The best base for an above ground pool - Stall mats under Intex Pool?!

Рет қаралды 84,173

Күн бұрын

Prep Update for 2024: • Cattle Pad Base for Ab...
Will have a 'complete' setup video for 2024 in about a week.
After spending few hours watching all kinds of videos I came across this one from the Backyard Problem Solver ( • The BEST BASE for an a... ) and finally made the decision to spend a little more and get stall mats for my above ground Intex pool. After digging out to create a more stable base, we framed the area with 4x4s, spread a 2" layer of chat, and dropped in stall mats we got at Tractor Supply for $50/ea. Yes it was more costly but the labor servings were worth it for me and our situation.
Stall Mat: www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pro...
Note: This is not an affiliate link and I will update this note if the link ever changes to an affiliate link.

Пікірлер: 70

@g13kizz2 Ай бұрын

Absolutely great idea👍

@oshemashepard8031 2 ай бұрын

Why didn't you put the camera on whayou was talking about ??

@HowerDo 2 ай бұрын

Figured looking at big, black, rubber mats would be even less interesting than my face. Maybe try clicking the product link and staring at that while you listen, let me know how it goes. Always a solution when you really put your mind to it!

@rafterh2181 2 ай бұрын

I did this 3 years ago, looks and works great

@HowerDo 2 ай бұрын

What did you put under it, just straight grass? Dirt? Sand? Chat?

@rafterh2181 2 ай бұрын

@@HowerDo sand inside landscape timber border

@PugpugKeller 4 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@a.estella2520 4 ай бұрын

We are leveling are ground now for are pool and I have sand that we have are using to help fill but we got the wrestling mats or gym mats whatever you want to call them but if you read the fine print if you place your pool directly on sand it will avoid out your warranty if you have one

@joleneherzog8 3 ай бұрын

Interesting idea

@MatthewTrussell 21 күн бұрын

Sand is super cheap. It's not anywhere close to $300 for a pool that size. I used play sand I bought at home depot and it cost less than $50 for a 16ft round pool. It's $5 per 50lbs bag, and you only need a couple of inches of sand, just enough to level things out and soften the ground a bit. All you have to do is level your ground a bit. Throw a thin layer of sand on top of that. Put a couple layers of weed barrier fabric down. Then a couple layers of tarp. Then you can add any extra layers, like rubber mats, outdoor carpets, foam tiles, or whatever, if you want.

@YoderAle 4 ай бұрын

These comments are too harsh lol. This was informative. Thanks for the vid! I appreciate you putting the cost out there. $80 ish at time of making vid for mats.. vs $350-400 for sand.

@kevinbreese5739 Ай бұрын

You mean $800-ish. Current price appears to be $55/ea x 8 = $880 + $50 delivery + tax for his size pool.

@MatthewTrussell 21 күн бұрын

@pamdoherty723 2 ай бұрын

I'm putting in a pool this year and I plan to go this route

@doctordutch Ай бұрын

Me too. Good luck to us

@SolarProjectsSweden Ай бұрын

I leveled the ground and used 3 inch foamboards that I cut in an octagonal shape for my round pool. I used two ratchet straps and placed them on opposite sides for even tension and I got a completely flat surface without joints that can be seen through the bottom of the pool. The ground temperature does not lower the heat in the pool + it's really nice and soft to walk on when you're in the pool.

@user-fy5by5xp7n Ай бұрын

Need more info on what they're called, price and where to get them.

@SolarProjectsSweden Ай бұрын

@@user-fy5by5xp7n Cellular plastic - Expanded polystyrene (EPS) with the size 47x23,5x3 inch. The price in Sweden is 6$ a piece and i used 24 to cover the bottom of my 13' round pool. You'll find them in every hardware store all over the globe.

@SolarProjectsSweden Ай бұрын

@@user-fy5by5xp7n Cellular plastic - Expanded polystyrene (EPS) with the size 47x23,5x3 inch. The price in Sweden is 6 USD each and I used 24 of them under my 13' feet pool. You can find them in every hardware store around the globe.

@doctordutch Ай бұрын

What thickness did you use for mats? Any updates? Issues?

