What can i put under my above ground pool

Last updated: Jan 07 2022

Congratulations! You have decided to buy an above ground pool for your backyard. Now comes the fun part: installing it. While you could place your pool directly on top of your grass, that isn’t the best idea. The grass isn’t a firm base since it is alive and growing. Your pool can shift over time and settle into an unfavorable and potentially dangerous position. Meanwhile, some hardier types of grass are strong enough to grow through the liner of the pool.

Having a stable base under your pool is vital. You have chosen your spot, removed all the grass, and leveled the ground where you want your pool to sit. Now, what do you put down next to ensure a stable and comfortable base?

Let’s go over the advantages and disadvantages of several options, as well as some general tips for installing them. The most common materials to use as a base for above ground pools include concrete pads, commercial pads, sand, solid foam, carpet padding, and flooring underlayment.

Things You Can Put Under Your Pool

1. Concrete Pads

Image Credit: Denton Rumsey, Shutterstock

Concrete pads are excellent to use as a base for your above ground pool, but you’ll want to add another cushion between the two. Concrete is an abrasive material and will wear on the liner if it’s in direct contact.

Concrete is the best choice for a solid base because it is perfectly flat. It’s also very stable and won’t allow your pool to shift over time.

Intex pools are a great way to add family fun to your backyard this summer. Swimming pool games will be a great memory for your family! If you are ready to buy your Intex pool (or you already have it) you may be stuck on the question – “what should I put under my Intex pool?”

This article will cover 4 ideas of what to put under Intex pools:

• GOOD: Use the Intex ground cloth
• BETTER: Use a third-party ground covering
• BEST: Use interlocking foam tiles for the most protection
• ALTERNATIVE: Use a roll of old carpet – it’s FREE!

What to use at a glance

After reading this article, you’ll be able to answer the following questions.

• What kind of products or materials can I put under my Intex pool?
• What are the products or materials you should avoid putting under your Intex pool?
• Where’s the best place to put my Intex pool?

Why Do You need to put ANYTHING under your pool?

Temporary above-ground pools like Intex, Summer Waves, Bestway, or Coleman all have one thing in common. They have a thin vinyl liner that is susceptible to punctures if installed incorrectly. Roots, stones, pebbles, and anything else on the ground below the pool are potential sources of leak-causing punctures.

For this reason, it is important to not put your temporary pool directly on the grass, dirt, or concrete.

No matter what style of Intex Pool you are installing, this decision can make a big difference in how long your pool will last.

Avoid this common mistake – SAND

One of the most common mistakes that new Intex pool owners make is that they put sand under their pool. We understand why! It is easier to level, which is very important for your pool. However, sand easily washes away from under the pool during hard rain. For this reason, Intex VOIDS THE WARRANTY if you in fact had sand under the pool! Please read the warranty carefully to avoid this problem.

Related Articles:

• My Intex Pool Is Unlevel By A Few Inches – What Should I Do?
• Intex Ultra Frame Pool Review: Is This The Best Intex Pool?
• Pool Fence Ideas: 10 Ways To Improve Your Pool’s…
• Best Vacuums For Intex Pools In 2022 – Top Picks And Reviews

Here are 4 Ideas of What to Put Under Intex Above Ground Pools

There are a handful of things you can put under your Intex pool to make sure that it lasts longer, but we only recommend the following materials to put under your Intex pool. Keep in mind that Intex pools vary in size. See our article on Intex Pool Sizes to learn about all the different pools available.

The Intex Ground Cloth

The Intex Ground Cloth is included with most Intex Pool sets. It provides added protection for the pool bottom from rocks, twigs, or other items that could potentially puncture the liner. However, even though Intex Pools, in general, receive good reviews from the owners, the Ground Cloth is generally described as a sub-standard item and is too thin to provide much real protection. This is why many Intex Pool owners decide to opt for another option.

• Durable ground cover sheet for above-ground pools
• Provide added protection for pool bottom
• Measures 15.5-foot square; fits 8-foot,10-foot, 12-foot,and 15-foot pools; use with Easy Set or frame pools

Third-Party Pool Pads

There are many companies that manufacture alternatives to the Intex Ground Cloth that provide more thickness and therefore more protection for your liner. Make sure you choose the right size for your pool. If your pool is 15′ diameter, then choose the 15′ diameter pad. There is no benefit to having a larger pad than the pool, and in fact, the excess can be cumbersome to manage and you will just have to cut it off anyway.

