Beaded Flat Bottom Pool Liners:

Beaded liners are made to fit most above-ground pools with sidewalls that are 48" or 52" high and have a flat bottom. Beaded liners are made with a bead at the top of the liner and installs into a track or "snaps in" to a channel, called Bead Receiver. Each type of bead looks similar, but each one has a slightly different design to fit different bead receiver tracks. There are several types of beaded liners and we have a list of available bead styles to include: the standard bead (to include Wilkes, Kayak®, Fanta-Sea™ and Esther Williams), UniBead and J-Hook. Please compare the bead on your old liner with the beaded options listed.

The benefit of a beaded liner is that you generally do not have to disassemble the top rails of your pool to change the liner. This makes them easier to install. A beaded liner works well if you have a deck built around the perimeter or your pool. You can convert your existing overlap liner to a beaded liner by installing bead receiver onto the top wall of your pool and then selecting the right height liner.

Standard Beaded Liners

Beaded pool liner come in three different heights:

  • 48"
  • 52"
  • 54"
Standard beaded pool liners have a bead that runs along the liners top edge. The bead that runs along the top of the liner snaps into what is called the bead receiver. The bead receiver runs continuously along the top of the pool wall.

J-Hook Liners

J-Hook (also known as j-bead or u-bead) liners go over the wall as do overlap liners, but the wall height is defined and exact.  An upside down J or U- shaped bead holds the liner to the top of the wall. 

There is approximately 3/4" of bead coming down the outside of the wall. Make sure your top rails fit snuggly to help hold the J-Bead liner in place.

UniBead Liners

The UniBead is a very unique swimming pool liner in that it is two types of liner in one. The UniBead liner can be used as a standard beaded liner in a pool that uses a bead receiver or it can also be used a J-Hook Liner in a pool that does not use a bead receiver.

If you are using a J-Hook liner you simply install the J shaped bead onto the top of your pool wall.

If this liner is to be installed as a standard beaded liner, simply remove the J-Hook along the dotted line at the top of the pool liner. Now it's a standard beaded liner, and ready to install onto the bead receiver.

*Images are not to scale

Note: If you're not sure what bead you need, please give us a call and we can help you select the right one that will fit your pool.
We can help make your new liner a breeze to install.