Pool Coping and Pool Surrounds in Syrian Stone: A Buyer's Guide

Pool Coping and Pool Surrounds in Syrian Stone: A Buyer's Guide

Buyers who look for pool coping in Syrian stone usually have the pool drawn and a surround still to decide. They want to know which stone suits water and bare feet, which finish to ask for, and how the edge pieces are cut and shipped. This guide answers those questions for the stone we quarry and process in Syria, and lists what to specify so that offers can be compared on the same basis.

What coping is

Coping is the capping or covering of a wall,¹ and it can be made of stone, brick, concrete, tile and many other materials.¹ Around a pool, the coping stones cap the top of the pool wall and form its edge, the line between the water and the deck. Behind the coping, the surround continues as paving, in the same stone or a quieter one. The two should be drawn together, because they meet at every joint.

The stone we supply for pools: Silver Travertine

Among our nine stones, Silver Travertine is the one we list for pools. It is a silver-grey travertine with layered movement, soft tonal variation and a naturally linear character, quarried and processed in Syria and supplied as blocks, slabs or cut-to-size pieces. Coping is cut-to-size work: each piece is cut to the width, length and thickness on your drawing.

• Finishes: raw, honed, antique, filled or unfilled.
• Formats: blocks, slabs and cut-to-size pieces, including coping and paving cut to your drawings.
• On the same project: it is also listed for flooring, wall cladding, landscaping and steps, so the pool, the terrace and the steps down to the garden can share one stone.

Travertine is a variety of limestone that forms where mineral-rich spring water reaches the surface, and it is often a banded rock with numerous voids and cavities.² Our Syrian travertine guide explains the stone in full, and our article Silver Travertine: Cross-Cut or Vein-Cut? shows how the direction of the saw changes its look.

Filled or unfilled around the water

The cavities in travertine can be filled, usually with resin or cement, for a closed and even surface, or left open to show the full texture of the stone. Around a pool, where bare feet, water and cleaning meet every day, decide this together with the finish. A filled surface is closed and easier to keep clean; an unfilled surface keeps the open, natural texture, which also suits the walls, planters and raised edges around the pool. If you choose filled, agree the colour of the filler on a sample, because it shows on every piece.

The finish: wet feet and bright sun

The finish matters more around a pool than on most other parts of a project. A polished surface is glossy and more slippery when wet than a matte surface, so coping and decks are usually given a textured or matte finish:

• Antique: a softly worn, textured surface with an aged look, typically produced by brushing or tumbling; often chosen where feet are wet.
• Raw: left as cut, a natural, slightly rough surface.
• Honed: ground flat to a smooth matte surface without gloss; calm and even, and better kept to the drier parts of the terrace.

Light colours also stay pleasant in strong sun, which is one reason pale travertine is a familiar pool stone. Whether a finish suits your pool depends on the local rules for pool surrounds, the climate and how the pool is used, so tell us where the stone will go and see the finish on a sample before production.

Edge pieces: what to put on the drawing

Coping is ordered piece by piece, so the drawing matters as much as the stone. Put these on the drawing or in the enquiry:

1. The edge profile you want on the water side, and whether the coping overhangs the pool wall.
2. The width, length and thickness of each piece, and the tolerances you accept.
3. The corner pieces, and for a curved pool, the curved pieces with their radius.
4. The number of straight pieces and of each special piece, plus spare pieces for later repairs.
5. The surround: paving sizes, thickness and pattern, in the same finish or a matching one.
6. Any steps into the pool or down from the terrace in the same stone.

What to specify

1. The stone and its rock type: Silver Travertine, travertine.
2. Filled or unfilled, and for filled, the colour of the filler.
3. The finish for the coping and for the surround.
4. The pieces, with dimensions, thickness, edge profile and quantities, as above.
5. The use: a private garden pool or a hotel pool, indoor or outdoor, and the climate.
6. The quantity and the destination port.

Dimension stone is judged on colour, grain texture and pattern, surface finish, and durability and strength for the intended use,³ so agree a reference sample or photographs of the production, and the acceptable range of natural variation, before production starts. Our specification checklist covers the full list.

How to order

• Orders start at one 20 ft container, usually about 300 to 350 m² of stone depending on the thickness and format; a 20 ft container carries about 16 to 25 tonnes. A pool project often combines coping, surround paving and steps in one container, and the cut list should be agreed before production starts. Ordering by the container explains the arithmetic.
• Production typically takes about 14 days, sometimes up to around 20, before the goods are ready to ship.
• We quote FOB Latakia, CIF to your port or EXW, depending on the order and route. On FOB Latakia, our delivery is complete when the goods are on board the vessel at the port of Latakia, and sea freight and insurance from there are arranged by the buyer.
• Before loading, we send photos and video of the actual stone in your order, and you are welcome to inspect it in person. Every crate is numbered and documented, and the shipment travels with a packing list and a certificate of origin.

The factors behind a quote are set out in What Drives the Price of Syrian Limestone; cut-to-size work and special pieces add to them.

Questions buyers ask

Which Syrian stone do you supply for pools?

Silver Travertine, the stone we list for pools: a silver-grey travertine supplied raw, honed or antique, filled or unfilled, and cut to size for coping and surrounds.

Can I use limestone or basalt around a pool?

Our limestones are listed for flooring, steps and landscaping, and our Volcanic Black Basalt for paving, outdoor flooring and steps, with a textured flamed finish among its options. If you have one of them in mind for a pool, tell us the stone, the finish and the climate, and we will tell you plainly whether we would suggest it. Our Syrian limestone guide describes the limestones.

Can I see the stone before it is shipped?

Yes. We send photos and video of the actual stone in your order before loading, and you can inspect it in person.

Short answers on quotes, inspection before loading, delivery, payment and export documents are in our buyer questions.