Making a Step into the Blue                       Return to Pools page

Eveline Makins was looking for a suitable surface to cover the rough concrete around her outdoor swimming pool when she found the Tact website.  Tact’s team of experts suggested Piazza tiles for the project.

The pool is a curvaceous kidney shape with steps leading down from the patio to the poolside.  From the range of colours available, Mrs Makins chose ‘Sand’, which has created a clean, smart and contemporary look and blends nicely with the surrounding greenery of her garden. The Tact team applied a flexible edging around the curving poolside to create a streamlined finish.

Another satisfied customer, ‘We are very pleased with our pool surround.  It has smartened the whole area up and made it safe for the children.’ Mrs Makins commented.

TactTiles have transformed dull concrete into stylish and contemporary family entertainment area. The tiles are also clean, free-draining and have an anti-slip surface so the Makins family will be able to safely enjoy their smart new pool surround for years to come.

A Taste of the Med                                Return to Pools page

Mr and Mrs Gaston wanted to create a Mediterranean feel to their pool and patio area, as they felt the paved surface was rather dull. 

TactTiles Pedestrian in light blue dramatically brightened their pool side and Piazza in Stone Grey lent a clean, light look to the patio. 

The Tact team carried out the work over a weekend and the Gastons are delighted with the transformation.

“We’re about to retire so we’ll be spending a lot more time out here,” said Mrs Gaston.  “The colours make it feel sunny and welcoming, and the tiles stay clean very easily. We love it!” 

Solution to flooring challenge at Midlands Sports College

The heavily used swimming and changing facilities at Ellowes Hall Sports College, Dudley had a major surface problem.  Slippery ceramic tiles around the poolside and throughout the changing rooms were deteriorating badly, presenting trip, slip and hygiene hazards. The floors looked very tired and outdated.

An urgent solution was needed that would

• be very easy to clean
• look good
• resolve the problem long-term while remaining within budgetary constraints

Specialist flooring supplier Tact presented the perfect solution, but the College’s Sports Director, Christiana Papadopoullos was concerned about maintenance. 

“In the end we visited some of Tact’s existing wet flooring solutions around the country to see how they performed in practice,” says Christiana.  “That’s what decided us to go ahead with TactTiles.”

Following extensive consultation with the client, the Tact team laid anti-slip Pedestrian tiles in College colours around poolsides, with Terracotta Metro tiles  installed to wetside and dryside changing rooms matching the existing décor. 

Into the Blue

Water Stars is based in Doncaster and teaches swimming at a number of schools.  Having collaborated with Tact on several of their clients’ poolsides,  Water Stars were confident that Tact could work it’s magic on a very tired old pool at Huntcliff Comprehensive School at Gainsborough in Lincolnshire.

Originally an outdoor pool with a paving slab surround, the pool area was covered over some years ago with a steel frame structure. Unfortunately, the building had a leaking roof, which had caused the steelwork frames to rust and, because the roof was not insulated, humidity levels were high. The old paving stone surround was dirty and debris was being carried into the pool.  The overall feeling was damp and dreary. 

The first phase of the project involved mending the leaking roof, painting the walls with a hygienic coating and the steel frame with a rust inhibiting coating.

Phase two involved sealing the paving slab floor with Tact’s chemically resistant Poolcoat before finishing off with Pedestrian TactTiles in Light Blue and Yellow to create a free draining, anti-slip and hygienic floor finish.  Design elements included a yellow tiled star with a painted blue dolphin as a fun addition for the children.  Silver tiles dotted around the pool create a smart design element.

Overall the project took two weeks to complete during the summer holidays.  At the start of the new term Fran Lacey from Water Starts described the transformation as ‘stunning’ and has advised that bookings are already up for the refurbished facility.

Slopes Safely Secured

Safety is always of paramount importance around poolsides, whether they are indoors or outside.  When Chris McCall the School Marshal of Solihull School in the West Midlands contacted Tact, the problem he needed to solve tested both the ingenuity and versatility of our pool surrounds.

The school required a high quality anti-slip surface with good looks and easy maintenance.  The school pool had originally been built as an outdoor facility and had later been roofed over.  To the side of the pool is an unusually steep slope which runs down to an open channel drain and then slopes away in opposite direction.  With polished concrete and a 10º slope to the open gulley and then a slope up in the other direction this safety hazard was a cause of accidents.

Tact’s Sales Director, John Highnam, recommended ‘Pedestrian’ TactTiles in the schools’ colours – light blue and yellow.  Tact’s contract team installed the surround with ease in just one day. The Pedestrian tiles are supported under the gully and are easily unzipped for cleaning.

‘We’re delighted with the finished results’ says Chris.  He is also keen to report complete satisfaction from his sports staff on all the safety aspects of the installation.

Another ‘slip and trip hazard’ resolved by the team at Tact.

Getting into the swim                           Poolside information

The swimming pools at a Fishguard holiday camp were badly in need of a new surround.  The original rubber surround had hardened and cracked over time into an unpleasant brown crumble. 

The camp is one of several in the area owned by Charles Howells.  “Naturally the replacement pool surround needed to be hygienic and non-slip, but I also wanted something attractive and colourful that would add to the pool environment,” said Mr Howells.  “TactTiles offered me all this, plus really quick installation.  Then when I learned about the tiles’ durability and their ease of maintenance, there was really no contest.  The pictures speak for themselves.”

Tact replaced the rubber surround with concrete and laid Pedestrian Light Blue TactTiles over the whole area, fitting them carefully around the copingstones at the edge of the pool.  The tiles were laid in one day and finished off in just over a day.

