Interdependence & sequence of tasks for lip placement

July 17 2016

Interdependence & sequence of lip placement tasks

Interdependence & sequence of tasks for lip placement

By the same reasoning where the alphabets are given first in the frames of a house, then the frame housings are placed and much later the floors inside and outside the house, with the same logic after the final elevations of a swimming pool are given, the placement of the pool edges will also take place and finally the floors are placed of the environment.

In other words, immediately after concreting the pool and surrounding area, the pool lip is placed to give the correct level to the outer coating of the surrounding area. In any other case where the external coating of the surrounding space precedes, height problems may arise during the placement of the lip.

As regards the internal lining of the pool, whether it is done with a membrane (liner), whether it is done with tiles, mosaic, or even with simple cement mortar, it is recommended that this is also done after the lip is placed, for the reasons of correct leveling as just mentioned and the avoidance of imperfections at the meeting point of the pool's lip and inner lining.

If, on the other hand, the inner coating of the pool precedes, and the placement of the lips follows, the dilemma arises for the lip installer, to follow the alfades of the inner lining of the pool, or to place the lips perfectly horizontally. In the first case, it will not leave the slightest imperfection at the meeting point of the lip and the inner lining of the pool, but there is a risk that an experienced eye will perceive the disharmony of the flatness of the water (which is always horizontal), with the lip or the outside environment, while in second case where the installer follows the absolute level, it will create imperfections and defects in the seam of the lip and inner lining of the pool.

Conclusion: The installation of the lip should precede both the external flooring of the surrounding area and the internal completion of the pool finish.

Skimmer Lip Dimensions

Length 50 cm – 61 cm
Width 25 cm – 30 cm
3 – 5 cm thick towards the water
2 – 3 cm towards the del
Weight 12-16 Kilos / piece

Height control of pool walls

With the help of a modern leveling laser, or a leveler, or some other traditional leveling method (such as a wide spirit level), the perimeter elevations of the pool must be checked before any installation work begins.

Differences of a few millimeters can be corrected by varying the thickness of the lip bonding adhesive. On the contrary, for height differences of 1-6 cm, which is the most common, it is necessary to precede at least 1 day before, the pouring of additional concrete-cement mortar, on which the lips will be placed with glue.

The finished surface of the cement mortar must be horizontal with respect to the perimeter of the pool and with a slight slope 2-5% towards the outside of the pool to prevent water used for washing the surrounding area from entering the pool.

If a height correction of more than 6cm is required, then it is recommended to use reinforcement bars in the surrounding area or, with the help of a drill, to plant reinforcement in the pre-existing old concrete to better fix the new concrete. In this case, it is recommended to additionally attach a 5x10 metal mesh (grid) to the metal reinforcement, in order to bind & hold the new concrete that we will add.

Between old and new concrete, no special reinforcement is required, since old concrete can never be connected to new concrete. On the contrary, the wetting of the old concrete is encouraged, before pouring the new one.

Conclusion: The creation of a horizontal screed finish surface, slightly sloping outwards 2-5%, must precede any lip installation and is the responsibility of the lip installer.

Lip prep

Just before starting to weld the lip, the craftsman lays the marble pieces along the sides of the pool, to make the required fit check.

At this stage of the test, the adjustment of the special angles precedes if they exist, followed by any special curved or trapezoidal pieces and finally the straight pieces.

This trial adjustment should be done in real conditions, even with the use of distance crosses, in order to precisely identify the points that may need cutting. It is recommended to reduce the length of some lips evenly to avoid using short pieces of length less than 50% of the remaining lips.

Thanks to this process, the risk of placing too small pieces (chunks) in some part of the pool or of unevenly colored edges colliding side by side is eliminated. It should be noted that if special curved or trapezoidal flanges have been ordered, they should have been received with the serial number marked on the back side and accompanied by an application plan.

Some very organized builders, at this stage of the fitting, note both the exact starting point of placing the lip on the pool wall, and the serial number behind all the pieces in the order of their installation, just before they install them.

This stage takes on even greater importance when it comes to a circular pool covered with tables that are adapted on site to the project. In those cases where only straight flanges have been received, it is necessary to cut it in two and, very rarely, cut it in three equal parts (for Roman stairs with a very small radius).

If the lips are concrete, cutting them in two or three is something that has to be done in the project anyway and is a relatively easy task. However, if the edges are marble, it is recommended that they be ordered ready-made in smaller dimensions from their factory, due to the fact that the process of cutting them on the project is a relatively laborious process that, among other things, also causes a lot of noise and dust.

Finally, the flanges must be clean of dust and other foreign substances and slightly wet on the lower attachment surface, just before installation.

Conclusion: No matter how experienced a lip fitter is, he should not skip this stage of preparing and adjusting the lips, thanks to which many imperfections and small problems can be predicted and treated in time.

Placement of lips

Just before lip placement begins, a seam must be placed on each straight side of the pool so that the lip is perfectly aligned and does not follow any construction imperfections in the pool.

The lip must be inserted in such a way that it "hangs" towards the water by 1-2 cm. In this way, small imperfections of the wall are covered, while less often an overhang of up to 4-5 cm is required to cover larger mistakes in the design of the pool.