• Gorilla Floor Padding Cut and Sized to Fit 15ft Round Above Ground Swimming Pool
• Sits Underneath Your Pool Liner for Added Cushioning and Extra Liner Protection – Extends the Lifetime and Safety of Your Liner and Pool / Cushioning Eliminates Footprints from Forming
• Extremely Hard to Penetrate – Specially Designed Geotextile / Strong Felt-Like Material Approximately 1/8in Thick
• Impervious to Cuts from Sharp Objects, such as Glass, Roots and Rocks, Virtually Eliminating Vinyl Liner Bottom Leaks!

Related Articles:

• My Intex Pool Is Unlevel By A Few Inches – What Should I Do?
• Intex Ultra Frame Pool Review: Is This The Best Intex Pool?
• Pool Fence Ideas: 10 Ways To Improve Your Pool’s…
• Best Vacuums For Intex Pools In 2022 – Top Picks And Reviews

Interlocking Foam Tiles – OUR FAVORITE

This is a good way to add a decent amount of padding under your pool bottom. Without lots of padding, you can feel every texture of the ground under your feet in the pool. This bothers some people and foam padding feels great under the pool. It also makes cleaning the bottom of your pool using an Intex pool vacuum much easier since you have a more uniform surface without dips and divots for the dirt to get trapped.

Pro Tip: A common question is whether your pool legs should rest directly on the foam tiles. The answer is NO. Your pool legs should rest on wood blocks or concrete pavers that are set level with the foam pads. This avoids undue stress on the liner.

You simply need to calculate how many squares you need for your pool. Here are some quick calculations using 2’x2′ foam tiles.

What to put under an above ground pool during installation

One of the biggest concerns or questions for any above ground pool purchaser is “What should I put underneath the pool liner during installation?” This is a good question and the answers may surprise you. Each pool installation is different, but there are some general guidelines to follow that will ensure that your above ground pool is installed correctly. Using the wrong materials can cause the swimming pool to corrode or rust out prematurely. Follow along as we dispel the myths behind several common materials used under swimming pool liners and help you make the right choice for above ground pool install.

Above Ground Pool Design

The typical vinyl liner above ground pool is actually designed to be installed directly onto the ground without any added protection for the pool liner. This is perfectly acceptable if the ground is prepared in a way that will prevent damage from occurring to the vinyl pool liner. This is the way that it has been done for decades and great results can be obtained. Occasionally you may come across a swimming pool that comes with some sort of ground protection but this may or may not be the optimal material to put under your swimming pool. Lets discuss the pros and cons of each material typically used.

Natural Earth Bottom

This is the most common surface for a swimming pool installation and certainly the cheapest. Putting your above ground swimming pool directly onto the ground is easy and no additional expense is required. To go this route you must ensure that the ground is free of any rocks, roots, glass or any other debris that could puncture your pool liner. This is done by simply plucking the debris from the earth until you can find no more. Follow this up by smoothing out the surface with rakes or shovels until an acceptable smoothness of the soil is achieved.

Sand Bottom

Sand is probably the most commonly purchased and talked about material for the swimming pool bottom. This is because sand is readily available most anywhere in the country. Secondly, overall it does do an acceptable job if applied sparingly. The downside of sand is the fact the grains do not cling to one another. This causes the surface to be shifty and footprinty. Sand is debris free and does a good job of making a smooth surface for the pool liner to lay on, but if the sand is more than 2-3 inches thick the bottom becomes soft and footprints will be present. Footprints make for an bumpy pool floor and makes it difficult to vacuum the pool.

