Pool Ground Cloth

by Carol
(Pearland TX)

I'm getting ready to setup an above ground pool, I have not been able to find a ground cloth here in town, can I use any type of heavy duty plastic??



Hi Carol. A ground cloth for above ground pools can be just about anything, or you can build the pool without one. Most of my installations are done without because I feel the pool gets better drainage should it ever leak. I have changed many liners in pools using ground cloths where the algae growing under the liner was really bad.

There are times, however, when I really want one under the pool. This could be either a rocky soil condition as an extra precaution to keep the sand separated from the rocks. Another time would be if there was a lot of vegetation around the pool or if the yard got irrigation. If I know nearby trees will be shooting roots into the pool area in the near future, a few layers of heavy plastic under the pool can keep the roots away from the liner for a few extra years.

The cloth can be landscape plastic, pool pad, Gorilla pad, rolls of roofing material or even old carpet. It really does not make any difference what you use. Keep in mind the ground cloth does not take the place of weed and grass killer, as nut grass and some weeds will grow through the plastic and then the liner very easily.