Summer days in Melbourne are long, hot and sunny. Nothing is more relaxing than diving into a swimming pool to escape the heat and enjoy time with family and friends.
Your swimming pool and the area around it should encourage relaxation and renewal. Installing an attractive concrete pool surround is an important part of creating a relaxing atmosphere, making the pool area an expression of yourself and transforming your pool into a work of art.
Our team here at Normark specialise in laying surrounds around all types of pools, including fiberglass. We design our pool surrounds to meet our client’s specific needs, give their homes a unique touch and fulfill their dreams.
Different styles of concrete pool surrounds
If you need a pool surround, we have a lot to offer you. Our concrete pool surrounds come in a wide array of styles, including:
- Exposed Aggregate – Exposed aggregate concrete is made by mixing course materials, such as a variety of quartzes, pebbles or natural stones, into the concrete and allowing it to dry naturally. Once it is dry, the aggregates near the concrete’s surface give the pool surround ample traction, as well as natural beauty.
- Polished Aggregate – Polished aggregate concrete is made in the same basic way as its exposed aggregate counterpart. The only difference is that we use abrasive discs to grind and polish the surface of the concrete after it is dry to give it a more luxurious appearance.
Polished aggregate concrete is safe to use in pool areas, but if you would like extra protection against slipping, we can apply an anti-slip coating to the surface of the surround. Anti-slip coatings use an adhesive base and fine particles of aggregates to increase friction and grip.
4 Benefits of concrete pool surrounds
Concrete pool surrounds have a variety of benefits when you compare them to traditional pool surrounds, for instance those made with pavers. Here are 4 important benefits that a concrete pool surround can give you:
- Easy to keep clean – Traditional pool surrounds have seams which eventually expand into cracks, collect dirt and perhaps even become home to ants and weeds. Concrete pool surrounds are seamless, so they are much easier to keep clean. Even if you have uniquely shaped fiberglass pool, we can create a seamless pool surround around it.
- Eliminates the need for bullnose pavers – One of the special beauties of concrete pool surrounds is that we can make them go right up to the edge of the pool, so that there is no need for bullnose pavers. This makes installing a concrete pool surround easier than traditional options and the finished product is definitely more attractive.
- Requires little maintenance – Concrete wears well in every sense of the word. It can withstand the temperatures that we experience here in Melbourne, as well as take the wear and tear of all types of families. The average concrete pool surround only needs to be kept clean and topped with a layer of fresh sealer every 2 or 3 years in order to last for decades.
- Simple to personalize – Every outdoor area around your home, whether it is a BBQ area or a pool surround, should be an expression of your creativity and personality, after all they extensions of your home. When we design a concrete pool surround, it is easy for us to personalize it with the aggregates, colours and stencils of your choice.
What type of swimming pools can have concrete surrounds?
There are currently three basic types of swimming pools. Here is a brief overview of them:
- Concrete – Concrete swimming pools are almost always inground. Their size, shape and depth can easily be customized and they can be fitted with special features. One of their major drawbacks is that they can be difficult to keep clean.
- Vinyl Liner – Vinyl liner pools can be installed inground or above ground, and their support walls can be made from concrete, plastic or steel. Vinyl liner pools are extremely versatile, but their downside is that the vinyl lining generally needs to be replaced about every 7 years.
- Fiberglass – Fibreglass swimming pools are perhaps the most practical type of pool. They come in a wide range shapes, sizes and colours and can be adapted to fit in hard to access areas. Fiberglass pools can also be fitted with special features, including water features, in-floor cleaning systems and built in spa pools.
Any of these pools can benefit from having an attractive concrete pool surround that easy to install and maintain. In our years of experience, though, we have noticed that fiberglass pools go especially well with concrete pool surrounds. Perhaps this is because they both have a modern air about them and together they create an inviting area that is conducive to rest and relaxation.
If you need a concrete surround to complete your pool area, we would be happy to help you. We are ready to listen to the concerns and dreams that you have for your pool area from our very first consultation, through the design process and all the way up to the end of installation.
Contact us today by phone, email or through our website and let’s talk about how we can help you improve your pool area and make it an inviting escape from this summer’s heat.