Plastic Sheeting And Foam Bottoms

You here a lot about using plastic sheeting as an added layer of protection. Plastic sheeting is the absolute worst material to place under an above ground pool during installation. It does not prevent weed growth and does not control bugs and critters. But the biggest reason to avoid plastic sheeting is the fact it causes a swimming pool to rust out very quickly. Avoid plastic sheeting, foam board, rolls of foam, roofing paper and any other material water cannot pass through. All of these materials and probably a few others are commonly used and all are extremely bad for a swimming pool.Roofing paper is petroleum based and will react with the vinyl causing damage and discoloring. The reason for this is the swimming pool liner “sweats” or gives off large amounts of condensation. This condensation is wicked up by the earth below allowing the pool walls and frame to dry out. When plastic sheeting is used under the liner, the condensation is trapped and cannot be absorbed by the ground. This keeps the pool wall and frame soaked around the clock and quickly leads to extensive corrosion.

Carpet Under Pool

Sometimes we get asked about using carpet under a swimming pool liner. The answer here is to avoid it too. Carpet holds moisture and will stay soggy further promoting rust. Aside from that, carpet smells bad in these conditions and will rot away. Carpet does not stop nutgrass or critters and has no advantage.

Pool Floor Padding

By far the best material to place under a swimming pool liner is Armor Shield or Gorilla Pad. These materials are breathable allowing moisture to escape and are extremely tough, keeping insects and moles from coming through and piercing the vinyl pool liner. The Armor Shield and Gorilla Pad come pre-cut and sized to make installation easy. Armor Shield pool floor padding and pool cove are both highly recommended even when installing an above ground pool on concrete. I have included a link to another blog that details installation of an above ground pool on concrete surfaces.

Best Recommendations

I may have left out many other materials that someone could use under an above ground pool during installation, but you can decide for yourself what is best for you. A good rule of thumb is to remember that if water cannot pass through it, corrosion will follow. If it is made of petroleum it will react with the vinyl ruining your pool liner. If it has holes in it nutgrass or critters may be able to pass through. I will give my proven way to protect your liner from the issues above. During installation I would follow the procedures below to obtain the best results:

1.) Smooth out the pool bottom the best you can removing all debris. Use a small amount of clean fill dirt or any type sand to make smooth if needed.

2.) Apply a weed killer that specifies it works against Nut Sedge or nut grass. Use as directed. Nut Sedge is the only weed or grass that can grow through a swimming pool liner.

3.) Use a pool floor pad like Armor Shield or Gorilla Pad to get the pool liner up off the ground as well as keep moles, beetles or insects at bay. If your pool is buried deep down into the earth or critters are scarce in your area you may pass on the floor padding, although it is great piece of mind. But the weed killer I would never pass on. I have seen Nut Sedge grow through pool liners even when the pool was recessed 2-3 feet into the ground.

4.) Clear an area all the way around the outside of the pool approximately one foot out from the pool wall. Fill this area with gravel, rocks or wood chips. Spray this area with the weed killer too and maintain a weed and grass free zone at all times. Nutgrass will grow from the outside, go up under the pool wall and through your vinyl liner. Keep this area around the pool inhospitable for bugs and animals. If your pool is buried deep down into the earth or critters are scarce in your area you may pass on the floor padding, but the weed killer I would never pass on.

Protect your pool, extend the life of the liner of your swimming pool, and keep the splashing going all summer long with the right under pool mat.

Backyard pools are one of the best things you can add to your home.

Being able to cool off with friends during those long, hot summer days just steps from your home is hard to beat.

But first, installing your new pool!

And figuring out what to put under your above-ground pool.

Here’s a look at the best under pool mats on the market, the different types, and the benefits of this simple and relatively inexpensive piece of pool equipment.

Let’s jump right in.

Intex Pool Ground Cloth

Intex is one of the leading makers of backyard swimming pools.

The Intex Ultra XTR is my top-ranked above-ground pool on the market right now (the Ultra XTR includes its own ground cloth).

For Intex pools that don’t ship with a ground cloth, they offer a pool base that is designed to work under their above-ground pools. This cloth (let’s be honest here though—it’s a glorified tarp) has a surface area of 15.5 sq feet, which works for 8-15ft round pools.

Priced at around $30 (check Amazon for current pricing and availability), the Intex Pool cloth does not provide padding, it is strictly a mat to protect the bottom of the pool.

