Retiling swimming pool nightmare

[Musicdoc]

I had a couple of tiles come off and the pool guy re-glued them. It's a special glue for working in water. Sorry - don't know the name. If you can't find it, let me know, our pool guy is coming tomorrow and I can ask.

[Chamanelo]

Yes I have done that with a special caulking from Silka! it works great, I was thinking about removing all the tile and replacing it with this product!

[mudgirl]

Sounds like none of the contractors there know what they are doing, I don't care how many pools they have done. Pool tiles, which are glass, need to be applied with "pega venetianos". White cement does not work long term, which is why pool tiles fall off. Also, grouting the tiles is not a separate step and unnecessary if done correctly, nor will normal grout endure. There needs to be enough of the pega venetianos applied that it squishes up between the tiles and becomes the grout as well. This is tricky, as if you put too much, it will squish up and try to push the paper off before it is ready to be removed, too little, and there will not be enough grout, although they can always fill in the low spots after.

The pool tiles that have the paper on top, which has to be removed, are just a Mexican cheapo version of having the tiles stuck to a plastic grid on the back, which just gets cemented in. The paper-covered ones are more labor intensive, but the plastic grid ones are far more expensive.

There is not need to use some special product to remove the paper- it needs to be soaked down with sponges after the pega has set and peeled off very carefully. some tiles invariably come off with the paper but can be pressed back immediately and carefully into the pega (a fresh dab of the pega on the back of the tile will help),

The "pega venetianos" comes in blue or white. If you use white, you can add powdered color to it before using if you want to grout to be a different color other than white or blue. You have to make sure that this is measured accurately so every batch turns out the same. I tiled both my shower stalls myself with pool tiles 7 years ago and not one tile has come loose nor has any of the pega between the tiles cracked or chipped out.

[bmh]

By the way Crest has a pega venetiano and it guaranties that the tiles will not come off, if they do they will come and fix it..we will see if that is true but that is what the store casa de los azuleros in Chapala sold me. A package cost me 178 pesos not cheap when you need 40 packs..

[mudgirl]

Don't know what you mean by "packages"- seems an expensive way to go. The stuff comes in 20 kilo bags.....

[bmh]

20kg sounds about what we have..it is an expensive way to go but not as expensive as having to redo it..

[cedros]

Tecno Aqua told me you can use white cement or sellador that comes in a tube that you use in a sealer gun. I've tried both and had better luck with the sellador. I used Sista Flextec FT 201-sellador para juntas de alto movimento. I used white as my grout is white. I put the sellador on the tile and while wearing goggles go under water. I've had 4 tiles come off. They were all on the bottom so I had to have someone hold me done while I was smoothing out the sellador around the tile.

Correction. 3 tiles that I had glued in with Sista Flextex came out. Two of them had been in place over a year. Now I will try fusion epoxy which says it will work in pools, cisterns, boats, fountains, etc. The Home Solution pool supply place west of the Casa de Waffle in west Ajijic recommended and sold it.

[Mainecoons]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think the pool walls or floor underneath the tile should leak. That should have been fixed before any tile was put on it. You may have a bigger problem than just tile IMO.