What makes us the most careful pool tiling company in Cairo
Careful means the tile you paid for stays where it was set. Every point below can be checked before you sign anything.
- The old finish comes off first. New tile goes onto sound concrete, never over a layer that has already started to let go.
- Engineers look at the shell. Structural, hydraulic and MEP engineering sits inside the company, so our own people check the shell before any finish is specified.
- Waterproofing with names you can look up. Sika and BASF Master Builders Solutions systems, written on the quote by name.
- Our own site teams. The people who strip, render and tile your pool are our employees, on our payroll.
- Materials made for immersion. Adhesive and grout chosen for a surface that sits under treated water all year round.
- The scope on paper. What comes off, what gets repaired and which finish goes on, all written down before a price is agreed.
- Nothing billed that was not done. Anything found under the old surface beyond the agreed scope gets priced in writing before work on it starts.
Since 2001, from one office in Nasr City
We have worked on pools in Egypt since 2001, under one name and on one phone number. The office is at 15 El-Lewaa Mahmoud Samy Basha, Al Mintaqah as Sādisah, Nasr City, Cairo Governorate 10506, Egypt. Office hours are Saturday to Thursday, 9am to 5pm. Closed Friday.
If a tile lifts in year three, you want the company that set it to still answer the phone. Twenty five years at one address is something you can check before you pay.
We build pools as well as finish them, so the people choosing your adhesive know the concrete under it.
The finish goes onto a shell that has been put right first
A pool finish is the top layer of four. The concrete shell, the waterproofing on it, the render that makes it true, and then the tile or plaster you see. Each one carries the one above it, so the work runs from the bottom up.
- Strip to a sound base. The old tile or plaster comes off with the bedding behind it.
- Check the shell. Crack patterns, exposed steel, the screed and every fitting that passes through the wall.
- Repair the concrete. Structural repair comes before any finish work, and it is done to our engineers' detail.
- Pressure-test the pipework. A pipe fault found after the mosaic is set costs you the mosaic as well.
- Waterproof as a system. A Sika or BASF Master Builders Solutions system, specified for your shell.
- Render true. Flat walls, correct falls on the floor, clean curves at the corners and steps.
- Set the finish. Tile, glass mosaic, stone or plaster, in adhesive and grout rated for immersion.
Sometimes the shell, the pipes and the plant room have all worn out together. Then a new surface is one part of a bigger job, and we quote it as a full renovation of the pool, with its own survey.
Tiling over an old finish
We turn down requests to tile over an existing finish. New tile bonds only as well as the surface under it, and an old finish that has started lifting takes the new one with it.
Tile, glass mosaic, stone and plaster, matched to the pool
There are four main finishes. The shape of the pool, how long you plan to keep the house, and the water treatment you run decide most of the choice between them.
Glass mosaic
Glass mosaic holds its colour and follows curves. It suits free-form shells, rolled step edges, benches and overflow or knife-edge edges, where a larger tile cannot turn cleanly. Most of its cost is labour, because the sheets have to be set true with joints that line up across the whole pool.
Ceramic and porcelain tile
Ceramic and porcelain suit straight-sided skimmer pools with flat walls and simple steps, where larger tiles look deliberate. On a curved shell every bend turns into a run of tapered cuts, and those cuts show. On steps and shallow entries the tile needs a slip-resistant surface.
Natural stone
Stone works well on coping, decks and surrounds. Below the waterline it needs choosing with care. Some stone leaches minerals into the water, some stains, and most needs resealing on a cycle. Any stone going into the water gets selected for pool use, with the cleaning routine agreed before it is ordered.
Plaster and render
Plaster is the lowest spend of the four and has a shorter life, going rough and chalky sooner than tile or mosaic. For a rental, or a house you plan to sell soon, that can be the right trade, and we tell you so at the visit.
| Finish | Best on | What to weigh up |
|---|---|---|
| Glass mosaic | Curves, steps, overflow and knife-edge edges | Labour-heavy, needs time to set true |
| Ceramic or porcelain | Straight-sided skimmer pools | Cuts show on curves, slip rating on steps |
| Natural stone | Coping, decks and surrounds | Leaching, staining, resealing on a cycle |
| Plaster | Lower spend, shorter ownership | Wears rough sooner, resurfaced earlier |
The waterline band, the steps and the coping
The waterline band takes more wear than any other part of the pool, with sun, oils and floating dirt all meeting at one line. The steps carry the most feet. The coping sits where the pool structure meets the deck slab, so it takes movement from both sides, and when it fails, water gets in behind the finish from above.
So these three get specified together with the main finish. Coping that is sound stays where it is. Coping that has lifted or cracked gets replaced in the same job, which saves you breaking into brand new tile a year later.
On the deck, three things count: how hot it gets in a Cairo July, how slippery it is when wet, and whether water runs away from the pool.
Finishes chosen with the water treatment in mind
Salt systems are harder on some natural stone and on some metal fittings, trims and light housings. So the finish and the water treatment get decided as one choice. If you run salt, or plan to, tell us before any stone is ordered, and every metal part going in beside the new finish gets checked against it.
For interior designers and architects specifying a pool finish
If you are choosing the finish for a client, you set the look. We tell you in writing what the shell needs under it, before your client pays for a single tile. The specification covers the substrate repair, the waterproofing system by name, the adhesive and grout, the waterline band and the coping detail.
