Q: What's the most interesting new building product you've seen in the last few years?
It's rare in the pool industry to see a truly new or different product, but a few months ago I had the opportunity to observe the installation of a glass-bead pool interior. In addition, the pool next door had been finished with glass beads a few weeks prior and was filled for my inspection. In my 30-plus years in the pool industry I have seen hundreds, if not thousands, of pools and this was the most beautiful interior I have ever observed.
Glass beads are not totally new to the industry. As president of PebbleTec I was approached about 20 years ago with glass beads. They were all the same shape, did not vary in size or color, were much more expensive than today and did not look good when mixed with aggregates. Consequently, I passed on the opportunity.
Things have certainly changed. The pools that I saw were produced by a U.S.-trademarked company called Beadcrete, which has a patent on its process.
From my experience with aggregates I believe that the success of producing such a beautiful surface with glass beads is in the proper mix of colors, sizes and various shapes of the beads. Of course, the method of application is critical and is somewhat different than that for the aggregates currently being used.
