Pool refurb

[JB3879]

I have a 30ft x 15 ft in ground concrete pool with roman end. 15 years old, finish is marbelite with a tiled band, tiled motif in the floor and tiled edge on the roman steps.

A couple of years ago I had an electric cover fitted with tracks in the paving and rolling back in to a pit behind the roman end, under a raised terrace area. This is great, it was expensive but worth it as I am not strong enough to wind the old cover off myself so couldn't swim when home alone.

Having recovered from the cost of the electric cover and because the bull nose paving around the edge looked tatty and the mosaic tile band was missing about 8 tiles I employed a contractor to refurb the tile band (abound 8 tiles missing), install a fibre optic perimeter light under the bull nose paving and renew the bull nose paving. They did a dreadful job, complete bodge artists. Legal action commenced and they stopped trading and disappeared, so I could go no further with this. I didnt immediately get the work done again as the legal action was ongoing and I have been trying to trace the contractor to continue the action.

I now need to repair the mess they made and as the marbelite is discloured and past it's best. I am looking for a contractor to remove the bull nose edge and the badly installed fibre optic light, re-finish the pool with either pacelite, mosaic tiles, or a heavy duty liner, then fit light properly and put in new bull nose paving.

I think I'm keener on having the whole pool tiled as maintenance will be less in the long run.

What I need is a specification for how the work should be done so I can check that the contractors quotes include for doing it the right way. I am concerned that contractors look at me and think she won't know what we should be doing so they can get away with cutting corners.

How do you prepare a marbeilte pool with tiled band for complete tiling - what surface preparation has to be done - do you chip it all off or just tile on top? What grades of adhesive and grout should be used?
Are glass mosaics better or worse than porcelain mosaics?
I'd like to be able to check that the contract is to the corrects specification.

Any help would be much appreciated.

PS I am in SE England

[Me...]

Complete tile is nice and will be slightly different chemistry than a plaster finished pool, but less maintainence? I dont think so, Still needs vacuuming and all the same chemical adjustments. And you will have regrouts to do and if not done meticulously there will be tiles popping off regularly.

Can't recommend a method of redoing the coping as any spec can be botched, you just need a good contractor.

Want ease? Install a liquid feed chlorine/acid system complete with a controller. That will cost tons less than tiling the pool and be far more beneficial.

Look at trying to increase circulation. If pipe sizes and pool fittings are adequate you maybe be able to squeeze more gpm out of the system. I would bet you can at least increase the filter size which gives longer runs between backwashes/cleanings saving time, effort and money.

And if you haven't blown the bank account yet put in a (good) Ozone System. This will give you nicer water with less chemicals needing to be added. Still the same chemicals, just less of them.