When talking to your pool builder, if you've ever said, "I want my water to be that really deep blue", or, "I want my pool water to look like the Pacific Ocean", then you would agree deep blue water has a lot of appeal. It associates images of an island paradise or even the famous blue marble image of Earth taken by the Apollo astronauts. Whatever the case may be, you want a backyard getaway with cool, beautiful water to remind you of an "exotic" vacation, or a peaceful day at the beach. While blue might be your instinctive choice, it is not the only choice. Before we go any further, lets first answer those age-old questions we often hear children ask: "Why is the sky blue?" and "Why is the Ocean blue?"

Blinding me with science...

The sky and the ocean are not always blue. In their most basic form, water and the sky derive their color from a principle called Rayleigh scattering. It's probably not necessary to go into oscillating dipoles or the fourth power dependence of power density with frequency, but if you are really into that stuff, please click here for an excellent explanation.

For the rest of us, think about light hitting a crystal of glass or a prism, and visualize seeing the rainbow of colors that splash on the wall. The color of an object is determined by the degree in which it absorbs or scatters light. When sunlight hits the sky or the ocean, the blue light is absorbed and the other colors of the rainbow scatter. Because the rest of the colors have scattered all we see is blue. Sometimes green, orange, purple, or red are seen instead. In fact, a myriad of other colors can result from particles (or algae!) that interfere with this natural effect.

There is one final scientific theory that must be understood: The theory of reflective transparency. Sounds technical? Actually it isn't really a theory, we just made it up! Here is the idea: Stand in front of a window and look at it. If you focus just right, you will see your reflection. Now, try shifting a little and your perspective changes. Instead of seeing your reflection, you actually see through the window to the outside. Your swimming pool works in somewhat the same way. Certain surface colors will draw your eyes to the bottom of the swimming pool and others will focus your eyes on the water surface. A jet black pool will create an almost mirrored surface, where you can't visibly discern the bottom. In contrast, a classic "sky blue" finish will have you looking at the bottom of the swimming pool. Are you still with us? Great!

It's a matter of perspective

Here are the last two observations and then we can get into the nuts and bolts of selecting that perfect color for your new Trilogy Pool (insert shameless promotion here!). Your swimming pool will be viewed from two basic vantage points: at a distance (for example, looking out from the kitchen window), and sitting by the water's edge. Nearly every photo shown during the sales presentation will be the latter - an overview beauty shot. From this vantage point, you will see the big picture, the scattering of light from above, the additive color of the bottom, the wonderful emerald green color from the algae…well. . .maybe not that, but you get the idea.

This is the part where the salesman tells says, "the whiter the swimming pool the bluer [sic] the water." This should not be your only consideration. If you walk up to the edge of the pool, what color will you see? After all, if you were building something to simply look at from the patio, wouldn't a pond be a lot less expensive? Instead, we must take into consideration what the pool looks like on close inspection. This is where visual texture comes into play. In general, people are uncomfortable in spaces with just one color. Think of living in a pure white room and images of Clockwork Orange come to mind. The same thing can be said about a swimming pool. Do you really want it to be a simple solid color?

Pool customers across the country are saying no. Today's swimming pools are flush with vivid patterns: on vinyl liners, pebble finishes on concrete, and Trilogy Pool owners have increasingly chosen our unique solid surface Ultra-Granicoat finishes over traditional solid colors.

The reason is simple. First, visual texture creates an inviting and relaxing environment. Just as important, a pattern tends to mask debris and other material. Take carpet for example: Solid white carpet seems to be a dirt magnet, while a darker, patterned carpet stays clean. Does white really attract more dirt? A swimming pool is no different. It is this same visual texture that gives a gunite pool its distinctly different look from that of the traditional white fiberglass poo. This is especially noticeable when the pool is finished with similar tile and brick pavers or a cantilevered deck. Even white plaster has a mottled finish and it is this subtle difference that has a profound effect on our subconscious view of the surface. As more and more traditional concrete builders have started installing Trilogy Pools they tend to gravitate to our Granicoat finishes and we continue to reaffirm this observation.

Selecting a quality pool finish

Now that you've made it this far, it's time to view our color selection and see what effect the finishes will have on the swimming pool. To date, Trilogy has chosen to stay away from extremely brilliant colors (like deep blue) and dark colors (like black) because our testing has shown these colors to blush over time. Even though this mottled-whitish discoloration is not terribly noticeable, Trilogy believes extremely beautiful pools can be created with the colors we have thoroughly tested and selected. Our researchers are constantly looking to find other colors, so be sure to check with your authorized Trilogy Builder for our latest product offerings.

