How-To: Custom Pool Coping

Pool coping is the finishing edge that frames your pool, the transition point where water, structure, and surrounding surface meet. It’s both a technical necessity and a design opportunity that protects the pool shell from water ingress while defining the pool’s visual identity. Done well, coping enhances comfort, safety, and long-term performance. Done poorly, it can lead to drainage issues, uneven lines, or early deterioration.

In this Gold Coast Superior Tiling and JMT Building collaboration, every detail from material choice to apron cuts was considered to create a seamless, sculptural edge that elevates the entire outdoor space.

While many pool projects can use off-the-shelf sizes, a custom design like this lagoon-shaped pool often requires bespoke tile cutting. This project required meticulously measured and shaped pieces of Norcia Light to follow the organic curves of the pool and spa. Custom-cut coping ensures the visual rhythm stays consistent, even around tight radiuses or irregular edges. This approach doesn’t just improve aesthetics, it prevents uneven joins and future cracking caused by misalignment. For builders and homeowners alike, it’s a reminder that precision at the start saves time and cost later.

Around the spa’s raised ledge, Will from Gold Coast Superior Tiling introduced a double-sided apron; a finishing technique where the tile’s edge is mitred or shaped to cover both the top and side faces of a structure. This approach creates a clean, seamless look while protecting exposed edges from chipping or water damage. The spa in this build utilised this method, visually “wrapping” the lifted edge, making it feel integrated rather than separate. In design terms, it’s the difference between a visible join and a refined architectural line, the kind of craftsmanship detail that sets professional tiling apart.

Getting the apron right is all about understanding geometry. Each coping piece must align perfectly with its neighbour, maintaining consistent overhang and level across the entire perimeter. Around complex pool shapes or raised zones, even a few millimetres of variation can throw off the visual balance. Will and his team focused on achieving flush edges between pool and spa, ensuring transitions felt deliberate, not disjointed. The result is a continuous flow that enhances both function and form, blending engineering precision with design intent.

Every beautiful pool is a collaboration between good design, quality materials, and expert hands. The Tile Collective’s Norcia Light range, combined with Gold Coast Superior Tiling’s precision craftsmanship, turned a complex, curved pool and spa into a case study in considered construction with JMT Building. From double aprons to in/out finishes, each decision balanced aesthetics with technical performance. This project is proof that the best results come when design and detail meet, creating outdoor spaces that feel not just finished but flawless.