POOLS, SPAS & HOT TUBS drains, features that can disrupt the visual flow of a carefully designed landscape. Instead, the surface itself becomes the drainage system, creating a cleaner, more seamless aesthetic while improving long-term performance.
Comfort is often underestimated in discussions about outdoor surfacing, but in spaces where people are expected to be barefoot, it becomes a defining factor. The ground a person walks on shapes their first and last impression of a leisure area. Harsh, uneven or overly textured surfaces can detract from the experience, particularly in commercial spas where comfort must be consistent and dependable. Another consideration with traditional pool tiles is their tendency to crack, creating sharp edges that can easily injure users.
A resin-bound finish provides a smooth, gentle and seamless alternative. Its fine, rounded aggregates provide a surface that is pleasant to walk on, even when temperatures fluctuate. The absence of joints or grout lines enhances this comfort, ensuring there are no edges or ridges to interrupt the underfoot feel. For designers aiming to create a premium, spa-like atmosphere, whether in a boutique hotel, a wellness retreat or a private garden, this level of comfort contributes directly to the sense of luxury and relaxation.
This pursuit of comfort naturally ties into the broader aesthetic ambitions of the modern landscape. Today’ s outdoor leisure spaces are increasingly designed as extensions of the home or commercial interior, with cohesive finishes, complementary materials and harmonious colour palettes. Resin bound solutions offer exceptional design flexibility, allowing architects and landscapers to tailor the surface to the character of the environment. With a wide selection of aggregate tones including natural, beach-inspired blends to contemporary silvers, charcoals and warm neutral mixes, designers can achieve a surface that enhances the surrounding architecture and soft landscaping.
Oltco frequently collaborates with clients who use resin-bound finishes to create striking borders around pools, subtle pathways that guide movement through spa gardens, or statement design
features that link different zones within a leisure space. Because the system is hand-applied, it accommodates curves, sweeping lines and bespoke patterns far more easily than rigid alternatives. This creative flexibility allows the surfacing to become an integrated part of the design narrative rather than a functional necessity relegated to the background.
Durability is another cornerstone of effective poolside surfacing. The demands placed on these environments are unique: exposure to chlorinated or saltwater splashes, strong sunlight, cleaning chemicals, regular foot traffic and year-round weather conditions. If a surface is unable to withstand these pressures, its appearance( and more importantly, its safety) can decline rapidly.
Resin bound surfaces are engineered to meet these challenges headon. Oltco’ s systems use UV-stable resin to maintain colour integrity and prevent fading, even in sunexposed areas. The aggregates remain firmly locked in place, resisting scatter and abrasion. Because the finish is seamless, problems associated with joints, such as weed intrusion, cracking or shifting, are virtually eliminated. Maintenance is refreshingly simple: routine sweeping and periodic washing are usually all that’ s required to keep the surface looking its best.
For commercial operators, this reliability reduces long-term operational costs and minimises downtime. For homeowners, it delivers longevity and peace of mind, ensuring that the investment into a pool or spa is matched by a surface capable of performing beautifully year after year.
Sustainability is also shaping the way outdoor leisure spaces are designed, and surfacing plays an increasingly important role in meeting environmental goals. Oltco’ s award-winning Recycle Bound system has become a defining innovation in this area, introducing a resin-bound surface that actively repurposes waste plastic. Developed using a blend that includes recycled plastic straws, drink bottles and food packaging, Recycle Bound transforms materials that would otherwise enter landfill or pollute the environment into a long-lasting, high-performance surface.
For pool and spa environments, this brings a compelling additional advantage. Not only does Recycle Bound deliver the same durability, permeability and slip-resistant qualities that resin-bound systems are known for, but it also contributes to a more sustainable approach to outdoor design. As homeowners and commercial operators increasingly look to reduce their environmental footprint, choosing a surface that gives new life to waste plastic becomes a meaningful part of the project’ s sustainability story.
The growing popularity of pools, hot tubs and wellness spaces in both private and commercial settings has sparked a renewed interest in the surfaces that support them. The most successful installations are those where the water feature and the surrounding landscape are considered together, with each element enhancing the other.
When the right surface is chosen, the entire leisure space becomes safer, more functional, more visually cohesive and more enjoyable. Resinbound systems deliver a blend of performance and aesthetics that aligns perfectly with the direction of modern landscape design. At Oltco, we see time and again how transformative a high-quality surface can be, not only improving how a space looks, but how it feels and how it lasts.
The water may capture attention, but the surface beneath our feet ultimately shapes the experience. And in the world of landscape and urban design, that experience is everything. www. oltco. co. uk
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