Hull pool tiling, where hard water leaves its mark.

What scale hides

A layer of scale can make a pool look worse than it is, or better. Once it is cleaned off, the tiles and grout may be in good order, or there may be open joints and loose tiles that the deposit was covering.

We usually suggest a test clean on a small area first. It shows how well the scale comes away and what condition the finish is in, before you commit to cleaning the whole pool.

• Scale build up at the waterline and steps
• Rough or discoloured grout lines
• Crusted channels and gratings
• Staining around inlets

Pools across Hull and East Yorkshire

Hull sits on the north bank of the Humber estuary, and we cover the city and the wider East Riding. There are leisure and school pools in the city, hotel and health club pools, private pools in homes in the villages to the west, and holiday park pools along the coast towards Bridlington.

Holiday park pools have their own pressure. They are busiest in the summer, so work usually has to fit into the quieter months.

The coast and the estuary also mean salt air and wind for outdoor pools and poolside areas. Where an outdoor pool or external surround is involved, we take the exposure into account when choosing adhesive, grout and the time of year to do the work.

Repairs and regrouting

Where cleaning shows grout that has worn away, an epoxy regrout gives a harder, less porous joint that copes better with regular cleaning. Loose or cracked tiles are taken up and rebedded or replaced, and the pool gets the cure time it needs before refilling.

We also look at why grout wore in the first place. Aggressive cleaning to shift scale, water balance and heavy use all play a part, and it is worth talking to whoever runs the water treatment so the new grout is not worn away in the same way.