Bring your samples and drawings to the site visit. If a finish will behave badly on that shape or in that water, you hear it before the order goes in, with the reason. Resort and hotel pools get designed with your architects and consultants, to one engineering standard.
Pools other contractors built and tiled
We resurface and retile pools other contractors built, as we find them, with or without the original drawings. The first visit records the state of the surface, the bond behind it and the shell, and you get that in writing, part by part: sound, needs work now, or can wait a season.
On pools we build: 25 years on the structure, 10 on the waterproofing, 5 on the electromechanical works, in writing. On a repair to another company's pool, the term is agreed per job and written on the quote.
Measured against the tiler hired for the week
The cheapest retile is a tiler working straight over the old surface with general building adhesive. The next cheapest strips the finish and leaves the shell as it was. Both look fine on handover day.
Against those you get the old finish removed, the shell checked by our own engineers, a named waterproofing system, adhesive and grout made for immersion, and the scope, the price and the warranty term on paper.
Who should not book a retile with us
If two or three tiles have dropped off a pool that holds its water and has a sound surface, you need a small repair, and we will say that at the visit.
If the lowest figure per square metre decides it, we are the wrong company. Stripping to sound concrete, engineers on staff and immersion-grade materials cost more than tiling over what is there.
How the price is decided, after a free site visit
Five things set the figure, and each of them has to be seen at the pool.
- The area. Square metres of floor, walls, steps and waterline.
- What sits under the old finish. How much bedding, render and concrete needs repair once the surface is off.
- The finish you choose. Tile, glass mosaic, stone or plaster, plus the coping.
- The shape. Curves, benches, steps and overflow edges take more cutting and setting time.
- Access. How material reaches the pool and how the old finish leaves the site.
Any figure given before the old surface comes off would change once it does, so the quote waits for the visit. The site visit is free, the consultation is free, there is no obligation, and every line on the quote comes from our own rate book. To settle on a look first, browse pool designs and finishes to compare.
Milestone payments, or a deposit and six monthly instalments against post-dated cheques.
Call or WhatsApp +20 102 626 1818 and pick a time for the visit this week.
Six checks on a tired pool finish
These work on any pool, from villa gardens in Katameya to a terrace pool in Nasr City. Five minutes, no tools.
- Run a hand along the wall. Rough or chalky across the whole pool means the surface has worn through.
- Tap the tiles with a coin. Where several ring hollow, the adhesive behind them has let go.
- Look at the grout at the waterline. Dark, crumbling or missing grout lets water in behind the tile.
- Check the steps. Loose, chipped or slippery tiles on the treads.
- Stand on the coping. Any rocking, gap or crack where it meets the deck.
- Look for stains that stay. Marks that survive brushing and balanced water.
If two or more apply, book the site visit and get a written verdict.
Where our tiling teams work in and around Cairo
Our site teams leave the Nasr City office six days a week. If you are weighing up a swimming pool company Cairo has for a retile, ask how far its teams travel, because the pool stays empty until they finish.
| Part of the city | Areas |
|---|---|
| East Cairo | Nasr City, where our office is, Heliopolis, Al Rehab, Madinaty, villa districts in El Shorouk City |
| New Cairo | Fifth Settlement, Katameya, Mostakbal City, New Administrative Capital |
| South Cairo | Maadi, Mokattam, Uptown Cairo |
| West Cairo | Sheikh Zayed, 6th of October |
| Outside Cairo | chalet and villa pools on the North Coast, Ain Sokhna, El Gouna and Hurghada, the Delta, Upper Egypt |
Finish work outside Greater Cairo is confirmed after a site visit. On the coast, every metal trim and fitting set into the new finish gets specified for salt air.
Frequently asked questions about pool tiling and finishes
Can you tile over my existing pool finish? No. The old finish comes off down to sound concrete, the shell gets repaired and waterproofed, and the new finish goes on after that.
Is glass mosaic worth it over porcelain? On a curved pool, usually yes, because porcelain reaches the curves in cuts that show. On a straight rectangle, porcelain looks deliberate and the choice comes down to taste.
Can marble or travertine go in the water? Sometimes, if the stone is selected for pool use and the cleaning routine is agreed first. Stone usually does best on the coping and deck, with mosaic or tile in the water.
Do I have to replace the coping when I retile? Only if it has failed. Sound coping stays. Coping that has lifted or cracked is cheaper to replace now than after the new tile is down.
Does a salt system change which finish I can have? Yes. Salt is harder on some stone and some metal fittings, so tell us before anything is ordered.
What warranty comes with resurfacing and retiling? On pools we build: 25 years on the structure, 10 on the waterproofing, 5 on the electromechanical works, in writing. On a repair to another company's pool, the term is agreed per job and written on the quote.
How much does it cost to retile a pool? It depends on the area, the finish, the shape and what sits under the old surface. The site visit and the quote are free, and the quote comes off our own rate book.
Book the visit and get the finish specified in writing
Tell us the size of the pool, what the surface looks like now, and the finish you have in mind. After the free site visit you get the scope, the specification and the quote, all in writing. If you decide against it, the visit has cost you nothing.
Call or WhatsApp +20 102 626 1818, or email info@arcgroup-eg.com. The office is at 15 El-Lewaa Mahmoud Samy Basha, Al Mintaqah as Sādisah, Nasr City, Cairo Governorate 10506, Egypt. Office hours are Saturday to Thursday, 9am to 5pm. Closed Friday.