Swimming Pools in Santa Bárbara

In Santa Bárbara de Nexe the pools are on sloping ground, many in a raised position with a retaining wall below. When a pool like that leaks, the water does not stay with the pool: it ends up in the wall and the embankment, and the problem stops being one of finishes.

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Santa Bárbara, as seen by the people who work there

Santa Bárbara de Nexe is villa country with a view — halfway up the slope between Faro and the barrocal, where a lot of people built the house they intend to stay in.

South-facing slopes looking out over the lagoon and the sea, large plots, and a mix of restored traditional houses and good-quality new build. Detached villas on generous plots, many with a pool and retaining walls because of the slope, and a good number with natural stone cladding on the façade.

In Santa Bárbara de Nexe we do a lot of outdoor work — stone, walls, pools and façade maintenance.

What we find in Santa Bárbara

Sloping ground means retaining structures

Almost everything built here sits on terraces. Poorly drained retaining walls are the most common structural problem we find in the area.

Natural stone façades needing treatment

Schist and local stone develop efflorescence and green growth on the exposed face. Washing them with the wrong product discolours the stone irreversibly.

Wind and southern exposure

The view has a price: south-facing façades take sun all year round and lower-grade paints lose their colour in two summers.

Swimming Pools: what we do

Mosaic tiling — New mosaic applied to an existing or new pool, including steps and curved areas.
Epoxy grouting — Removal of the old grout, cleaning of the channels and application of two-part epoxy with an even finish.
Spot repairs — Replacement of loose or broken tiles matched in tone to the existing ones.
Waterproofing — Treatment of the substrate before tiling — this is where the leak is fixed, not in the tile.
Coping and edging — Repair and replacement of coping stones and edge details.
Deep cleaning — Removal of limescale, metal staining and the waterline mark before handover.

How the work goes

1
Draining and inspection
With the pool empty you can see the real condition of the substrate and how far the loose areas extend.
2
Preparing the substrate
Removal of anything not holding, correction of irregularities and waterproofing where needed.
3
Laying the mosaic
Adhesive rated for permanent immersion, with alignment checked panel by panel.
4
Grouting and curing
Epoxy applied and cleaned within the product's open time, with the cure respected before filling.

Work in and around this area

Pool retiled in mosaic with epoxy grout

A complete blue mosaic finish and epoxy grouting, on a pool that was losing tiles.

7 photographs

Pool regrouted in epoxy

Complete replacement of the grout in a pale mosaic pool, with the old grout raked out and epoxy applied.

21 photographs

Pool joint repair

A localised repair to a pool joint, before the degradation forces a complete new finish.

1 photograph

Frequently asked questions about swimming pools in Santa Bárbara

Do you actually work in Santa Bárbara, or do you travel in from elsewhere?

We work in Santa Bárbara regularly. We set out from Loulé and get there in about 20 minutes, which means we can come and look at the job without charging for the trip.

What usually goes wrong with this kind of work in Santa Bárbara?

Almost everything built here sits on terraces. Poorly drained retaining walls are the most common structural problem we find in the area. It is the situation we come across most often in Santa Bárbara, and it is why we look at the job before quoting.

Is epoxy really worth it instead of cement?

In a pool, yes. Cement grout is porous: it absorbs treated water, darkens and degrades with chlorine and pH swings. Epoxy does not. It costs more and is more demanding to apply, but it lasts far longer.

How long is the pool out of use?

A full regrout takes around one to two weeks, including the cure before filling. A new finish from scratch takes longer, three to four weeks depending on size.

Can you match the mosaic in my pool?

Often yes, if it is a reference still in production. Where it is not, we propose close alternatives or a deliberate contrast — a different band at the waterline works better than a patch that shows.