opposite advice about salt chlorinators.

• SmartStone says water from salt chlorinated pools will damage paving, and that paving around them should always be sealed.
• It puts resealing at six months for a cheap sealant, against 24 months for a quality urethane or plastic-based one.
• Revelstone says all its products can be laid around pools with salt chlorinators, and that the water will not affect them.
• Revelstone warns that acids and other pool chemicals applied neat to the surface will damage or stain its products.

Sealing has a second side at the pool edge. SmartStone tells installers to seal around salt chlorinated pools, while Revelstone says its sealed products become more slippery, especially when wet. Before sealing, check the chemical and wet-slip instructions from the maker of the paver and the maker of the sealer.

Laying the pool surround

Bosun's pool buyer's guide matches the paver to the pool's shape. Rectangular and L-shaped pools get large-format concrete pavers or porcelain tiles, for a clean and modern finish. Curved pools get smaller concrete pavers, which Bosun says follow the curve more neatly. On modern or minimalist homes, it reports light-coloured, large-format pavers as the current trend.

Paving for Africa is one of the paving contractors in Cape Town, and lays paving rather than selling it. The rest of the garden follows its own rules for furniture, paths and edging, set out in the garden paving ideas guide.

Pool paving questions