Lipstick and eyeliner

Good day Ladies… Trust my heading tricked you into reading what the pool people know about personal beauty. Many principles which apply to a make-up session also apply to the way you present a food platter, decorating the house or planning the pool.

The water inside any swimming pool will virtually always be blue or a shade thereof. You can try any different pool hue to “colour” the inside of the pool structure but because the sky is blue, the water virtually always reflects blue. Too few chemicals can cause the water to have a dull, murky colour or even be green, but this is not the norm for a swimming pool.



It is very important to look at ways to make the pool water colour “pop”, so to speak.

The copings framing the pool make it stand out. These are the tiles on the pool wall – I like to call them the lipstick. A variety of options are available but it’s very important that your pool builder shows you samples at your actual pool so that you can see what the total look will be.

The function of any coping on the pool water is to prevent water from splashing out the pool. It is also a sturdy area on which to sit or dive from. Decking can look nice but does very little to prevent water splashing out the pool. Most of the composite deckings are also very uncomfortable in the hot sun to sit on.



Options which work well are natural stone copings, or precast concrete slabs with a custom finish. These are handmade and the various dimension stones available right here in Namibia can be added to give a beautiful look.

Equally important is the scum line. This is the +- 150 mm below the coping which forms the water level of the pool. Dirt and suntan lotions floating on the water normally stick to this area. Dark, scummy lines are most unattractive and therefore most pool builders use either a material-based mosaic in this area or my personal favourite, genuine mosaics. Cleaning it is easy and it hides any dirty marks. Like applying eyeliner skilfully, the mosaic line can enhance the visual appeal. This can do magic in any pool to make the water “pop”.



My suggestion is, as always, let’s customise your pool to make the most of it in the particular area at your house or lodge. In the 2000’s most people want instant solutions but, if you want to have something with individual merit, you need to apply a bit of time and be led by a pool builder with a history for building beautiful pools.

Take care and enjoy the planning.

Until next time:

Burgert Terblanche

Tel: 061-232839, Fax: 061-238602
Email: [email protected]