Transition from Vinlyl liner to Concrete/Plastered outsided steps

[rderzapf]

I am planning an in-ground vinyl liner pool build. It will be a concrete wall pool. I do not like vinyl on steps or plastic steps. I am planning to form up concrete outside steps and plaster them to waterproof. I would like to run the liner track in a "U" shape around the steps just like the kits. I plan on attaching TREX to the form walls on the inside to attach the liner gasket kit to. The only problem is I cannot find a supplier that has it. My question is is this a good/bad plan and can concrete steps be put in a vinyl liner pool this way? I am also planning to do a swim up bar and have the same issue as the steps.

[Watermom]

Hi and welcome to the Pool Forum! This forum doesn't have a lot about building pools so I'm not sure how much help you are going to find with these questions. We do have one member of the PF Support Team who is an installer that may be able to give you some input. I will ask him to look at your thread. He is a busy guy this time of year so it may take a few days for him to get back to you but hopefully he will soon.

What we lack in building expertise, we make up in our chemistry help. Go ahead and start reading up on water chemistry as you have time. Be sure to also read on our sister website www.poolsolutions.com. Also, order a good test kit when you are close to finishing the pool so you will have it before the pool is filling. The one we recommend is the Taylor K-2006 or 2006C which you can find in the link in my signature.

Good luck!

[PoolDoc]

Mixing concrete and vinyl isn't usually considered a good idea. What you are doing could work, I suppose. But, I'd recommend you consider using fiberglass steps -- which ARE designed to mesh with vinyl pools -- instead.

[rderzapf]

Thanks for your reply, PoolDoc. I am wanting a pool that will last a long time without alot of repairs. I figured you cannot go wrong with plastered concrete. I don't care for the plastic steps. I figured if you could block out plastic steps with a liner you could block out concrete ones. I just cannot find the trim kit to do it. Surely someone has been asked to do this to build a swim up bar or something.

[PoolDoc]

Painted concrete is FAR from maintenance free. A perfect epoxy paint job won't last more than 7 years -- and few paint jobs are perfect. For that matter, few plaster jobs these days last more than 10 years.

The fact is, a well-installed liner pool, with fiberglass steps is probably LOWER maintenance than a concrete pool, much less a mixed concrete + vinyl pool. If you are not careful -- and very, very knowledgeable about concrete design principles AND local ground conditions -- you are likely to end up with recurring leaks at the liner / concrete interface.

Suit yourself, but I wouldn't take any work like that here locally, without getting a written "no-warranty" agreement from the customer.

[rderzapf]

PoolDoc, Thank you for your reply.