@diy-mitch-vlogs 5 ай бұрын

Thanks for the information. But I'd like to have seen more about the pads. Your thumbnail was great and it got me, but video execution was a little off.

@HowerDo 5 ай бұрын

what questions can I answer or what can I show you otherwise?

@HowerDo 5 ай бұрын

Pool is actually down now so it would be a lot easier to highlight the pads and issues I'm seeing as well, not a bad callout and the perfect time for an update all things considered.

@user-fy5by5xp7n Ай бұрын

@@HowerDo not all of us have a clue what a cattle pad is. That's why you should have shown them

@Mike-cq4no 3 ай бұрын

Reading through the comments i see you had some issues with staining. I'm considering doing this as well. What would you recommend in lieu of the tarp included with the pool? I bought the 12x24 and am waiting for it too be delivered to see how big the footprint actually is compared to the listed dimensions. Would putting pavers under the mats where the legs land help with the indentation? I use them in my gym and they are pretty resilient for bouncing back into normal shape. I had my power rack on them for years and you can't even tell where it was after I moved it. Obviously the pool is much heavier but they are amazing.

@HowerDo 3 ай бұрын

Hey Mike - I’m going to get an appropriately sized “pool pad” to help with staining but the tarp and had worked fine. The pool pad should be a little softer and will keep the pool liner from settling into the cracks between the pads. The only the spot where it stained is where the tarp got pulled back during setup that stained. I didn’t use pavers because I was concerned the edges might be problematic and the pool would be under stress from the increased height. May try something though because the indented areas are clearly under more stress. Probably add another video soon about this years setup as I’m also shifting to a saltwater based setup.

@Jeaky Жыл бұрын

How’s the sinkage/indentation for the legs with the mats? I want to do this instead of using pavers or something and curious how it does under the pressure of the feet

@HowerDo Жыл бұрын

It's not too bad, but it's there and I think the compression will likely leave indents in the long because all the weight is there. The alternative is to try and the cut the mats to sit inside the frame or to cut on the section and drop a stone there. I had to cut one for the final row and it wasn't fun - any sort of high speed device melted the rubber and proved ineffective so I ended up scoring with a box knife over and over. I figure the worst case scenario is that I have small indentions. any cutting would prevent possible re-use in other applications later as well. so far I'm really glad I went for it.

@Jeaky Жыл бұрын

@@HowerDo but not enough to be an issue with level? Or any fear if it puncturing? My options are either put a paver under each leg, or just lay these out under the entire thing and put the legs directly on it. And I’d prefer to do that lol seems way easier

@HowerDo Жыл бұрын

@@Jeaky Mine are directly on it and as long as your area is leveled out the weight should distribute fine and the legs will sink evenly. At least that's how it's been for mine so far. Not at all concerned about puncturing either - it's one reason I picked these. They are made for farm environments, heavy animals, hoof traffic, etc. I had one fold in half trying to move it, tore it in the middle due to the sharp angle, but the material is made to take a beating and endure. for moving, I used two Gator Lifts and a furniture dolly - just go careful and it was super easy to move them from the drive to the backyard into place. Here's the lifts I used: www.amazon.com/dp/B0736P3SS7/ref=sspa_dk_detail_6?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B0736P3SS7&pd_rd_w=s42rs&content-id=amzn1.sym.f734d1a2-0bf9-4a26-ad34-2e1b969a5a75&pf_rd_p=f734d1a2-0bf9-4a26-ad34-2e1b969a5a75&pf_rd_r=DRH0CAC24BXQPG7RRHV4&pd_rd_wg=0M6xy&pd_rd_r=bc9f5cad-5d16-4f6f-82f3-37849339bfe7&s=hi&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWw)

@carlaevansfarmer5924 Ай бұрын

So I wonder if I could just use them under my intex pool legs instead of pavers? I have sand to level tje ground then a installation pad on top of the sand and thinking of cutting out the sections where the legs go and place down pavers but I like the stall mats better. I would think the pavers would still sink in the sand. Ugh..lol

@WitbierCircus Ай бұрын

The matts wouldn’t be great because they compress. That’s the only issue I have - intentions where the legs are. They are fine for me because I’ve got an entire mat so they don’t compress and slide out from under the legs. This is also a reason I didn’t do sand - I didn’t want the sand washing away

@miriamwilliams4638 2 ай бұрын

Nice job. How did you avoid shifting the sand as placed the pads down?

