Things You Need To Know About Tanning Ledges

Things You Need To Know About Tanning Ledges

Plunge and swimming pools will appear ordinary without any additional accessories. Oftentimes, water kits and jets alone are not enough to beautify the pools and make them multi-functioned.

Tanning ledges, or those that are more commonly known as ledges, are some additions that can be present inside pools, regardless of the pool types. Some people refer to those ledges as tanning, Baja, or sun shelves.

Yet, do those nicknames make the ledges different from tanning, Baja, or sun shelves? We’ll see more of their elaborations in the definition (or the meaning) of the ledges as stated below:

Tanning Ledge Meaning

Depending on the pool builders and manufacturers you approach, tanning ledges’ nicknames can range from tanning shelves, Baja shelves, or sun shelves. Yet, tanning shelves remain the alternative nicknames that most people are familiar with.

No matter what their nicknames, pool builders and manufacturers will likely know what you meant when you know to describe the ledges.

Those ledges are not just shelves. Instead, those extremely shallow shelves can span according to the desired width. Those are also your entry points so you don’t have to swim or float. 

Other than making your water activity experiences easier, the ledges also function in many different ways that will be described further in the next point.

The Different Functions Of Tanning Ledges In The Pools

Even though the tanning shelves’ main functions are to help people not to swim or float while tasting the water, those shelves also function to help people relax. 

Over the years, many people have used tanning shelves to curl up with great books, enjoy full meals, or play simple board games while enjoying the pool views.

Even dogs and cats love using tanning shelves to jump in and play with their owners. Just as the owners can use the tanning shelves around the pools to socialize with other people, the dogs and cats can also socialize with each other around the tanning shelves.

In some cases where the tanning shelves are installed inside the water bodies, your pets can even swim and play around using the tanning shelves as one of their tools.

Tanning shelves’ functions don’t stop in making people and pets enjoy life to its fullest. Those shelves can also be the places to put on furniture such as lounge chairs, umbrellas, small tables, and many more.

Tanning Ledges’ Sizes And Dimensions

Most tanning shelves have at least 5 feet wide. Some tanning shelves, however, can have up to 8 feet wide, including the fiberglass tanning shelves. The lengths, on the other hand, should be at least 5 feet long.

Tanning shelves that are installed inside a water body shouldn’t be more than 12 inches deep, considering the children, pets, and the furniture, such as lounge chairs, around the ledges. Tanning shelves will float if the depth is more than 12 inches, which is not considered an ideal situation.

The Pros Of The Tanning Ledges’ Materials

Tanning shelves can be made from concrete, vinyl liner, or fiberglass. Each of the materials has its pros and cons. At this point, we’ll start with the pros.

If you want a customizable shelf, concrete tanning shelves that can be integrated into any designs, shapes, and sizes, are your best choices. 

If you feel short on budget but still want to have tanning shelves around your pools regardless of your pool types, then, vinyl liner-made tanning shelves are your best choices.

Having tanning shelves that are made from fiberglass are not only customizable, but they also permit more spacious rooms for your pools thanks to the ability to add additional fiberglass ledges. 

Fiberglass-made shelves are also some of the most comfortable and the smoothest tanning shelves while being slip-resistant at the same time.

The Cons Of The Tanning Ledges’ Materials

Depending on what you want in your tanning shelves, you may want to consider the weak points, or the cons, of each of the tanning ledges’ materials.

Since fiberglass-made tanning shelves have default shapes, they may not be the best choice for you if you want to customize your shelves. In addition, if you add too many additional ledges around them, they can’t be customized, too.

If you have many small children, pets, and furniture around your houses, fiberglass tanning shelves are also not your best choices since those tanning shelves can be too deep for them.

Even though concrete-made tanning shelves are highly customizable, you should bear in mind that the surfaces can be too rough and there are possibilities of scrapes. 

On the other hand, vinyl liner tanning shelves can minimize the money-saving benefit due to their teary liners and high likelihood for additional ledges.

The Different Designs Of Tanning Ledges

Given the pros and cons of each of the tanning shelves’ materials, now you know that tanning shelves made from concretes and vinyl liners can be customized.

Placing umbrellas of many colors at the center of the tanning shelves is the most popular way to design tanning shelf environments. The umbrellas provide protection to the people and pets below them as well as adding aesthetic value to the whole pool environment.

Aside from the colorful umbrellas, add-ons such as LED lights, bubblers, gushers, or curvaceous lounge chairs, are also popular to both beautify the tanning shelves’ surroundings as well as create cozy outdoor lounges.

Lights and bubblers are two of the most popular decorations for tanning shelves. Most people install one or two lights on each side of the tanning shelves. 

Bubblers, on the other hand, create fountain affects most children love by shooting bubbling waters on top of the pools’ surfaces.

Tanning ledges are the same as tanning, Baja, or sun shelves, depending on how the pool builders and manufacturers are referring to. Still, tanning shelves remain the most widely-known alternative nickname for those ledges.

The different sizes and dimensions that those ledges have also mean there are many possibilities on the designs of the ledges. Still, in choosing ledges for your pools, you need to consider the pros and cons that each of the ledges’ materials has.