Reading between the liners: our exclusive survey shows how improved quality and aesthetics have helped boost the sales of vinyl-liner pools - Survey Vinyl Liners

Pool & Spa News, April 25, 2003 by Bob Dumas

Rao says that it's what you can't see that is making the difference. "It's really in the liner," he says. "They are making polymer-impregnated liners that prevent damage from chemical abuse."

The liners themselves are physically tougher as well. "Years ago, 20-gauge liners were popular," Edwards says. "Now we have 28- to 30-gauge liners as the standard. It's a more durable product."

The pool walls, which the liners cover, also are being made better. "Manufacturers are using 235 galvanized coated steel," Edwards points out. "The standard used to be 165 galvanized steel. These products last longer in the ground."

Other manufacturers have developed a graphite-composite wall system that Rao says is "impervious to anything."

"It's a lifetime guarantee, not pro-rated, on the wall structure," he says. "They've come a long way."

Despite those improvements, the industry apparently is still fighting negative consumer perceptions. When asked for the typical shopper's perception of vinyl-liner pools, respondents' leading answer, at 33 percent, is "somewhat negative." Next, consumers seem to see the pools in a "neutral" or "somewhat positive" light, at a rate of 22 percent each.

"It's probably a regional perspective," Bonsall says of the anomaly. "But as far as I can tell, vinyl liner has no negative [connotations]. Most realize that it is a little less expensive, but that actually makes it pretty popular."

Rao says he hasn't heard disparaging remarks from consumers about vinyl-liner pools either. "I never heard anything like that. There was concern about how long the liner lasts," he reports, "but the way they're manufactured today, they last a lot longer. Especially with the water purification systems that are used with them and reduce the amount of chlorine."

Like Bonsall, he suggests that it might be regional consumer perspectives that skewed the question on vinyl-liner pool popularity. "It's definitely regional," Rao says. "The South has a lot of fiberglass pools, which aren't popular around here. And while gunite is still popular, because of its considerable price, people are more open to vinyl liner."

The vinyl industry also has had to shed another pejorative image it developed in the '70s, says Edwards. "The image of the vinyl-liner industry was unstable for a while," he explains. "Companies were going bankrupt left and right in the '70s. People were looking at us as if we were aluminum-siding companies. But it's come a long way from there. There is a lot more professionalism and quality products out there. Today, it's not just the pool; it's the company behind it."

RELATED ARTICLE: Shopping patterns

Today's vinyl-liner pool customers have more pattern options available to them than ever.

How important is this to them? Our exclusive survey reveals that 51 percent of dealers think it is "very important" to the consumer, and another 33 percent cite it as being "important."

"Consumers are educated about these things today," says Bob Rao, sales manager at Modern Comfort Pools in Coram, N.Y. "There are a considerable amount of liner choices out there, and they like to make sure that everything matches."