Grout or Vermiculite?

Considering installing a new vinyl-lined pool but unclear of what to do with the floor? Nachman Pool Company started out just working with vinyl liners pools, despite the fact that we now specialize in fiberglass pools. We want to share our experience as Nachman Pools with you so you can decide what is best for you and your family.

Vermiculite and grout are the two most often used materials for swimming pool bottoms. Regardless of the material you select, you will use a round-edged pool trowel to lay it directly on top of the soil before adding the liner. What makes grout for your vinyl-lined pool base different from vermiculite? What’s better, then?

Vermiculite – what is it?

A mineral called vermiculite in its natural form expands when heated; it frequently takes the appearance of clay. Vermiculite, a mineral/clay, is combined with Portland cement to form what pool people refer to as “vermiculite.” This mixture is available in bags and is used as pool base.

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When you get to the pool site, you bring a pallet of bags, fill them with water, load them into buckets, and then dump them into the water. As experts in this field, that sounds cathartic.

Pros of Vermiculite

• The damp, open soil or regions with a high water table work really well vermiculite.
• A softer material than grout is vermiculite. It doesn’t even get as hard as concrete when it sets (or even just grout). You shouldn’t leave any heel prints on it if it’s done correctly.
• If you accidentally get something under the liner, it is a little bit more forgiving because it is soft. You could, for instance, force a tiny pebble into the vermiculite if you had to, but doing so increases the likelihood that the rock may rip your lining. (If the rock is larger, it would be best to remove the liner, fix the issue, and then install a new liner.) However, the key distinction is that a grout pool base would never allow you to achieve that.
• Vermiculite can be mixed and used at your own pace on the job site. The timing constraints that would apply to grouting do not apply to this. To move quickly or slowly as you wish, you can mix a bag here and there.

Cons of Vermiculite

• Applying and leveling vermiculite is more difficult. Unlike grout, it is not as creamy. You can’t just smooth out a situation where you are high in one location and low in another; you have to sort of slice it down.
• With vermiculite, it is also more difficult to get precise, clean lines. Consider the distinct corners where the pool bottom meets the walls or where the shallow end slopes down to reach the deep end. Not amorphous and blobby, the pool bottom is shaped. It is challenging to position vermiculite at the precise angles you desire because of its lumpy nature.
• Grout typically costs the same or slightly more than vermiculite, particularly when it comes in pre-mixed bags.

Grout – what is it?

• Sand, cement, and water are the ingredients in grout, a type of concrete.
• A fully prepared concrete truck often transports it to the pool site.
• Your hole in the ground, fashioned like a pool, is filled with grout through a chute.

Pros of Grout

• Vermiculite cannot match to grout’s compressible strength (2000 psi or more compared to 100 psi).
• Over vermiculite, grout is creamier. Since you can apply one stroke to the entire surface, finishing is much simpler.
• You won’t need to worry about leaving heel or footprint imprints because it sets up more strongly.
• Due to the premixed nature of grout, it makes construction faster and simpler. It’s basically just a matter of dumping it in the hole and finishing it; you don’t even need to mix it yourself.
• You can create precise, neat lines around the pool’s perimeter since grout is smooth and very simple to work with.
• Grout is additionally more resistant to roots, as well as to settling and shifting over time. In most cases, not much work is required to replace a liner in a pool with a grout bottom. You almost always need to go in and make some adjustments with a vermiculite bottom.

Cons of Grout

Your ability to work at your own pace is restricted when using grout. To prevent the grout from setting up and curing, you must move it into position as soon as the concrete truck arrives (hardens). It could be a good idea to enlist a companion with a faster pace if you have a tendency to go slowly like many people.

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Now, which pool base should I pick?

For the bottom of your vinyl-lined pool, grout is what we advise as Nachman Pool Company. Our experience has shown that grout provides a superior finish and is more resilient.

What Are the Alternatives to Vinyl Liner Pools?

Fiberglass pools could be a good option if you are in search of a pool that requires little care and can be installed quickly and easily.

The pools made of fiberglass are quite robust. Replacement liners and punctures should not be one of your concerns. Check out our comparison of concrete, vinyl-lined, and fiberglass pools if you’d like to learn more on our website. For a more detailed comparison of the above mentioned options, you can also download our ebook.

Nachman Pool Company is delighted to provide vermiculite and grout vinyl lining pool installation assistance to residents of Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC, as well as to simply respond to any questions you may have regarding the various options. In addition to offering maintenance and advice to our clients on their pools, we also provide services for fiberglass and vinyl-lined pools. Don’t be afraid to get in touch with our skilled and professional team if you need your vinyl liner pools installed or renovated. We will be pleased to develop the best strategy and answer any of your questions along the way!

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