Choose Stoneware: the Perfect Pool Thanks to Ceramic

The pool is a place to relax, have fun, and socialise with friends, a place where it is important to ensure safety and hygiene. That is why selecting the right flooring and cladding is essential.  Porcelain stoneware is one of the materials that is most suitable for pools, with technical characteristics that make it perfect for this environment.

First of all, porcelain stoneware is an inert and highly compact material, which means that it does not absorb water and is resistant to mould and bacteria. Furthermore, it comes in finishes specifically designed to reduce the risk of slipping. Finally, porcelain stoneware is a durable material whose aesthetic remains unaltered over time.

Flooring for Pools: Which to Choose

Among the many materials available on the market for cladding the inside of a swimming pool, ceramic is definitely the most durable and high performance, posing no significant challenges for a professional tile layer. The same is true for the choice of poolside tiles: compared to wood, natural stone, and WPC, porcelain stoneware manages to combine safety, durability, and aesthetics.

There are various factors to keep in mind when choosing your poolside flooring:

• Functionality: the flooring must be non-slip, to prevent accidental falls; it must also withstand the elements, like rain, sun, and ice. Porcelain stoneware collections always include a range of special pieces (like grids and border elements) that combine practical and aesthetically pleasing solutions with fundamental functional aspects
• Aesthetics: even more so than the internal cladding, the external flooring must be in harmony with the architectural context and with the surrounding environment, fully reflecting one's personal taste.
• Price: the price of flooring varies depending on the chosen material, but it is important to consider that ceramic requires no maintenance and is extremely long lasting, factors that maximise the long-term benefits.

Which Tiles to Use for the Pool

Ceramic offers numerous alternatives for both the interior of the pool and  for poolside side flooring. Here are some criteria to keep in mind when evaluating whether or not a surface meets your needs:

• Technology: in addition to porcelain stoneware of standard thickness (which, in the case of Cotto d’Este, is always 14 mm), for pool cladding one can also consider over-sized ultra-thin laminated stoneware.  As for poolside tiles, 20 mm thick outdoor stoneware  is often an extra-durable alternative to traditional stoneware.
• Pleasing aesthetics: from cement look to stone look to wood look ceramics, porcelain stoneware makes it possible to faithfully replicate or elegantly interpret any look that the market demands, giving each poolside its own unique style.
• Size: sizes range from traditional stoneware (in 30x60, 60x60, and 60x120 cm formats) to over-sized slabs of laminated stoneware, from which it is possible to obtain any smaller size, including customised cuts for unusual shapes.

Poolside Flooring: Which Finish to Choose

In order to choose the correct tiles for the exterior of the pool, it is necessary to evaluate both aesthetics and safety.   In this case, one technical aspect must be carefully considered: the slip resistance rating of the ceramic surface, or rather the floor’s ability to maintain grip in humid conditions or with stagnant water. For maximum safety, it is advisable to  choose tiles with a slip resistance rating of R11 or higher.

How to Lay Poolside Tiles

Have you chosen the perfect poolside tiles, but do not know how to lay them or are unsure about which steps to follow?  Once the concrete screed has been properly laid, installing the ceramic poolside tiles does not actually pose particular challenges. What is necessary is to make sure that the grout lines are the correct size for the chosen material and that the expansion joints are properly distributed if the paved area exceeds a certain size. It is worth noting that the installation of porcelain stoneware flooring and cladding for pools must be performed by a qualified professional using professional products in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

Cleaning and Maintenance of Non-Slip Pool Flooring

Keeping a ceramic poolside in perfect conditions is also very simple. Porcelain stoneware is an extremely compact and non-absorbent material, which means that it is resistant to stains because dirt cannot penetrate it deeply. A rough surface texture, necessary in order to ensure the proper degree of slip resistance, does not compromise the ease with which the poolside is kept clean. In fact, dirt on porcelain stoneware flooring can be removed without any special treatments. Furthermore, for a more thorough periodic cleaning, ceramic can be cleaned with pressure washers or steam cleaners.

Beautiful and Technically High Performance Stoneware Pools

Having examined the key aspects to pay attention to when designing a pool clad in ceramic, all that is left to do now is browse Cotto d’Este’s catalogue a little more closely: between the Kerlite laminated porcelain stoneware and the outdoor surfaces, it offers a wealth of aesthetically pleasing and technically high performance options. Furthermore, many collections are available in multiple technological solutions. This makes it possible to seamlessly integrate an entire project, as in the case of the indoor pool of this hotel on Lake Como, choosing Kerlite for the pool and porcelain stoneware (14 mm or 20 mm) for the poolside.

Find inspiration in Cotto d'Este's projects for strikingly stylish villas  and pools around the world.

More detailed information on the use of porcelain stoneware for pools is available in our technical manual dedicated to pools, downloadable here.