“I’m absolutely delighted,” says Mr Howells.  “I’ve ordered the same flooring in green for my pool at Saundersfoot and this year I’ll be TactTiling the patio there.”

Pine Lodge

Pine Lodge is a very large guest house which is let out entirely to groups.  The indoor pool and sauna complex gets heavily used.  The carpet laid throughout had become mouldy and was consistently damp, causing unpleasant odours and also foot hygiene problems. 

Tact removed the carpet, prepared and sealed the substrate.  TactTiles Pedestrian were laid around the kidney shaped pool with a smart white flexible edging strip. 

The showers and toilet areas were also refurbished.  The client is now able to lift the shower tray floors for deep cleaning. And the smell has gone.   TactTiles were also laid straight over the air vents of the underfloor heating system giving a much smarter look.  The work was carried out between lettings minimising disruption to the business.

Wadurs                                               Click here for Poolside info

Wadurs is a large, heavily used community swimming pool.  Over the years the ceramic tiles had required many replacements resulting in a somewhat chequered appearance. 

The floor surface was also slippery therefore it was decided that TactTiles Pedestrian would be laid straight over the top.  The tiles anti-slip properties have helped to eliminate slips and falls and have provided a brighter and safer pool surround.

Tact were able to carry out the necessary floor repairs and lay the TactTiles overnight to minimise disruption to the business.  The pool has disabled access points and the drains require regular servicing.  TactTiles have been laid to allow for easy access.

Style Underfoot at The Carlyon Bay Hotel  

Information on poolsides

Brend Hotels are a luxury hotel group based in the South West.  Their flagship is the Carlyon Bay Hotel perched on the cliffs above the sea near St Austell.  

A complete refurbishment of the spa facilities was underway in the Spring of 2008 when the management contacted Tact to see if they could assist with improvements to the poolsides area to bring it in line with the rest of the surroundings.

Derek Hayes, the Group’s Estates Manager, required a floor finish that would not only look good but be easy to maintain and quick to install, as downtime for his guests and staff had to be kept to a minimum.

TactTiles ‘Piazza’ range in Sand was specified for the eighty square metre area; the tiles are an interlocking, free-draining, anti-slip system – ideal for pool & spa surrounds, both indoors and out.

This contemporary and elegant floor was completed with matching safety edging to prevent any trip hazards.

A superior look was achieved at a competitive price in just one day: ensuring and maintaining the overall quality and sumptuousness of this beautiful clifftop hotel.

Piazza prettifies Pavilion    Information on Poolsides

The Pavilions in the Park is a modern leisure centre in Horsham. One of its most popular features is the beautifully designed outdoor pool surrounded by decking and sand coloured paving. 

Unfortunately the decking was becoming slippery and the centre needed a solution that would not compromise the area’s attractiveness. 

TactTiles Piazza in Sand proved the answer.  Laid directly over the decking, the hygienic, anti-slip flooring provides free draining while complementing the surroundings perfectly. 

The Pavilions have now ordered more Piazza for their sunlounger area.

Flooring on the hoof                       Changing room information

The changing rooms at Hoofers, a popular gym in Nottingham, each have a ‘wet’ area with shower, washbasin and toilets next to a carpeted dry area for changing in comfort.  A new floor was needed for the ‘wet’ area to replace the existing slippery ceramic tiles.

TactTiles Pedestrian tiles were laid in the wet areas during the day in both the women’s and men’s changing rooms by female and male fitters respectively. 

The work was carried out while the changing rooms were in use and was carefully managed so that customers were not inconvenienced.

Staff at Hoofers have found that the new floor has dramatically lessened slips and falls.  Its excellent drainage also lessens the amount of water walked through into the dry area, preserving the carpets there and improving the comfort of customers.

Pine Lodge                             Pool Surround Information

Pine Lodge is a very large guest house which is let out entirely to groups.  The indoor pool and sauna complex gets heavily used.  The carpet laid throughout had become mouldy and was consistently damp, causing unpleasant odours and also foot hygiene problems. 

Tact removed the carpet, prepared and sealed the substrate.  TactTiles Pedestrian were laid around the kidney shaped pool with a smart white flexible edging strip. 

The showers and toilet areas were also refurbished.  The client is now able to lift the shower tray floors for deep cleaning. And the smell has gone.   TactTiles were also laid straight over the air vents of the underfloor heating system giving a much smarter look.  The work was carried out between lettings minimising disruption to the business.

TactTiles reach Nirvana   

Return to: Pools page or Changing Rooms page

The benefits of Tact specialist flooring solutions are spreading far and wide – and now have even reached Nirvana.

The multi-award winning Nirvana Spa in Wokingham is well-known throughout the leisure industry for the quality of its facilities.  Part of its appeal lies in the beauty of its décor, carefully designed to provide the perfect setting for luxury relaxation. 

A crucial element of the decoration was the choice of flooring.  However, the existing ceramic tiling throughout the showers and wet walkways was proving something of a slip hazard.

“We needed an alternative flooring solution that met all our safety requirements without in any way compromising the luxurious look and feel that’s our hallmark,” says Sean Barley, Facility Manager at Nirvana Spa.  “We tried out a selection of flooring solutions from various suppliers over a three-month period, and TactTiles emerged the clear favourite.”

Sand-coloured TactTiles were chosen to complement the existing décor and provide an anti-slip, easy-clean surface.  The floors were installed overnight, avoiding any loss of visitor revenue to the facility.

Following the success of this first project, Nirvana Spa has ordered additional flooring for other areas within the leisure complex.