Wall Foam, Pool Cove and Floor Padding

by Nichole
(Oklahoma)

Is it necessary to buy the wall foam, pool cove and floor padding for my above ground pool? This pool will be set up on dirt, and I'm not sure if I need to spend the extra money for all this or will my pool function fine without?

Hi Nichole

It is not at all necessary to buy this stuff. I installed pools for a good 20 years before any of this stuff was invented. For the next ten years I knew about it but none of the stores I was dealing with were promoting it. It was the last ten years, when pools purchased on the internet became popular, that I started seeing these accessories.

Properly installed they can all be worth having. Not having experience working with them can be a real headache.

Most of my installs were done on dirt with a sand base. When doing pools on concrete I loved the pre-formed cove and a pool pad. The one time I used the wall foam I hated it. It really got in the way of installing the liner.

If you are doing the installation yourself I would keep it simple and save the money. If you are having it installed you should question the installers for their input.