Swimming Pool Liners

Swimming pool liners are required to internally line the finished water retaining surface of both in-ground and above ground swimming pools.

There are two different liner systems and they are generally known as the overlap liner and the beaded liner and both treat the finish of the swimming pool's top lip in very different ways.

Most modern pool liners are made from a highly durable vinyl material that can be specified in different thicknesses known as gauges. The thicker the gauge, the greater the durability of the liner, and consequently the more tactile the liner's feel to swimmers.

Pool liner types

As previously mentioned, there are two different liner types and they generally have two different applications.

An overlap liner sees the top of the liner overlap the top of the swimming pool's walls where it is secured by clips with some kind of finishing head detail. This kind of liner can only be used with the cheaper above ground pools. In-ground pools do not have a lip to the top of the pool's walls over which the liner can be hung, so they are unsuitable for this style of pool.

Most above ground pools use overlap swimming pool liners because they are cheaper than their beaded alternatives, although they do not provide quite as high a quality of finish at the head detail.

Beaded swimming pool liners use a completely different system where a track or runner is attached just below the top of the pool walls. As such, this kind of swimming pool liner can be used on both in-ground and above-ground swimming pools to equal effect.

The beaded swimming pool liner has a higher quality of finish than the overlap liner, but it is more expensive to buy and has a higher cost and more complex fitting requirement. One additional advantage is that it has a greater availability of colours and patterns and a much more professional head termination detail.

Swimming pool liners can last for 15 to 20 years, but this is always dependant upon their treatment, initial fitting and care.

Which liner you choose will be determined by the type of pool that you own and your available budget.