What To Put Under An Above Ground Pool Liner
The new year is here and the swimming season is drawing closer. This is the time that people start thinking of the upcoming summer fun and their above ground pools. For some it’s replacing that old dingy leaky pool liner and for others it building a brand new pool. Regardless of which category you’re in, getting a proper pool liner pad for your above ground pool is a very good idea in Orlando or anywhere in Florida.
The soil in Florida is very soft, sandy and at times very damp. This is makes it very welcoming for moles, ground hogs and others creatures to dig and burrow into searching for a meal or place to live. Unfortunately for above ground pool owners this can be underneath their pools. It’s not so much that the insects and rodents are under there, it’s when they bite through that new pool liner attempting to surface that it becomes a real problem.
This scenario plays out hundreds of times every summer across Central Florida and it’s completely preventable. The answer to this problem is not bug spray, it’s Armor Shield. This is a very tough material that insects and rodents can’t bite through that will prevent unwanted pool liner damage. Armor Shield looks much like a blanket that’s already cut to the size and shape of your pool. Once you have the pool floor smoothed out, simply lay down the Armor Shield liner pad and install the liner right on top of it. There is nothing else I would use in place of it. It will not rot away or damage to your pool and it’ll last a lifetime. I wouldn’t install my own pool without one!
Use A Pool Pad Or Risk Doing It Again
If your still on the fence about investing in a pool floor pad think of the cost to buy another liner, install it, buy water again and still have to buy the pool floor pad anyway if you have a critter problem. Everyone with an above ground pool that lives in Florida should seriously consider this product. It does go under the pool liner so it can only be added during the liner install or during the pool build. But it’s important you do this right and do not buy some knock-off pool floor pad or worse yet, plastic sheeting, weed barrier or Styro-foam from Home Depot, this is a waste of money. The cost of Armor Shield pool floor pad varies by size and shape of your pool so there is a button below to show you prices of the different size liner pads.
It’s important to add that many people are under the impression that pool floor pads stop nutgrass from growing through your liner, this is not true. If fact non of the commonly used material like plastic sheeting, plywood, weed barrier, roofing paper, Styro-foam, Perfect Bottom or Gorilla Pad will even slow nutgrass down from doing it’s damage. If you have nutgrass in your yard you need to address it before installing the liner pad and pool liner. If you’re unsure if you have it, buy nutgrass killer anyway, its not that expensive and if you don’t use it you could end up with grass growing up through your brand new liner. Trust me, you don’t want to be that guy or gal.
To effectively stop nutgrass you must use a high quality nutgrass killer. This is a cheap investment and likely the best one you’ll make this swim season. I must also say I’ve never installed an above ground pool or pool liner in Florida without using nutgrass killer, never. Use the commercial grade stuff if you can swing it (button below), use the garden store stuff if you can’t, but always use something!