Help; what adhesive do I use for the tile border in my Inground Pool?

Question

The pool is over 30 years old, concrete / plaster. About a dozen tiles have popped off all in one spot.. looks like a poor previous repair by a former owner. What material do I use to make a permanent repair, can you use ordinary flooring tile mastic, or is it something else since it's always immersed in water? Anything special about the surface prep?

Then... the same question for the grout?

And yes, I asked the guys at two different pool stores. They both tried to get me to hire their service guys instead of giving me a straight answer.

Answer 1

go to Home Depot. In the flooring section for $28.00 you can buy a bag of thin set mortar mix. It is in a dry form, not premixed. You will need to chisel or grind out the old mortar to get the new tile to sit flush with the old. Mix in small amounts adding cool water until completely moist but not runny. apply to the pool surface or the tile itself with a notched trowel and press into place.

If the tile tries to slide down, the Thin Set is too wet. Remove it from the tile and pool, add more Thin Set powder to mixture, mix well and try again.

you may need spacers to maintain equal gaps between the tiles. toothpick pieces are good for narrow spacing. If you have a problem tile that continues to slide down, attach a piece of tape to it and bring tape up over the pool edge to secure it. If the Thin Set mortar is close in color to the old grout, you can use it to grout with also. Clean mortar from face of tiles within 5 minutes to prevent having to clean later with a lot more effort.

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Answer 2

this is the way i have been doing it for years:

drain water past the tiles so tile area is dry

clean with alcohol the area

adhere tiles with silicone glue

use silicone as the grout too-wipe off excess with scouring pad and dish soap

this repair will "give" a little with ground movement

Answer 3

Hi,

The above answer is spot on, I'd only like to add that Lowe's carries Laticrete 255 MultiMax.  Lat's rep recommended it for a fully submersed project I recently tackled.

Answer 4

To add to the previous answer, you do want a thinset, but not just any thinset.  Home Depot carries a brand of thinset called Flexbond.  It allows for expansion and contraction of the concrete and tile.  As for the grout, pick up an acrylic additive to use in place of water.  It will hold up better in an outdoor setting.  Hope this helps.