Who assured you they could be used in a pool?

The tile company we bought it from. It's a very large reputable company in Orlando and they actually have been very responsive and said they have never seen the tile do that before and others have used it as well.

There is standard for the installation of glass tile, ANSI A137.2.

Glass tile requires a modified thinset mortar for setting. Not the standard thinset you would use for ceramic tile.

The prep work prior to the installation is important. Laticrete is a company that offers specialty mortars for all tiles and natural stones. They give a suggested method and materials to be used for a sound installation. Worth a visit to their site.

Mapei is another company that offers specialty materials for glass tile as well.

Waterproofing the surface prior to the installation is very important. Compliant type glass tile come with a paper face that is peeled off after the installation. Mesh backing on glass tile does not conform to the standard as the tile must be able to completely be set in the thinset mortar without interference.

Some glass tiles are clear all the way through. The thinset must be spread smooth, without a notch, so as to not see the notches through the tile.

Some tiles have a colored backing which does not require the thinset to be spread smooth.

Some installers prefer an epoxy grout. It's expensive and tough to work with as there is a time limit for application.

Here in the Northeast, we have to consider temperature changes which will certainly affect tile.

You don't have the temp swings and issues.

We have done numerous glass tile installations and they are all holding up well even after 10+ years.

Do you have any leftover tile? Could you post a pic of it? I'm interested to see if there is a mesh backing on the tile.

WOW......Thank you so much for your quick response and extremely helpful information. I am getting a sense that 1. The tile we used should not have been recommended to us for the pool and 2. The application process was incorrect. As you requested, here are some photo's I had taken while the pool was under construction. Lucky for me, I had taken a couple pictures because I was not loving how it was coming out and wanted to document what was being used. I did not have any photos of the grout that was used. One thing I forgot to mention is that we have a ton of calcium build up as well. The tile guy came out and cleaned it off and said he sealed the tile so it would not happen again and then one month later it is back. And while I have you (Thank You so much), I am attaching a couple other photo's as well. One is showing some black stuff in the grout. I am not sure what it is and the other is showing a very large opening in the grout. We have a couple of those areas as well. Any ideas on if these two items could be an issue?? Mind you this pool was just completed in November and the problems started showing up in January. In our previous home, we had our pool built by a different company and for almost 15 years, we never had an issue. Thank you sooooo much for your help. You have no idea how much I appreciate it :)

I can see the tile has a mesh backing which is not preferable. Baystone Tile makes no mention of it's application for pools.

The black you see is mold. Moisture trapped behind the tile caused this.

The "calcium" your seeing is actually efflorescence. Search the meaning for a complete explanation.

The thinset used, Southern Sanded, is not for glass tile application but natural stone materials. SGM makes a specific glass tile thinset. Here's the link. https://www.sgm.cc/product/glass-mosaic-tile-thin-set-mortar/

Just a personal my preference. While the tile is a nice color and size, the rounded edges result in wider grout joints. Glass tile without rounded edges, to me, looks nicer. Tighter grout joints.

Thank you so much for all of your help. Now the next question........what is the recommended fix?? I am guessing I will have to replace the tile with something different and have it done by someone who really knows what they are doing?? Do you have a ballpark idea of what the total cost would be (minus the cost of the tile) to have the tile removed and re-tiled? Thank you again,

Big job to replace it, but you'll be plagued with issues in the future.

I could not even give a rough price. Shop around.

Ok. Thank you so much for all your help :)

if you replace it, minimize your risk of appearance problems by not choosing a glass, “see-through” tile.

It's so beautiful, you must be very disappointed. I would think the original tile company would have some liability for making this right... by refunding your money and I'd insist they pay for the removal. It's worth a try.

Hi there HU-220992135. Yes we have Marble pavers on our deck and they are not slippery or hot. I do love them, but fair warning.......since they are so light they need to be cleaned A LOT as they show all the dirt and mildew very easy. But when they are all cleaned up, they look amazing.

Such a pretty color. I don't know about pools, but yeah, that's messed up enough that you are going to need to replace it.

I noticed looking up Baystone Tile is that they present on their front page more as a stone tile company, so maybe their forte is stone instead of glass. If you want a glass tile pool, you might want to find a pool tiling company that promotes their glass tiling.