@HowerDo 2 ай бұрын

I didn't put any sand underneath - it's chat so it sits better, but I need a bit more to create a better layer and level things out.

@miriamwilliams4638 2 ай бұрын

@@HowerDo Okay. Thanks.

@mazinmanea6587 2 ай бұрын

Lol and lol, is that video not related to to the video title can’t stop laughing

@ryansanders5453 Жыл бұрын

How thick were your mats?

@HowerDo Жыл бұрын

These are 3/4” thick. Here’s the link: www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/4-ft-x-6-ft-x-3-4-in-thick-rubber-stall-mat-2219003?store=1217&cid=Shopping-Google-Local_Feed&Google&Shopping&Local_Feed&gbraid=0AAAAAD3fmFPzGxTityWRVIyWiYJL5H1I7&gclid=Cj0KCQjwn_OlBhDhARIsAG2y6zNwC1E2UKnZUkvQ628goW8o77ROW4BBJWGQTXnDP1jqSfL_DLJyG78aAhdrEALw_wcB

@tinabonham7074 11 ай бұрын

Hi! It appears you put a pad on top of the mats, How has this worked? I did this without the pad on top of the mats, and oh man, it has stained my liner SO bad on the inside it looks horrible! Did you have any staining with the cover?!

@HowerDo 11 ай бұрын

I used the tarp that came with the pool but i ended up cutting out the extra material because it was driving me nuts. I wouldn't have though the pads would stain the INSIDE of the liner, however! I do have some browning on one end, but I think that's the tarp just not drying out, maybe rotting under the liner. Would be really interesting to see a photo of what you're dealing with, but no, I don't have any issues so far.

@tinabonham7074 11 ай бұрын

I can't add a picture for some reason.... I tossed out the pool, but I do have some pics of it... I’m just trying to figure out how to add them!

@HowerDo 11 ай бұрын

@@tinabonham7074 so I have this dark area on one edge of my pool and after this exchange I'm thinking maybe this is where my tarp didn't get spread out and it's being stained by the pads! So maybe I just got lucky by throwing the tarp under there, but I will for sure be adding a proper pool pad next year as I don't like the tarp itself as an underliner. Crazy - good call out!

@Superman-xr1oh 11 ай бұрын

What kind of material did you use under the cattle pads?

@HowerDo 11 ай бұрын

Crusher run I think they call it. Same grade used to build up a base for our paver patio. Going to add more next year, get the pads level to the 4x4 frame (lower level), and improve drainage on the back end so water doesn't sit so much

@Thebloodpoems 3 ай бұрын

Ppl aren’t nice. Thank you for the video.

@user-fy5by5xp7n Ай бұрын

Be nice

@JamieSilvaMLO Ай бұрын

What is under the pads?

@HowerDo Ай бұрын

Very thin layer of chat on top of essentially clay packed earth. Very rocky and clay filled area.

@PianoPatterns123 Ай бұрын

It would be cheaper to use inter locking gym or dojo pads. Depending on the thickness and square footage you can buy them from $1 to $5 per pad.

@HowerDo 23 күн бұрын

@@PianoPatterns123 absolutely, but cost alone wasn’t my consideration. Lots of water in this area, need for durability, and ground preparation issues changed the story for us and made this the best option.

@PianoPatterns123 23 күн бұрын

@@HowerDo That makes sense. Like you said there are other factors involved. I have seen these horse stall mats at Tractor Supply. Some gyms install them in areas where heavy weight lifters can practice clean and jerk, cleans, and military presses. When the weights come crashing down on the floor, the horse stall pads protect the infrastructure.

@Index-o1234 8 ай бұрын

Pool size?

@HowerDo 8 ай бұрын

This was a 15x15 round, on an 18x18 base. Debating going up to 18 next year as 15x15 felt a lot smaller than I expected once you throw three kids in the mix.

