Logos, patterns and step markers in a pebble or glass pool finish

Logos, motifs and colour zones worked into the finish

Logos, stripes, motifs and colour zones can be worked into PebbleCrete finishes. Published projects include hand-laid chevron deck stripes, a resort logo in a walkway and a heart set into an existing tiled pool floor. Pebble Pools is a separate company, a dealer and applicator of PebbleCrete materials in Thailand.

• Hand-laid geometric stripes. At The SIS Kata, we renewed the resort pools and reset the fittings, laid PebbleCrete Supreme Blue Sea and worked the chevron deck pattern by hand in PebbleCrete Supreme Black Halo.
• Resort logos in aggregate. At Exotic Fishing Resort, we finished the new pool in PebbleCrete Supreme Crystal Blue, tiled the terrace and worked the resort's fish logo by hand in coloured aggregate against a pale ground in the walkway.
• Motifs inlaid into a tiled floor. At Heart Shape Feature on Pool Floor, we drew a heart pattern on the tile grid and set it into the existing tiled floor square by square in green PebbleCrete Glass.
• Colour zones across depths. At Title Serenity, Nai Yang, we laid custom PebbleCrete mixes in zones over the bondcoat — sand at the beach entry and blue across the deeper water.
• Different finishes across pool features. At Private Villa, Thepkrassatri — White Halo, we used PebbleCrete Supreme White Halo inside the pool and PebbleCrete Glass Raindrop on the coping, shallow ledge, jacuzzi and seating.

Step markers and contrasting finishes on ledges and coping

Steps and coping can use a different finish colour from the pool interior. Published projects include a Pearl White pool with White Granite steps and a tiled pool that kept its interior while its steps and coping were refinished. The inspection checks whether existing tiles can be kept.

A textured exposed-aggregate finish feels different underfoot from smooth glazed tile, so the surface on steps and shallow zones should be chosen with this in mind. Note that a Baja shelf (a standing or tanning ledge) is not a beach entry: a Baja shelf is a flat shallow ledge for lounging or standing, whereas a beach entry slopes into the water.

• Contrasting PebbleCrete steps. At Bayview Lodge, we stripped the old finish to the blockwork, re-rendered the shell and finished the pool in PebbleCrete Classic Pearl White with steps in PebbleCrete Classic White Granite.
• New steps and coping in a sound tiled pool. At Private Villa, Naithon Beach — Sea-View Pool, we kept the original tiled pool interior and redid the coping in PebbleCrete Classic Black Granite and the steps in PebbleCrete Classic White Granite.
• Glass finishes on steps, jacuzzis and ledges. At Private Villa, Laguna — Raindrop, where the pool and jacuzzi were built by others, we applied PebbleCrete Glass Raindrop to the jacuzzi interior, seat ledge, steps and coping.
• Concrete steps to the floor. In place of a steel ladder or two small top steps, we build concrete steps all the way to the pool floor — as at Private Villa, Pasak — Alaska Ice — and finish them in textured PebbleCrete with bullnose or square-sculpted edges.
• Waterline bands and pebble gratings. At Bayview Lodge, a mosaic band on epoxy adhesive runs round the skimmer waterline so a wide dirty line does not show. At Private Villa, Pasak — Alaska Ice, overflow slabs were replaced with gratings laid with pebbles.

Lighting and features for steps and shallow zones

Steps and shallow zones can include fibre-optic points, overhead projection or air massage. Fibre optics carry light from one source outside the pool and need a drained pool for installation. When the pool is empty for step work or resurfacing, we can combine suitable upgrades in the same shutdown.

• Fibre-optic points in steps, ledges and walls. Fibre-optic lighting is not a set of LEDs: light is carried through fibres from one light source outside the pool to many small points in the steps, ledges or walls. Fitting fibre optics needs a drained pool.
• Overhead projection. Projection onto the water looks most striking on shallow water such as a Baja shelf (standing or tanning ledge).
• Air-massage fields. On a Baja shelf or underwater seating, we can include an air-massage field with many air jets across the ledge, switched on from a phone app. The air channels are cast into the ledge and the blower sits in the plant room, so this is decided before the ledge is built rather than added afterwards.
• Light replacement and electrical work. We do not reseal leaking pool lights — we replace them with ultra-slim resin-filled surface lights. Electrical work is agreed with the owner's electrician or engineer.

Choosing colours, inspection and installation in a dry pool

Choose finish colours from samples; design work can include 3D views and colour renders. At Title Serenity, Nai Yang, custom colour samples were made up and set out on the pool edge to choose from, because the condominium wanted brighter shades than the standard range.

All finish and step work inside the pool is done in a drained and dry pool, kept under shade sheets while the finish goes down where needed. Draining is planned with the season and the groundwater in mind, because an empty shell is at risk when the ground around it is saturated and the surface takes longer to dry in the rains. We start with an on-site inspection and tap-test to check whether existing tiles are sound or whether hollow areas and leaks require stripping back to the shell. Hidden problems can show only once the old finish comes off, so the work may go in stages. Engineering decisions are agreed with you and your engineer — or, if you don't have one, with our partner engineer. Once filled, water chemistry depends on source water, equipment, use and the finish, and testing is done on site.

What to send us for a first discussion

Send photos of the pool, steps, ledges and surrounds, or drawings for a new build. Include your location, approximate pool size, water depths and current finish. Add logo artwork, pattern sketches or colour references, and tell us about other work you want to combine while the pool is drained.

• Photos of the pool, steps, ledges and surrounds, or architectural drawings for a new build
• Logo artwork, pattern sketches or colour references for the floor, steps, coping or walkways
• Your villa, hotel or resort location in Phuket or elsewhere in Thailand
• The approximate pool size, water depths and current finish material
• Any other drained work to combine in one shutdown, such as concrete steps to the floor, handrails, a Baja shelf, a beach entry or new lighting