When installing an in-ground pool in your backyard, one of the design elements you’ll need to decide on is the coping. This edging placed along the top edge of a pool serves several important functions, including acting as a frame for the pool and protecting your pool and its surroundings from each other. Pool coping comes in a variety of materials and styles; these different options all provide the same functionality, but give you an opportunity to boost your pool’s visual appeal and coordinate its aesthetic appearance with your home and backyard. As you consider your options, here are some of the most popular trends in pool coping today.
Brick
Homeowners with brick homes or other brick elements in their yard such as pathways or garden enclosures often turn to brick pool coping to create a coordinated, balanced look. Because brick coping comes in an array of shades, finding an option that closely matches the color of your home’s existing brick is easy. The natural quality of brick provides charm and character–and its durability and low maintenance requirements ensures that your brick pool coping will maintain its appearance for many years to come.
Natural Stone
Many homeowners are turning to natural stone for their pool coping thanks to this material’s ability to add elegance, style and sophistication to any space. Because coping is available in a number of stone varieties including limestone, travertine and granite, the range of aesthetic options when using natural stone is broad. The warmer tones of limestone and travertine can help create a pool area that is soft and inviting, while the cool grays of granite and silver marble provide a sleek and elegant aura; some stones such as slate even come in colors as diverse as red and green. Most natural stones can be cut to a variety of lengths and widths, making it easy to craft a unique look that works with your pool and yard.
Concrete
With concrete pool coping, you have two options: poured and precast. Minimalism is a growing trend throughout home design, and poured concrete is an excellent option for homeowners looking to capture this trend in their outdoor spaces. With this method, concrete is poured into a mold placed around the edge of your pool; the resulting look is seamless and clean, and has the added benefit of making a small pool look larger.
Precast concrete offers significant advantages as well. This coping material comes in a wide range of patterns, textures and colors, allowing for greater design flexibility. Best of all: precast concrete is one of the least expensive coping options.
No matter which material and style you choose for your pool coping, you’ll want to have it properly sealed upon installation. Sealing your pool coping will ensure that it maintains its natural strength and beauty for the life of your pool. With the amount of water pool coping is exposed to, you may want to consider the addition of a non-slip additive to your sealant.
Backyard swimming pools can add to summer fun in a serious way, and designing your pool can be equally enjoyable.