In order to transfer any construction defects of a swimming pool to the lip, and to be noticeable for a lifetime, it is estimated that it is preferable to accept the variation of lip hanging between 1-5 cm in order to cover any imperfection. Interdependence & sequence of lip placement tasks

Having already transferred a significant amount of weight to creating the correct cement mortar and lip preparation, the process of mainly installing the lip is completed in a few hours for a pool measuring approximately 8 x 4 meters.

The placement of the lips is done with glue that is spread evenly with a comb, with an initial thickness of usually 5-7 mm, on the dry cement mortar. The slight 2-5% slope we have created in the cement mortar towards the outside will help keep water from pooling on the lip.

The most specialized craftsmen usually check with a flatness laser each lip they place, while some others check with a spirit level and a ruler the correct placement of each piece of lip. Despite the superiority of the first solution over the second, the control with a spirit level and ruler is considered perfectly acceptable for the case of a skimmer type pool.

It is recommended to have an expansion joint of 3 mm between the lips marble lips and 7-10 mm for concrete or ceramic flanges. In order for the distances (joints) of the lips to be uniform, "crosses" of similar thickness must be used, which can be removed a few hours after installation and definitely before plastering.

Since the inside of the pool is covered with a membrane (liner), care is taken so that the guide of the membrane is in contact with the inner and lower side of the lip. In other words, the glue that covers the guide must be cleaned with a cloth. The adhesive is applied and remains from the guide and outwards of the lip.

Conclusion: The correct placement of the lips can cover and correct mistakes and imperfections that already exist. Conversely, mistakes during the placement of the lips cannot be covered by any other workshop.

Stocking the lips

As serious a process is the correct placement of the labia, the process of stuccoing the labia can prove to be even more serious and critical.

Plastering can be done either with cement putty, acrylic putty, or even epoxy putty, in colors as close as possible to the lip used and in no case in colors much darker than the lip, because there is a risk of soaking the lips right next to the joints.

Successful putty should be neither too runny nor too thick. The existence of the putty should not be limited to the surface of the joints, but should penetrate to the base of the lips. For this reason, some craftsmen plaster in two consecutive stages, first with a liquid putty that penetrates deep and then with a thicker one.

There are not a few cases, which wonderfully aesthetic labia, have a different color 3-4 centimeters next to the joints. For this reason, it is strongly recommended to use 4-5 cm wide paper tape at the edges of the lips next to the joints, just before the plastering process begins. Interdependence & sequence of lip placement tasks

The use of two-component epoxy putty, which is the best available on the market today, can be disastrous if the prescribed procedures are not followed correctly, in particular, if paper tape is not used and the excess amount of epoxy putty is not cleaned while it is still wet.

Conclusion: There are not a few cases where wonderful aesthetic lips have been almost permanently degraded as a result of bad stucco that stained them laterally and next to the joints.

Lip waterproofing, protection and cleaning

Last, but not least, is the process of waterproofing the lips.
The appropriate waterproofing requires clean and dry lips, and is done with the help of a roller or brush, in two stages that are 15-30 minutes apart, depending on the weather conditions, i.e. how quickly the first one will take (dry) hand.

It is recommended to use waterproofs that do not create a film on the lip, but work by penetrating and closing the pores of the lip.

Because there are a number of waterproofers that may or may not accentuate lip color, it is recommended to test the waterproofer on an excess lip before waterproofing all lips.

If the result is the desired one, then the waterproofing process can proceed without fear.

The day after the waterproofing, it is recommended that the lips be covered with thick cardboard and nylon, so that they are not soiled by other building materials, for as long as the building work continues in the surrounding area.

As long as the above steps have been followed, it is absolutely certain that the labia will be perfectly preserved until its unveiling. With a simple wash, and the use of plain water in combination with some non-acidic soap, the marble lips can be preserved for many years, without the slightest problem. Interdependence & sequence of lip placement tasks

Waterproofing is an easy process that does not require specialized personnel to do. It is recommended to be repeated every 2-3 years for the climatic conditions of our country, so that the lips are always kept clean.
It is recommended to clean stains that come to your attention in a short time, e.g. from lawn, sunscreen oil & bird droppings, with plain water and a neutral detergent.

Interdependence & sequence of lip placement tasks

For cases where building materials or red soil has penetrated the pores of the rock, it is advisable to use a small washing machine, using hot water under pressure.

It is forbidden to use hydrochloric acid, bleach and other acidic cleaners to clean the marble edges. Instead, any neutral or alkaline cleaner can be used without fear. In extraordinary and unpredictable cases of trouble, it is better to ask an expert or the person who supplied you with the lips, instead of any experimentation.

If the construction of the pool liner has preceded the installation of the liner, do not forget to notify the pool liner to come back and fill the specific gaps between the liner and the pool liner finish.

The gap (joint) between the "membrane guide" or any other finish and the lip, must be sealed with anti-fungal white polyurethane.

Believing that the above opinions & suggestions will at least be useful to the readers of Pool About magazine, we renew our appointment for the next 3 months where we intend to refer to the appropriate placement of overflows and surrounding floors. Interdependence & sequence of lip placement tasks

Interdependence & sequence of tasks for lip placement

Interdependence & sequence of tasks for lip placement

Skimmer Lip Dimensions

Height control of pool walls

Lip prep

Placement of lips

Stocking the lips

Lip waterproofing, protection and cleaning

Interdependence & sequence of lip placement tasks

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