The Best Materials for Your In-Ground Pool

If you're ready to make the financial commitment to installing a home swimming pool, you'll want to make sure it's built with the highest quality materials available on your budget. Many available pool finishes, coping, decking, and extras are both attractive and durable.

Swimming Pool Finishes
The most common swimming pool finish is a mixture of concrete and crushed white marble. Undyed, this finish is white, but it appears blue because of the sky's reflection on the water. If you're looking for something more distinctive, you can opt for an aggregate finish, which mimics the look of stone. Both finishes are available in hundreds of colors.

In-ground Pool Coping and Decking
Coping is the material that runs along the edge of the swimming pool, while decking is the larger area around the pool. Popular options for coping include brick, stone, and concrete (which can be molded to mimic brick or stone). Coping gives your pool a finished look, and can be a great way to match your pool to your house. For example, you could incorporate the same brick that covers your house in the coping. Your decking choices include concrete, stone, and pavers.

In-ground Pool Extras
Many people choose to customize their pools by adding extras like massage-jet hot tubs, tile work, and even mosaics. You can pick either a hot tub that connects to the pool, or a stand-alone unit, while mosaic and tile offer many opportunities to personalize the sides and bottom of your pool.

While the vast array of choices may seem overwhelming at first, if you start with the major decisions like pool finish and pool decking, the smaller decorative embellishments should all start to fall into place.

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