I’ve had a lot of people ask me about my INTEX Ultra XTR Deluxe Rectangular Above Ground Swimming Pool, and below are pictures of how we installed it step by step.

BUT FIRST, I have to back up a couple of years and show you my mishaps with my 16 X 48 ft. round Summer Waves Pool that I got on sale at Walmart. I  brought it home and put it on a huge concrete slab in my backyard.

I was so proud of myself, and I thought it looked fabulous until I realized that putting a pool on concrete without a pad underneath was my first mishap; second, it wasn’t level.

Needless to say, I looked a little silly with my goggles on trying to repair the holes in the bottom of my pool with Waterproof Flex Tape.

So, here’s take two, and how I saved this pool for use the rest of the summer!

First, I added a pool pad underneath the liner and placed bricks under the pool legs on the side that had a slight slope.  Second, I put an overlap pool liner inside the pool, with snap clamps to hold it in place.  It worked like a charm, and it was float worthy the rest of the season.

The following year I decided to get a larger pool and ended up buying the INTEX Ultra XTR Deluxe Rectangular Above-Ground, Swimming Pool. The 18ft x 9ft x 52 in high pool dimensions were a perfect fit, and it also came with a sand filter.   First up:  Make the space level and padded!

I had read about people layering roof shingles to level their pools.  So, we built the shingles up higher on one side and leveled it off with interlocking foam floor tiles.

Next up, we put a pre-cut rectangular pool liner over the shingles.

We hooked up pool hoses, the sand filter, and a saltwater chlorinator.  (Not included)

We are going into our 3rd season with this Intex pool, and have made some upgrades, including a larger sand filter, ladder, and accessories.

I have created a Pool Life List on my Amazon Storefront, and encourage you to see what items are available to create your own backyard oasis.

If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments below!  Here’s to a fun summer, and hopefully you will have a splash!

Some of these links are affiliate links.  So, if you decide to buy, I might get a small commission fee.  Thank you for your support!

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2 Comments

  1. What size of pad was needed for the rectangular pool, 18 x 9. x 52
    Would you recommend a sand filter over carbon rinse filter.
    Thank I enjoy your post

    1. Hi Deborah,

      I upgraded our sand filter to a Intex SX3000 and it has worked beautifully. https://amzn.to/4cV4HVc

      Our pool is on a concrete slab, and we layered with shingles, added gorilla pad (12 X 20). https://amzn.to/4bY8rDV

      This Intex pool will come with a thin ground cover (silver one in pic), but we opted to add the additional gorilla pad under it.

      I hope this helps, and thank you for the question. Brandi

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