Coping is the key

         In part 2 of my blog about materials we are going to discuss Coping material.  Coping can be stone, brick or even decking that sits on top of the beam around the edge of the pool.  This is possibly the most noticeable part of a swimming pools construction.
        Through the years there have been many trends as far as coping goes, but 3 materials have remained steadfast as the leaders in popularity.  Pre-cast concrete coping, stone, and brick.  By far the most popular is stone.  There are many different option when it comes to stone ranging from affordable to extremely expensive.  Oklahoma flagstone is one of the more common stones used in southern regions and is quite versatile in application.  It is one of the denser flagstones and can be harvested in many different shades from light to very dark.  Because of the broad shades of natural (earth tones) colors you can get from one pallet of flagstone and its reasonable price tag it is a very common selection amongst people installing a new swimming pool.  There are numerous other shades of flagstone to choose from such as Tennessee (gray/slate color) Arizona buff (generally lighter tone than Oklahoma) Arizona pink (the name speaks for itself) and Granbury limestone (white/yellow tones).  Another popular but more expensive stone selection is travertine.  Travertine is a limestone generally put through a tumbled process and requires a coat of sealant as it is quite soft and takes stains quite easily.  That being said, travertine is easily my favorite.  It comes in numerous colors from ivory to chocolate and numerous textures from tumbled to honed.  Travertine coping can be cut to most any shape needed to cope a pool and is generally installed in a square cut pattern. Most of our high end projects use travertine as the pool coping and often time as a cap for walls and kitchen counters as well.  I have an ivory travertine coping on my own outdoor kitchen in my backyard  (left over from a job of course  :o)

          Precast concrete coping is exactly what it sounds like.  A mold poured piece of concrete often poured with a color infused die to give it different shades.  This is a fairly basic material (sometimes simple is good) and can be used in most any application from free form to geometric shaped pools.  They can be used in 6" up to 24" pieces and even larger can be custom ordered.  There are many shades available to make use of the color detail designed into the pool concept..  I have even seen people use multi color bricks in both regular and irregular sequence, though I caution using to many different shades to avoid making the pool look to busy..
          Brick coping is actually quite similar to the brick that you would use on the outdoor walls of your home.  It is essentially fired clay and is very cost effective.  Brick has its place in the market but I generally push my clients away from it as it does not age well and has very little visual interest in my opinion..
           Traditionally, people have used a gray mortar joint for there coping and vertical veneer in there swimming pool, but guess what.  You CAN add color.  One of my favorite looks is a dark mortar trim joint with a darker material such as the darker shades of Oklahoma.  Another popular option with the Oklahoma flagstone is a buff mortar joint (sand color) that really blends the mortar joint into the stone giving it a very natural look.  adding color to your mortar joints is not a very expensive option and can really add some flair to the pool coping and vertical veneer.
            Stay tuned for my next material blog.  We will be tackling a material that many people struggle to make a decision on.  Concrete decking.  There are many different styles, patterns, and colors to choose from.  Next time we will be breaking down some of the more common and in my opinion, best looking and most versatile.

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