Gunite Pool Vs Vinyl liner pool

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Assume you’ve decided to purchase a swimming pool for your home.

Gunite or Vinyl Pools are your only options.

The bad news is that you won’t be able to decide which swimming pool is suitable for you unless you grasp the differences between the two.

Now let’s look at the critical differences between the two models and examine their benefits and drawbacks, as well as their shapes and sizes, installation procedures, and maintenance requirements.

Gunite Pools

A Gunite Pool is a concrete pool of sand, cement, and water poured with a high-pressure hose. It has excellent structural strength.

Gunite Pool designs are long-lasting and resilient and can be custom-made to match any form or size to meet your pool’s exact demands and desires. A high-pressure hose is a necessity to apply and implement concrete pools formed from mixed and blended components like sand, cement, and water.

Gunite pools are well-known for their durability.

Their pool designs are long-lasting and sturdy, and the manufacturer tailors them to match any size or shape.

Now that you know about the theoretical part of the Gunite Pools let us look at its pros and cons.

Pros

• Customizable Finishes – Gunite plasters come in various colors, or you can a pebble finish, or even all tile.

This model provides a wide range of alternatives, ensuring that you choose a design that complements your home and surroundings.

• Flexibility in Design – Gunite pools are handcrafted on-site and can be customized to blend in with your existing landscaping. Gunite is ideal for creating a specific shape and an extra-large or extra-deep pool. While the construction process takes longer than Vinyl pools, it offers more incredible shape, size, and depth versatility.
• Extra Features – Do you want a pool with built-in rock formations, waterfalls, or underwater bench seating in a lagoon-style? Gunite goes a lot further than Vinyl in this direction.

Cons

• Longer Installation Time – Because all the labor is done on-site, installing a Gunite pool takes a longer.  Depending on the complexity of your custom-designed pool, the installation might take weeks to months.

Vinyl Liner Pools

These pools have custom-made Vinyl sheets between the water and the pool structure. Pools with vinyl liners typically lock their top edge, known as a bead, into a track located on the bottom of the coping, usually at deck level.

Vinyl liner pools use less electricity and fewer chemicals for maintenance than other types of pools because they are less prone to algae attachments on their walls. Still, it has its own set of advantages and disadvantages.

Pros

• Low Budget Costs – Vinyl liner pools are very affordable. Most cost at least $10,000-$30,000 less than comparable Gunite pools.
• Quick Construction – Building a Vinyl Liner Pool takes approximately 4–8 weeks. much faster than the Gunite pool installation procedure.
• Customizable Shape – Many Vinyl Liner Pools are rectangular, but the pool’s shape, size, and depth are customizable. Custom shapes cost more, but they are still less expensive than a comparable Gunite pool.
• Smooth Liner Surface – A vinyl liner is smooth except for a slight ridge where one piece of material meets another. A concrete pool properly finished interior will be as smooth as your garage floor.

Cons

• Undesirable Appearance – White coping and significant plastic white steps that jut out from the body of the pool are standard features of Vinyl Liner Pools. They promote the fact that it is not a typical Gunite Pool. However, fancy customized Vinyl Liner Pools can up the look.
• Vinyl liner Construction- In-ground pool liners are typically 20, 27, 28, or 30 mils thick—less than a millimeter. Dog claws, broken branches, or even hungry insects can tear that quickly. Wrinkles in your vinyl liner aren’t harmful but smoothing them out takes significant time and effort. Divots and dents are usually cosmetic issues, but a rock or pebble could cause a tear in the liner. Ground water can easily become a big issue with the liner floating.  You must drain the pool and remove the liner to repair these issues.  
• Not that Durable – Metal or Polymer wall panels cannot be properly compacted against, and voids will be created overtime which will cause movement in pool deck and the walls themselves. Using Sand to backfill only make the water issues worse, water moves through sand down under liner.  

• Its warranty is not straightforward – If you want to get a credit for a liner replacement, make sure you read the warranty thoroughly. You will most likely find the following information:

1. The warranty covers the liner’s “seams” and the material sections fuse.
2. The warranty does not cover labor, water, and other expenses.
3. Propagation of the warranty. You’ll get some credit toward a new liner during the first two or three years but nothing after that.

• Liner replacements – Vinyl liners today typically last 5–9 years and cost $5,000–$7,500 to replace. This includes the cost of the liner, labor, pool water, and other minor expenses. 
• The Salt System is incompatible – If your vinyl liner pool has polymer wall panels, you can use a saltwater system, but not if it has metal wall panels. Salt corrodes the panels and any galvanized steel handrails and ladder anchors (use bronze).

Conclusion

A Vinyl Pool has a experation date, a Gunite Pool can last a lifetime or more!

Liner Pools are Cheaper-Gunite Pools are Stronger and More Beautiful!