Wigan pool tiling, fitted into the window you have.

Inspect before the window opens, not when it does

Wigan and its neighbouring towns have public leisure pools and school pools, plus private pools in homes in the outlying villages. For schools and leisure operators the work has to fit inside a set closure.

The surest way to protect that window is an inspection well before it starts. It leaves time to scope the repairs, order tiles and grout, and plan the cure and refill properly instead of squeezing them in at the end.

A typical sequence

• Inspection in the term or season before the closure
• Photos of problem areas while the pool is still in use
• Scope and tile matching agreed early
• Drain-down, access and welfare arrangements confirmed
• Curing and a slow, controlled refill before reopening

Where wear shows first

In school and learner pools, the steps, nosings and shallow floor take most of the traffic. Lost grout and chipped edges are common there, and a loose tile on a step should not wait for the summer.

Targeted repairs and a regrout often bring these areas back without a full retile. If we find a wider bond or background problem once tiles are lifted, you hear about it that day.

One closure, not two

School and leisure changing rooms often need attention at the same time as the pool. Cracked floor tiles and open shower joints can be dealt with while the pool is shut, which saves a second disruption later in the year.

On changing room floors we look at slip resistance and the falls to the drains, and keep movement joints flexible. If the changing rooms stay in use, safe routes past the works are agreed with the site.