The New Frontier for Vinyl Liners: Holographic Designs

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The Sunfish Tile/Seafloor Floor print.The Sunfish Tile/Seafloor Floor print.

The vinyl liner industry has made great strides in recent years β€” customers who seek extra "oomph" from their liner patterns can choose sparkly, iridescent inks, sophisticated tile patterns and embossed prints for extra texture. Merlin Industries is growing the field even more with a fun addition that is sure to be a hit among families: the Cool! Holographic Pool Liners collection.

The collection includes four styles that, at first glance, don't look unusual. But when swimmers put on special goggles (or glasses, for those who prefer to remain on land), the prints come to life and create an enchanting holographic effect.

"At Merlin, we always want to be the innovators in the marketplace," says Marketing Manager Alyssa Selvaggio. "With this in mind, we looked for ideas that have never been done before in the vinyl liner industry."

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Creating the initial prototype was a bit tricky. Traditional 3-D images look "fuzzy" until special lenses are used β€” if you recall the classic red/blue 3-D glasses used at the movies, you're familiar with this concept. Going with a holographic effect allowed the Merlin team to achieve prints that look attractive both with and without the goggles/glasses.

Inground liner purchases come with two pairs of glasses and two pairs of goggles. Homeowners can, and are encouraged to, purchase additional goggles and/or glasses so the whole family can enjoy the effect.

The Cool! collection was revealed at the Pool & Spa Show in January, and Selvaggio describes the response as "tremendous."

"There were lines forming in the aisles around our booth for people to take a look!" she says. "The buzz has continued since the show and there are a bunch of dealers who are The Sunfish Tile/Seafloor Floor print. itching to install it."

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