Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
The Pool Envy Podcast is where real, licensed pool professionals speak up. In an industry overflowing with DIY chatter and surface-level advice, we dive deep into code, compliance, and craftsmanship that set licensed contractors apart. Our goal is to educate and elevate the industry — teaching safety, sharing knowledge, and helping those who build and service pools do it the right way.
From the job site to the code book, this is a Pool Envy Podcast where licensed pool professionals speak up. Code, compliance, craftsmanship. Hosted by Jason Davies. Licensed across Wisconsin, Florida, and Texas. Your deep end starts now.
Jason D:Today, I wanna talk about pool tile in a way that's useful to homeowners, useful to builders, useful to anyone, trying to understand the difference between appearance, workmanship, and technical correctness. Because pool tile is often discussed like decoration first, color, style, glass versus porcelain. What looks more expensive? What photographs better? But that is usually not where the real issue starts.
Jason D:The real issue starts with the assembly. What material was selected? What substrate it was installed over? How movement was supposed to be handled? Whether the setting materials match the application, and whether the installation was actually executed in a way that made technical sense.
Spyder:Let's dive in.
Jason D:This is the conversation for this episode. Not tile as decoration, tile as part of a system. If you want one place to start, start with the TCNA, Tile Council of North America. The TCNA handbook for ceramic, glass, and stone tile installation is one of the main recognized references for how tile assemblies are detailed and installed. On the ANSI side, a one zero eight point o one covers general requirements for structures, substrates, and preparation, and a one zero eight point o two covers workmanship for tile installation.
Jason D:So before anybody starts talking about premium appearance, they should be able to talk about substrate preparation, flatness, compatibility, and execution. That matters because a tile installation can look attractive and still be wrong. It can also look expensive and still be wrong. It can look clean from 10 feet away and still be wrong. Real craftsmanship is not just whether the lines look straight on install day.
Jason D:Real craftsmanship is whether the assembly was selected, detailed, and installed in a way that gives it a real chance to last. And if there's one concept that gets missed over and over, it is movement. TCNA's movement joint guidance is there for a reason. TCNA also makes clear that anti fracture or crack isolation membranes do not eliminate the need for soft joints in the tile work. That misconception shows up all the time, and it is still wrong.
Jason D:A membrane is not permission to ignore expansion and contraction. That is why so many weak conversations about pool tile go way off track. People jump right to grout color, or they jump right into whether the tile looked sloppy, or they jump right to whether the builders should just tear it out and use something else. Sometimes the finish is the visible symptom, but the real issue is movement that was never accommodated correctly in the first place. Repeated cracking, repeated tile release, repeated joint failure, or repeated trouble at the corner and transitions should push the conversation back to the assembly before it turns into a cosmetic debate.
Jason D:Glass tile is where this becomes even more important. Glass is not just another pretty tile. Glass behaves differently. TCNA's ANSI standard listing includes separate glass tile installation standards, including a one zero eight dot one four, a one zero eight dot one five, a one zero eight dot one six, and a one zero eight dot one eight. TCNA also notes that glass has a higher thermal expansion than ceramic tile.
Jason D:In plain English, this means glass should not be treated like a casual substitution for another tile body. It demands the right method, the right substrate condition, the right joint design, and the right setting materials. Ceramic needs to be discussed more carefully too. Porcelain is a type of ceramic tile, but not every ceramic tile is made from porcelain. TCNA says porcelain tile has water absorption of point 5% or less.
Jason D:TCNA also says porcelain is usually frost resistant because of that low absorption, but frost resistance still should be confirmed in the manufacturer's literature rather than assumed. So when people say ceramic tile in a casual way, that's not precise enough for a technical discussion. The right question is whether the specific tile is appropriate for the actual service conditions. And when I say tile in this episode, I'm not just talking about the waterline band. I am also talking about tile at the waterline in other wet, submerged, and wet dry transition areas where movement, exposure, bond, and material selection all matter.
Jason D:That can include raised walls, spillways, spa transitions, and other areas where conditions change fast and the assembly has to absorb real stress.
Spyder:Let's dive in.
Jason D:Now let's talk about mortar because this is where a lot of people oversimplify the issue. The right answer is not just use the strongest thinset. The better question is whether the mortar meets the applicable ANSI standard, whether it is compatible with the tile, whether it is compatible with the substrate, and whether it is appropriate for the service environment. ANSI A118 standards govern the physical properties for tile installation materials, and higher performance mortars are not a substitute for proper preparation, movement accommodation, or correct material selection. A premium bag does not fix bad assembly.
Jason D:This is also why grout and surface level fixes get misunderstood. TCNA says grout joints are not waterproof. TCNA also explains in its exterior guidance that since most tiles are water impermeable, water typically enters the system through grout joints or through the substrate itself. So when someone keeps chasing a reoccurring problem with sealer, color treatment, or another cosmetic patch, that may be treating the symptom while leaving the actual mechanism behind. That point matters even more around the waterline and on raised features.
Jason D:Those zones can see wet and dry cycling, direct sunlight, temperature swing, and different movement conditions within a relatively small area. So when people keep asking whether they should skip waterline tile or whether they should just plaster through an area that has seen repeated failure, I would be very careful about treating that like a finish preference. If a detail keeps failing, the first question should be why the assembly is failing, not which cosmetic shortcut hides it next. And that brings me to workmanship.
Spyder:Today's code breakdown.
Jason D:AN SI A108O2 is the workmanship standard. That means workmanship is not just an opinion, and it's not just whether somebody likes the look of a job. When inside corners are irregular, when joints are inconsistent, when edge control is poor, when the surface profile looks haphazard, and when the installation shows signs of weak planning, the answer is not always, that's just how tile is. Sometimes the issue is exactly what it appears to be, poor execution. So if you're a homeowner, here are the questions that matter.
Jason D:Ask whether the installer is following recognized standards and manufacturer instructions, including guidance in the TCNA handbook for ceramic, glass, and stone tile installation. Ask what ANSI standard applies to the setting materials. Ask whether the selected tile is appropriate for submerged service, exterior exposure, and freeze thaw conditions where applicable. Ask how movement is being addressed. Ask how corners, transitions, and changes in the plane are being handled.
Jason D:Ask what is behind the tile, not just what color is on the face of it. And if you're a builder, the standard should be higher than it looked good when we left because craftsmanship is not separate from standards. Craftsmanship is the field execution of standards. It is easy to sell appearance. It is harder to build with discipline.
Jason D:It is easy to call something premium. It is harder to show that the substrate was appropriate. Movement was accounted for. The material selection made sense, and the installation followed recognized guidance instead of habit, folklore, or convenience. And that is really the difference.
Jason D:Pool tile is not just decoration. It's not just a style choice. It's not just a photograph. It is a standards issue. It is a code issue where code applies.
Jason D:It is a compliance issue, and only after those things are respected does it become a craftsmanship story worth telling. That's the Pool Envy lens, not just whether it looks good, whether it is technically right, because a good looking surface does not make a bad assembly correct. But when standards, code, compliance, and craftsmanship are aligned, the work at least has a real chance to last.
Spyder:This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not legal advice, and it is not site specific engineering, code, or safety determination. Determination. All field conditions should be evaluated in context. Thanks for listening to the Pool Envy Podcast, where licensed pool professionals speak up.
Spyder:Hosted by Jason Davies, licensed across Wisconsin, Florida, and Texas. For more insights, subscribe and join us next time.