Blue Wave Round Pool Liner Pad

Blue Wave is another popular maker of swimming pools and pool-related accessories. Whether you are looking for a winter pool cover, an above-ground pool ladder, or a solar pool cover to cut down on energy costs over the summer, Blue Wave makes good stuff.

The Blue Wave Round Pool Liner Pad is different from the usual tarp or foam padding alternatives in that it is cut to size for your round above-ground pool. Designed to extend just beyond the edges of your pool, it has enough stretch to cover the full area of the bottom of your swim pool.

Under pool mats are often glorified tarps or foam padding which can be a pain in the butt to cut to size for your specific pool, but the Blue Wave pad provides a little bit of padding as well as protection to the bottom liner of your pool.

The pool mat is made of a heavy-duty felt that is puncture-resistant and is available in a huge array of sizes, from 18-ft pools all the way up to the largest round above-ground pools on the market at 33-ft.

BalanceFrom EVA Locking Foam Tiles

Looking for an extra soft landing for your pool bottom and the feet of you and your fellow swimmers? EVA foam tiles provide an additional option to protect your pool.

Another side benefit of using interlocking foam tiles for the pool ground mat is that they make the pool bottom nice and level, which is far easier to vacuum compared to pool bottoms that are “wrinkled.”

Interlocking foam tiles are exceptionally easy to set up, taking no more than a few minutes to put down and line up the teeth of each tile. Pool owners installing their above-ground pool on a hard surface like concrete will definitely appreciate the padding that this kind of foam tiles provide.

The BalanceFrom EVA Locking Foam Tiles are a low-cost option for this kind of pool mat. They are also the same ones I installed under the squat rack in my garage when I started building out my home gym in 2020.

Available in three different colors, you can even get different thicknesses (from ½” to ¾” thick) with each tile covering 24” by 24” (check Amazon for current pricing and availability on these tiles).

Under Pool Mats: Why You Should Always Use One

A backyard swim pool is a big investment.

Both in terms of the upfront cost for the pool itself, but factor in the cleaning and maintenance equipment and the time spent looking after the pool (vacuuming, skimming, balancing pool chemicals, etc.), and your time and energy quickly begin to pile up.

Placing a mat under your pool, however, is one of the easiest and less time-intensive ways to ensure the longevity of your pool.

When you put the right mat under your above-ground pool, some pretty neat-o things happen:

Protect the pool liner.

The thin vinyl liner of the pool isn’t just along the walls but runs on the bottom. A mat under your pool protects it from tears and rips from roots, rocks, and whatever else is on the ground.

Keep in mind that the fabric on the bottom of the pools can shift, whether because you want to pull it over a couple of inches closer to your deck, or from large bursts of physical activity in the pool (i.e. three kids cannon-balling into the water at the same time).

A mat under the pool provides an added layer of protection to avoid punctures and rips.

Cuts down on mold.

Mold, algae, and mildew are your worst enemies as a pool owner. They can quickly blossom into unsightly patches of bacteria-ridden yellow and green clouds in your pool that also make the water unsafe to swim in.

Because of all the moisture in the area—we are talking about a pool, after all!—mold is a constant threat, especially with the lack of air flow under your pool.

Placing a mat under the pool gives an added layer of protection between morning mildew and natural moisture and the fabric and lining of your swimming pool.

Keeps grass and insects at bay.

Even though we’ve somewhat tamed mother nature, she’s relentless.

Depending on the area you live in, your pool faces a variety of curious onlookers, including beetles, moles, and even aggressive forms of weeds like nutsedge.

Placing a mat under your above-ground pool gives you peace of mind.

Easy on the feet.

For pool owners who want to place their swimming pool on a harder surface, like concrete, gravel, or dirt, an under-the-pool mat that extends out from the edges of the pool gives your bare feet something to walk on besides hard ground.

This benefit extends to swimmers in the pool, too. A soft pad underneath the pool gives a “soft landing” to people in the water.

More Above-Ground Pool Guides

5 Best Above-Ground Pool Liners. Getting ready to fix and replace the pool liner on your above-ground pool? Extend the life of your backyard pool with our hand-picked selection of the best above-ground pool liners.

7 Best Accessories for Your Above Ground Pool. Level up your above-ground swimming pool with our favorite accessories for maximum fun and utility.