New coping styles versus older styles. Older styles on coping are usually obsolete and parts are not available anymore. This can be a problem when trying to fix your existing coping. Repairs to coping do not hold up in our harsh Manitoba climate and usually make replacement the only viable option. Older styles of coping are usually plastic. The downside of plastic coping is that it shrinks. The hot summer sun in Winnipeg heat up and expand your plastic pool coping. Winter time comes along with the cooler weather and now you have gaps between your coping.
Sometimes plastic coping is still the best option as with 6” patio coping. Our new Vastec coping had a powder coated aluminum base with a PVC white plastic top cap. Any shrinkage between the joints is camouflaged by the white aluminum base.
New coping styles are almost all aluminum and powder coated. Some have a textured surface and some have ribs. White coping is the coolest in the hot summer sun and does not get too hot to touch like car interiors on a hot summer day. Aluminum coping is long lasting and will bend instead of crack if any shifting occurs making it a lot stronger and better option.