Are Fiberglass Pools Good?

Source: Casa Pools

Fiberglass swimming pools are in a weird place. On the one hand, they're highly sought after (and correspondingly higher priced). On the other, a lot of people don't know much about them, or may have out-of-date notions about what a fiberglass pool can be.

Thus the question: Are fiberglass pools good?

The answer is yes - with the predictable caveat that you have to buy the right pool and hire the right company to install it for you. While fiberglass swimming pools were once criticized as glorified bathtubs, many of the options on the market these days are pretty amazing - and they're getting better all the time. This is why many homeowners are willing to pay the extra price to get a fiberglass pool.

In the past, the main criticisms of fiberglass pool shells were:

• Too small/limit to how big they could be
• Limited shapes and styles
• Painted finish frequently forms spider cracks
• Risk of pool wall bulging
• Lack of optional features like spas, beach entry, tanning ledge, etc.

Since the bad old days, the options have greatly increased and the problems have become more like "things to watch out for" rather than issues endemic to fiberglass pools. In other words, as long as your pool builder has evolved along with the quality of fiberglass pools in general, you should be just fine.

Of course, there's still the issue of cost. Fiberglass pools tend to be significantly more expensive than vinyl and perhaps a touch pricier than concrete. Ultimately, the choice to go with fiberglass boils down to how it stacks up in other areas. Here are some of the main advantages:

• Smooth surface (as opposed to concrete)
• Ease of installation (fiberglass pool shells are relatively simple to drop into a yard)
• Reduced maintenance (nonporous fiberglass surface doesn't allow algae to take hold as easily)
• Overall looks

Fiberglass is still the last thing most people think of when they envision a backyard pool, but that could be changing. Not too long ago, fiberglass pools were considered unusual at best, and substandard at worst. Nowadays, they have a large and ever-growing number of fans.