How to waterproof a swimming pool. Excellent quality materials by Butech

Swimming pools turn out to be that ideal complement in every housing or residential complex, mostly, in summer time. Its use goes hand in hand with activities related to health and well-being, sport activities, and needless to say, fun and leisure.

Ranging from sheets of water portraying the structure of the house, to overflowing swimming pools or the most impressive waterfalls and water jets, a dream swimming pool can become a reality thanks to the right choice of materials and the most excellent design, both for the pool and its surroundings.

The quality and resistance to unfavourable weather conditions as well as to humidity, turn out to be crucial when carrying out the right choice of swimming pool wall tiles, which can bind various elegant options together regarding both design and appearance. The PORCELANOSA Grupo offers endless low-porosity materials which are perfectly suitable for this purpose, by means of either the uniqueness of its mosaics, or the elegance and high resistance of its STON-KER ceramic stones or its through-body porcelain.

In addition to this, it is vital to bear in mind the building systems when carrying out a swimming pool project. Butech, PORCELANOSA Grupo’s technical firm, is aware of the demands regarding these kinds of projects, by offering expert advice from its professionals and the best waterproofing solutions, installation and joint-sealing. Thanks to the necessary technical information and the most excellent designs, it is possible to achieve the ideal swimming pool.

The swimming pool design
The design of a swimming pool involves, firstly, an in-depth consultation about regulations for swimming pool waterproofing and implementation. Furthermore, it is necessary that the selected porcelain fits in with the pool’s design, so that it turns out to be possible to reduce the number of the porcelain cuts to the minimum amount. The next stage is to determine what the top piece will be regarding finishing the swimming pool, and the installation joint integration. In the swimming pool where either ceramic wall tiles or porcelain tiles are present, it is recommended to opt for installation joints of at least 3mm thick.

The preparation of the support
With regard to the installation surface, it must have the requirements needed for an excellent porcelain installation. The surface must be both clean and dry, and have a rough flat texture, which cannot be disaggregated. Should the selected material be vitreous mosaic, a good planimetry is needed together with a professional expert’s technical supervision, since we are dealing with an installation of particular sensitivity.

On the other hand, it is necessary to include some type of waterproofing in the support, paying special attention to corners, changes in the levels, material, etc. In this regard, Butech offers cement-based waterproofing such as Sylastic, which is suitable for direct contact with water and has both high adherence and deformation properties. Likewise, it allows for both a straight installation in ceramic tiles with cement adhesive and a high waterproofing with a minimum thickness.

Bonding materials and joints
With regard to bonding materials, Butech suggests an improved cement adhesives type C2, such as the fr-one n, which is resistant to immersion. On the other hand, however, and as far as large-format porcelains are concerned, replacing the mixing adhesive water mixture with unilax is recommended.

With regard to the joints’ material, the PORCELANOSA Grupo firm advises to choose both a colour texture and a chemical resistance suitable for every type of swimming pool. In the ideal case, the right option would be to select a waterproofing-joints’ materials with both a high adherence and chemical resistance. Epotech Aqua turns out to be that perfect option in order to achieve that ultra-resistance as well as those easy-to-apply and easy-to-clean properties. Furthermore, this epoxy putty line is absolutely watertight, thus, preventing water absorption.

Cleaning and servicing
At this point, Butech professionals recommend protecting both the wall tiles and flooring from the dirt caused by the work. In order to clean that dirt, it is crucial to make use of products which are compatible with the chemical resistance of the tiles, such as acid detergent, which result in being ideal for removing cement stains. With regard to the joints, on the other hand, special products must be used, and of course, experts must wait for 7 days in order to carry out the final stage: the filling of the swimming pool.