DIY Pool Re-Tiling & Re-Lining Part Two

In Part one, we repaired the tile. Here we'll replace the liner on your swimming pool. Cracks in the liner can lead to undermining the construction of the pool, leaching water into the ground, and contaminants into your water. Replace a bad liner to preserve your pool and your landscape.

Step 1 - Drain and Prep the Pool

Drain all of the water out of the pool. Remove all of the fixtures, drains and light assemblies if the pool has any.

Step 2 - Remove the Old Liner

Remove the liner’s bead from the track and start cutting away sections of the liner for easier removal.

Step 3 - Inspect and Repair Pool Walls

With the old liner out of the pool, take this time to check the pool walls for rust, corrosion or other irregularities. If you find a rusty spot, sand all of the rust away until the surface is nice and smooth. Spray the area with rust-preventing paint.

If a section of the pool wall is highly corroded, you can purchase wall foam from your local pool supply store to install over it. In addition, prior to installing the new liner, apply duct tape to the seams where the walls meet. This will help eliminate the appearance of the seam once the liner is installed.

Inspect the liner track where the bead of the liner is inserted for any damage, excessive wear or irregularities. If you find an area of track that’s in poor shape, replace the track in that section.

Step 4 - Inspect and Repair Pool Floor

If your pool has a soft floor, meaning that the pool liner sits directly on sand, check the sand for any discoloration or muddy areas. This is a sure sign that the previous liner had a leak. Remove the sand where the leak had occurred and replace it with fresh sand of the same consistency. Remove any stones or pebbles that may have been included in the new sand and use a trowel to make the surface of the sand smooth and level.

If the floor of your pool is concrete or vermiculite, check the area for cracks, corrosion, damage or signs of leaks. If the floor is cracked or damaged, fill the areas with a vermiculite mixture and make it smooth with a trowel.

Step 5 - Set the New Liner in Place

Drape the new liner across the pool, but be careful you don’t drag the liner over the pool surface. You will need the help of a number of people to do this properly. Most pool liner manufacturers recommend starting the work from the deep end of the pool first, but always check with your liner’s manufacturer for the proper installation techniques for your liner. When the liner is completely stretched across the pool, carefully drop it down onto the floor of the pool.

Step 6 - Secure the Liner Bead in the Track

Take the bead on the outer edge of the liner and start inserting it into the track. Work your way around the pool, inserting the bead into the track as you go along.

Step 7 - Remove Air from Liner

Close off the skimmer hole with a piece of duct tape and insert a vacuum hose about ¾ of the way down the wall between the pool wall and the liner. Seal up the area around the hose with duct tape as well. Turn the vacuum on and you should start seeing the wrinkles disappear from the liner.

Step 8 - Install the Drain

Leave the vacuum on and start filling up the pool with water. If you have to turn the vacuum off for any reason, be sure to turn the water off first. The entire time water is being added, the vacuum should be running. Continue filling the pool with water until you get approximately 4 inches of water in the deep end of the pool.

Enter the deep end of the pool where the drain is located. Remove the screws from the drain gasket and place the second gasket over the drain. Use self tapping screws to set the second drain gasket. After the gasket has been secured, cut the liner around the inside of the two gaskets. Once that’s complete, attach the drain cover.

Step 9 - Remove the Vacuum

Continue to fill the pool with water (with the vacuum running) until the shallow end has 2 to 3 inches of water. Turn off the vacuum and remove the hose. Slide the bead liner into the track where the hose was located.

Step 10 - Replace Fixtures and Fill Pool

Install any fixtures you may have removed earlier using the same technique you used on the drain. Continue to fill the pool with water until it reaches the desired level.