Natural stone versus artificial rock
Since natural rocks, boulders, and stones are quite cumbersome, backyard landscapers and pool professionals are now regularly using cast concrete artificial rock to create the look and feel of natural stone around pools, because it is lighter and easier to work with.
Artificial rock is very lightweight; it is at about 10 per cent the weight of real rock. In addition, artificial rock often comes in kits to create water features that provide a consistent finished look, so consumers can always get what they are expecting. Even if the consumer does not specifically ask for a cave, grotto, waterfall, or jumper rock for their pool, these unique features visually help builders integrate nature into the backyard landscape and should be suggested to the homeowner.
Creating water features with natural stone can be unpredictable. Builders often spend all day arranging the natural boulders and then clients can ask to see the stones arranged in another way. Much like artwork, working with natural stone can often be dubious and can lead to a rapid increase in labour costs. Using a component water feature made of artificial rock eliminates this circumstance.
More importantly, these water features can be built in one to two days with certainty, which is faster than trying to build with natural stone. Artificial rock is easier to work with; the colour matches and the work involved are predictable because the rocks are designed to be used specifically around pools and to build swimming pool water features. The labour savings factor alone makes the component system extremely price competitive in the marketplace, not to mention attractive to builders to stay on schedule and maximize their building season.
Coping stones and decking around pools
Rock waterline coping is another way to integrate nature around the pool landscape. Builders are now often choosing lightweight cast concrete rock that is mortared in place to achieve the look of rock coping.
Artificial rock coping creates a stone look that “pulls” nature into the pool area and blends easily with waterfall features. For pool renovations, these coping products can be combined to resurface the perimeter decks around pools. Made of high-density concrete mix, these artificial rock coping stones resist damage from freeze-thaw conditions, making them ideal for northern climates.
