Above Ground Pool Underlay

by Amy
(Maryland)

I am getting ready to install a 24'x52" round pool myself. I am so confused as to what to use and what NOT to use. I really don't want to use sand if I don't have to (a lot of work).

If my ground is fairly firm and it is leveled out, do I really need to use sand at all? Can I use 2" foam padding and then cove?

I was thinking of lying thick weed stopper material, then foam padding, cove and liner. Will that work? If I do choose the gorilla padding, can it just be that and the cove and NO sand as long as it’s level?



Hi Amy. I use sand mainly because it is cheaper for the customer, and much faster for me, than any other type of underlay, or pool base.

There is nothing wrong with 4 x 8 sheets of foam. I have done it many times with excellent results, but boy is it time consuming. If that's what my customer wants then they provide the foam and I charge extra for piecing it all into place.

I'm not sure you need to go as thick as 2", either 1" or 1 1/2" would work just fine. You just need to be sure the ground under the foam is smooth and level. The preformed pool cove is a must when working with Styrofoam.

I think you can probably see where sand would be a lot cheaper than foam and cove. But as far as results go, I had a foam base on one of my pools and loved it.

If you go with the foam no padding is needed. You definitely do not want to install anything over the foam except the liner. If you level and smooth the ground, spray for weeds and grass if needed, you should be fine with just putting the foam over top of that.

The smoother the ground is the thinner the foam can be. On concrete, tile, or really smooth ground 1/2" foam works just fine. But use it on unleveled or rocky ground and it will fall apart under the weight of the water.

And keep this in mind as you do the pool installation. The two keys to building the perfect above ground pool are to keep it perfectly round and perfectly level.

Best of luck.