Gel Coat - Trilogy Pools are available in two gel coat finishes. Gel coat is the same material used on boat hulls and bathtubs. It is a durable plastic surface that is both non porous and easy to clean. Gel coat is also quite easy to repair. Obviously white cannot be bleached out (it's already white), but it can slightly yellow over time. While this problem is mostly associated with early gel coat endeavors, there can still be a slight shift in color at the waterline. Aesthetics aside, this is one good reason to install your pool with a brick pavers or cantilever deck and tile. In this way, all of the exposed gel coat will be below the waterline and therefore exposed to identical conditions. Any slight color shift will typically be even and barely discernible.

White - Historically this is the "look" of the fiberglass pool. White gel coat is quite easy to repair and pretty robust (it's the primary coating for boats and yachts). White will reflect the most amount of light, which maximizes the scattering and results in the blue water. How deep blue the color is depends on how deep the water is from your vantage point. Deep Water = Deep Blue. Shallow Water = Light Blue. Glass of water = Transparent. A white swimming pool will be blue, but not deep blue. According to our theory of reflective transparency, you will tend to focus on the water, not the bottom. The solid white surface appears sterile to some observers. Tile, brick pavers, and colored/natural stone decks can minimize the sterile look from a distance. There will be no visual texture other than the very noticeable debris at the bottom.

It's revolutionizing fiberglass pools!

Solid Surface Pool® - We are excited about our Solid Surface Pool finishes.  Our staff has been working with solid surface finishes for pools for over 10 year. This is a true solid surface finish - exactly what is used on kitchen counter tops, sinks, and bathroom vanities. While traditional gel coat finishes would never hold up to such harsh environments (have you ever seen a gel coat countertop?), Granicoat will not only out-perform, it will out-perform with style. Our Solid Surface Pool finish provides outstanding visual texture in a smooth, non porous, easy to clean surface. Trilogy currently offers 7 Solid Surface Pool color choices.

Sand - Believe it or not, this is our most popular color. Sand creates an interesting jade green. Much like the blue-green water seen up close at the beach, it is simply stunning. The color results from looking through the blue water, down to the yellow shade of the sand--and we all know that blue + yellow = green. Not to be confused with algae green, the textured sand finish helps to produce a wonderful color. Sand Granicoat compliments a natural setting with its rich earth tones and is a very nice addition to the surrounding landscape.

Fashion Gray - a light gray finish and like all grays, very neutral. Fashion gray produces a wonderful shade of blue water with light reflecting tendencies. This is a perfect finish to use with multicolor fiber optic lighting systems. Because of its clean look, Fashion Gray is also a great color for the more contemporary architectural style.

Steele Gray: One of our darkest colors. Steele Gray is an excellent choice for either a contemporary installation or a very natural looking aquascape. From a distance, the swimming pool looks blue, but the eyes will definitely focus on the bottom when up close. Surprisingly, when you see this finish installed, it is not as dark as you may think by just looking at a color sample.

China Blue: This darker gray shade has hints of blue and orange and produces a wonderful finish. Like the Steele Gray, the eyes will be drawn to the bottom upon close inspection. China Blue has a softer appearance in the shallow areas than Steele Gray, owing most of the difference to the splash of color provided by the blue and orange accents. Like Sand and Steele Gray, China Blue is a great color for a creating that natural swimming pool setting.

Vega: We added Vega a few years ago to respond to the many requests for a "blue" pool shell.  As we have discussed, the color of the pool is not the primary indicator of the water color, but some reason, customers keep demanding it.  This darker blue shade (as compared to baby blue) has several differnen shades of blue ranging from light to dark. This gives the color a noticeably darker finish, without the blushing and fading traditionally associated with dark colors.  

Whisper - Trilogy added this color option as an alternative to white gel coat. It has just a hint of tan to give it depth, but still appears white in color. Plaster Granicoat has a warmer feel and has a lot of visual texture to differentiate it from bright white gel coat. The water will be a brilliant bright blue. This finish can be used in a contemporary setting or to recreate the look of a traditional plaster swimming pool without the extra maintenance.

Baby Blue:  This color owes its popularity to the quest for "blue pool shells" as described above. Because it is a light blue, the water approaches the color blue one might find in a white or plaster color.  Keep in mind the blue color of the water, filters out the blue texture found in the pool. If you are driven for this color you might also consider whisper or fashion gray as they both cause a very similar color in the water, and the texture will be more prominent in the deep end. 

So there you have it, a detailed look at some of the elements that will ultimately aid in creating the final color of your swimming pool. There are some excellent reference books available that can give you a much more in depth color analysis, but we hope this article gives you a quick overview for your selection. We have chosen colors for Trilogy Pools that will be enduring, not trendy, so your swimming pool will look as just as good 20 years from now as it does today. Wait! On second thought, maybe we should add avocado. . .that color is due to come back in fashion any time now! Regardless of what color you select for your new Trilogy Pool, you are going to have years of maintenance free enjoyment. We assure you it will be less upkeep than the grass you'll replace...®