What You Should Know Before You Get a Black Bottom Pool

A black bottom pool can be an great way to differentiate your pool from the countless other backyard pools in your neighborhood. From the first impression, a black bottom pool is sure to be memorable for anyone that has only seen lighter colored pools.

To decide if a black bottom pool is right for you, you should know the pros and cons that come with it. there are a few items to think about.

What's Different about a Black-Bottom Pool

Black-bottomed pools have certain characteristics that are slightly different than lighter colored pools. A black pool will keep the water warmer leading too lower heating bills and an extended swim season. However, black pools, unlike pools with lighter colored plaster, will show imperfections in the workmanship of the finish a lot sooner and easier.

Advantages

Black naturally absorbs sunlight, so a black bottom pool will be be warmer for longer. This is especially advantageous if you live somewhere where winter is noticeably colder.

A warmer pool means that it will take less fuel to heat the pool up if you have a heater, saving money for you while also extending your pool season—it’s a win-win.

The black bottom color masks dirt better than a light pool color. That means less vacuuming for you if you live in an area where there are a lot of messy overhanging trees.

Aesthetically, black plaster creates a certain ambiance that a lighter colored finish can't in certain settings, like if you want your pool to look like a lagoon.

Disadvantages

Though a black bottom pool will hide dirt better, it will also hide algae better. This is a downside because when your pool has algae, you need to take care of it to keep your pool clean to swim in and in good condition.

Black pool plaster will show imperfections in the workmanship of the finish much faster. You will see the stroke marks and foot prints of the workers a lot sooner in a black-bottomed pool than if it were a lighter color.

Just like a painting left in the sunlight for too long, the black plaster will begin to fade and the fading will happen sooner than it would on a light-colored plaster pool. Because it's a dark color it's more noticeable when the finish fades.

Pool scale will also show much sooner than it would in a lighter color pool where it could blend in. Maintaining the chemistry of your pool also becomes more important because of this.

Some cities and municipalities have bans on black-bottomed pools. This is because the black or darker color of the plaster is harder for people to see and can interfere with swimmers' depth perception, potentially raising the risk of a safety incident.

Pros and Cons of Black Bottom Pools

Pros

• Unique and bold look

• Keeps pool warmer for longer

• Extends pool season

• Masks dirt better

Cons

• Exposes blemishes and flaws in workmanship of pool finish

• Mineral scale is very noticeable

• Can become uneven and fades quickly

• Dark spots interfere with swimmers depth perception

• More important to maintain good pool chemistry to preserve finish

• Harder to see algae

• Possibly banned in certain areas
  

Other Types of Black-Bottomed Pools

There are other pool finishes to get the look of a black-bottomed pool besides plaster. You can get a black color in your pool using finishes made of concrete, vinyl, tile, PebbleTec, fiberglass, or aggregate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are black-colored pools a good idea?

Black-colored pools can be a good idea if you fully understand the challenges that come with a dark pool finish and are willing to work to maintain it. A black-colored pool can be a unique way to differentiate your pool and show off your style.

Does dark pool plaster fade faster than light pool plaster?

Dark pool plaster does fade faster than a light pool plaster because there is inherently more color that can fade to begin with. The dark plaster’s fading will be noticeable sooner than if it were a lighter colored finish.

Read the original article on The Spruce.