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Blog Archive | How to Choose a Vinyl Pool Liner

How to Choose a Vinyl Pool Liner

The popularity of vinyl-liner inground pools continues to grow. One of the main reasons for their acceptance is the ability to relatively easily install a new pool liner, either when the old one reaches the end of its service life, or when you simply want a new look for your swimming pool.

Still, considering that you don’t install a new liner very often, you may not be sure just how to find the perfect liner for your pool. If that’s you, we’ve listed the tips below to help.

 

4 Pointers for Choosing a Vinyl Pool Liner

  1. Liner Colours - While liners are generally only available in shades of blue, you’ll be amazed at the difference the colour makes to the look of your pool, pool areas and entire back yard.

    1. Darker Shades - Darker colours absorb more sunlight, which can help keep your pool water warmer. But you’ll notice dark colours fading sooner than light colours.

    2. Lighter Shades - Lighter shades will fade less because they absorb less sunlight. But you’ll need to keep the liner cleaner because it’s easier to see discolorations on it.

    3. Medium Shades - A popular choice because they offer the best balance between the light and dark options.

  2. Liner Patterns - The patterns you choose for your liner can let you add a personal touch to your pool. There are generally two patterns on every pool including the border pattern which appears at water level and above, and the pattern for the rest of the liner.

    Choosing a pattern for both is really up to your preference. You can take into account the overall look of the pool area, including border colours that complement similar colours in the features around your pool.

  3. Liner Textures -

    Textures are created on pool liners by embossing the surface of the liner. Texture gives the liner a non-slip surface for added safety, especially on pool steps.

  4. Liner Thickness - Measured in “mils” (a mil is 1/1000th of an inch) or “gauge”, pool liners generally range in thickness from 20 mil to 40 mil (20 gauge is slightly thinner than 20 mil), with thicker liners being more expensive and longer-lasting. Vinyl thickness can also vary between the floor of the pool and the walls of the pool, with the walls usually being thicker.

 

To learn more about vinyl liner pools, check out our article “What Type of Pool Lasts Longest?”.