A black pool is going to be one-of-a-kind, but painting your swimming pool black isn’t a good idea. Some of the reasons you shouldn’t paint your pool black are that it could lead to a little complication, for starters problems like overheating, fading, more vulnerable to erosion hazards and potential safety risks from misjudging the depth of water.
Even with all these issues, it is still popular among homeowners.
The evolution is easy to understand “the black pool” refers to uniqueness and it looks incredible.
But is it worth the headache and risks? Read on for the downside of owning a black swimming pool.
Why Construct a Black Swimming Pool?
The main thing that people choose black for, is the intensity and uniqueness of the color.
It also gives the chance of swimming something more exciting than diving into a pool of colors.
However, this color has shortcomings that we will talk about below.
What are the Disadvantages of Black Swimming Pools?
Here are some of the biggest reasons you might be regretting to paint your swimming pool black.
Mineral Scale
If plaster comes into contact with water, a couple of chemical reactions occur, one of which is the buildup of mineral scale.
This is the whitish calcium residue that builds up on all wet surfaces, mostly in bathrooms/kitchens. This scale builds up in massive amounts in black swimming pools.
Just remember this: mineral scale builds up faster in darker pools because they absorb heat quicker whereas the chemical reactions also occur quicker.
Fading
Black pools also have the proximity of fading, and fading unevenly. Effectively, your pools walls, will have uneven faded areas that start fading a few months after you placed water.
Even worse, the fading often also exposes the foot-print or trowel marks by the people who built the pool.
These blemishes tend to be more noticeable on dark installments than a white or light-blue swimming pool.
Erosion
If you think scale build up and fading is bad, imagine what your swimming pool walls look like if you start to erode them.
When your calcium, alkalinity and pH start dropping which increases acidity levels, the levels of acid affect chemistry of the water.
As a Result:
- The water beginning erodes the pool walls.
- The more etched spots you get the worse and worse your pool will look.
- In a worst-case scenario, etched plaster would look like tiny holes with a rough texture and micro-fissures.
And, if you were to rub your body against these while swimming, this could happen to you.
It also helps create the perfect breeding ground for algae, bacteria and other water-borne organisms that can be detrimental to your health.
And, just so you know: cleaning algae is hard work and takes a very long time.
Safety Concerns
When swimming pool construction is concerned, safety must be put first.
Yet, for some, there are concerns for the safety of dark swimming pools.
Part of their argument is that the dark color of the swimming pool inhibits the swimmers’ ability to perceive depth – in other words, the walls and the bottom appear further away than they are.
As a result, the risk of colliding with the pool and causing injury to yourself may be greater.
Again, the inhibition could cause swimmers to sustain serious injuries jumping into the pool from a deck.
It is usually difficult to determine depth in the water at certain ends of a swimming pool.
For example, if there are no depth markings, a swimmer could strike their body against the bottom of the pool due to misperception.
Reduced Home Value
Most people considering buying property view swimming pools as an added-value feature.
However, this is not true with black swimming pools. In fact, black swimming pools can decrease the value of your home!
You may love the look of your dark swimming pool, but most people don’t share your worldview.
In fact, those people may shy away from your property when it comes time to sell!
Why you ask? For starters, the color ‘blue’ is related to the swimming pool color that the vast majority of people are accustomed to seeing. Blue swimming pools have blue water because the aqua’s color is a reflection of the sky. So, for most people, the very thought of a black swimming pool is enough to scare them away!
Application Complexities
Plastering is a complex process and is not a straight forward process, even if you hire really good experienced people.
You will experience weather delays due to heat and then dampness, which may detrimentally affect the finish look of the plaster.
Then we can compound the situation by adding that likely when you are all done with the project, you are going to see micro-cracking, patches of color, and delamination in your walls.
Most of these issues occur due to human error causing mis-mixing and or contamination.
Now let’s say you have a black pool, the blemishes as described above will be magnified by the dark colors.
You are also more likely to get into disputes with a black pool contractor as opposed to a light colored pool contractor.
Overheating
Swimming pools are great for cooling off in the summer months. The downside of black is that it absorbs heat more quickly than other colors.
For this reason, a dark-colored swimming pool can feel a little uncomfortable when the weather is hot because the water gets hot.
Black swimming pools, on average, are generally 5 to 10 degrees hotter than other options. This is because dark pigments absorb and store heat longer.
Just remember: While this is convenient in those colder months, when the sun is blazing, the water will feel uncomfortable.
Legality
Even though it seems unlikely, some local municipalities will not permit black-bottom swimming pools.
In some cities and states, homeowners must build pools that are beneath a certain level of coloration.
If it is too dark it is unsafe and it may come with a valuable fine. Be sure you’re not going against local rules before you paint it black.
Should I Build a Black Swimming Pool?
At the end of the day, the finish that you choose for your pool comes down to what you want.
The benefits of black swimming pools are many. For example, they are different and stand out.
Furthermore, black pools can hold heat longer than others which can prove valuable in areas that see little sunlight.
That said, the disadvantages of installing a black swimming pool outweigh the benefits :
- These types of installations are more prone to the buildup of mineral scales, fading, and erosion.
Additionally, these can decrease the value of your home and the blemishes of the build process are more apparent. - The worst thing about them is that darker shades can affect your depth perception resulting in an increase in your risk of injury.
Final Thoughts
So, you get the gist of what we’ve said: we really don’t encourage you to develop a dark pool.
What we do encourage is the usual pool colors with add ons like flowers, fountains, and lighting to enhance an attraction with a pool.