Pouring your vermiculite pool bottom is a standard yet skilled process when building your vinyl liner pool.
Strong Pool Krete is the most common material when pouring a vermiculite pool bottom. It is a pre-mix of sand and cement that is added with water to make a consistency of soft serve ice cream. 
Different Ways to Pour
There are a few different ways to pour a vermiculite pool bottom, it just depends on the manpower and the skill set of the pool contractors.
- Paddle Mixer
- You can use a paddle mixer (NOT tumbler) to mix the vermiculite and then transport it via 5 gallon pales.
- This requires on average 4-5 workers
- You can use a paddle mixer (NOT tumbler) to mix the vermiculite and then transport it via 5 gallon pales.
- Pool Krete Mixer
- This is a special mixer for mixing Strong Pool Krete. You hook up hose to the mixer, adjust the water pressure, & you will get a consistent mixture. This also transplanted with 5 gallon buckets.
- This requires on average of 4-5 workers.
- This is a special mixer for mixing Strong Pool Krete. You hook up hose to the mixer, adjust the water pressure, & you will get a consistent mixture. This also transplanted with 5 gallon buckets.
- Pool Krete Mixer with Pump
- This combines the consistency of the pool krete mixer with a special pump to transport it to the vermiculite pool bottom. While this goes slower in the long run, it only requires 3 people to pour an pool bottom.
Make sure you know what you are getting when it comes to a pool bottom and verify your pool contractor gets it smoother. Many pool bottoms have trowel marks and are very evident when you turn the pool lights at night. Good pool contractors will sand down the entire pool for a smooth finish.
This is a time-lapse video so you can see from start to finish, how we pour the bottom of an inground vinyl liner pool.
(Click the maximize button in the corner if you are having troubles displaying the video)
