Pool tile repairs in Derry, planned as one well-prepared trip.

Crossing the water and driving west

We reach Northern Ireland by ferry and then drive across to the Foyle, so a visit to Derry takes real planning. We book the crossing and somewhere to stay once the pool closure dates are agreed, not before.

Because the journey is long, we would rather arrive knowing what we are likely to face. A set of photos and a short call with whoever runs the pool lets us bring the right tiles, adhesive, grout and tools first time.

From the walled city to the suburbs

Derry has public leisure and school pools serving both banks of the river, hotel and health club pools for visitors to the walled city, and private pools in homes out towards the Donegal border.

Public pools that have been open for decades often show patches of different tiles and grout from earlier repairs. Hotel pools tend to wear at the steps and entry points first.

• Leisure centre and lane pools
• School and teaching pools
• Hotel and health club pools
• Private indoor pools
• Changing rooms and poolside walkways

Why we drain down for most repairs

Most tile and grout repairs need the pool empty. Tiles have to be lifted, the bed checked and new adhesive and grout given their full cure time before water goes back in. We agree that refill date with your plant room staff at the start.

Where a tile keeps coming loose in the same place, we look for the reason, such as movement in the structure or a missing movement joint, rather than just sticking it back.

Keeping a record of faults

Note where and when each problem first shows up, and photograph it. A fault that spreads along a step or keeps returning to one wall usually has a cause behind the tile, and a dated record helps us find it.

Keep any spare tiles from the original build somewhere dry. They make a repair far easier to blend in than a near match.