@linden5576 Ай бұрын

You wouldn’t needed the cattle padding if you would’ve put up like a metal sided doughboy type pool. Then you could’ve padded in the inside of your pool walls and it would’ve kept your pool warmer. The only way you can do it on this type of pool is to pad the outside of it with like bubble wrap or some sort and it looks not so good. I live in Central Michigan so having a metal pool is the best option as it’s morepermanent you around. I had a doughboy for years and years and then about eight years ago we let it go with my husband was terminal. Now I’m looking for and thinking about another metal framed, doughboy type cool but oval instead of round that I can pad and heat so I have longer than three months for swimming Because summers are pretty short in Michigan! Although I have to say we’re only into the second week of June and we’ve already hit 90s so the weather sure is changing and we’re not having as many below zero temperatures in the winter time as we did 30 years ago or the 8 foot high Snow drifts that we had 50 years ago! Michigan winters are becoming warmer, especially the further south you go in the state. I don’t like the idea of having to drain my pool mostly down so far wasting a lot of water for winter or having to take the pool down and put it away! ❤ great video lots of good ideas I think all y’all for your KZfaq videos whether it’s fixing your lawnmower or landscaping or putting in a pool they’re all very very helpful😊

@tonycordero955 2 ай бұрын

Isn't sand cheaper

@HowerDo 2 ай бұрын

Loads, but I had to remove material to create a level ground space and have serious drainage issues. I’d be buying sand every year and destroying my yard just to get it in. Also, I don’t like the way sand feels.

@xlunaticmoon 5 ай бұрын

Show the pool not your face

@charlesthomas2586 16 күн бұрын

You do like to talk

@HowerDo 14 күн бұрын

SO HELPFUL! thanks for stopping by and taking the time to let me know.

@terryarger7830 Ай бұрын

So do u know u good be a Ryan Reynolds’s double? Seriously….

@HowerDo Ай бұрын

If you’ve got the connections I’m game to shift careers toward this endeavor.

@terryarger7830 Ай бұрын

Do a video where u copy him in; repeating lines etc. make it work for u. Start by saying…so some people think i could be a Ryan Reynolds’s double, copy some vids and lines….then do your stuff as Ryan Reynolds’s! See if it works for u

@wesmiller4643 Ай бұрын

U may need glasses or a new prescription, he looks nothing like Ryan Reynolds

@terryarger7830 Ай бұрын

@@wesmiller4643 I suppose I could say the same to u from my perspective, and that’s all we wonderfully have , our own perspective….

@stevenbrown5210 2 ай бұрын

I literally can't see what the the hell you're talking about

@HowerDo 2 ай бұрын

Stall mats are big, black, rubber pads. What are you expecting them to look like? Yes, I talk more about the pros/cons and decision, but there's a thumbnail image of the setup on the video link, a link to the actual mats I purchased, a link to the video where I got the idea, and an updated video link in the description. Since I can't sleep, I thought I'd reshare here for you: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rd52Y7qQzZfPn2w.html Also working on a new setup this year and I'll share that - with plenty of visibility because that'll matter a lot more with the hard pipe and new deck box I'm adding for the hardware. You could also just... and hear me out on this... not engage just to be negative. I know.... I know.... it'll be hard. But I believe in you - you can do it!

@victorhoffman3269 Ай бұрын

Disappointing video. Very little explanation I don’t even know what material you are talking about. I don’t mind watching videos stretched out for monetization purposes…but I want a pay off.

@WitbierCircus Ай бұрын

To be fair, I clearly started out by saying that I run my mouth in the first 10 seconds. If you stuck around the entire time that’s kind of you my dude. Links to products are in the description as well as me saying things like “cattle pads” and “chat” and there’s this really cool site called “Google” that can help you break those terms down if they are too complex. I’d say I don’t care what you think but clearly I care a liiiiiiittle bit since I came to respond. Also just needed a way to fill a few minutes of my afternoon while I take use the facilities so… here we are. Thanks for watching, though - as far as the KZfaq is concerned a view is a view is a view!

@victorhoffman3269 Ай бұрын

@@WitbierCircus I stand by my original comment. “Google it” is kinda a cop out for providing scant information….heck you barely even showed us the install. All good. I’m sure you’ve got other videos that are outstanding. Hope everything came out ok.