1. Drain your old pool. Remember that once the water is gone, your pool is susceptible to high winds. If your pool is into the ground more than a few inches, stay away from the pool as much as possible so that you do not cave in the dirt and push the wall in.
2. Without removing any rails, cut the old pool liner out. There will be a thin strip of pool liner left at the top of the wall extending over the top of the wall. This will be removed at a later point.
3. Address the bottom of the pool. Remove any roots, rocks, or sharp objects that could puncture the new pool liner. Put down new replacement sand or vermiculite if needed. Make sure the cove around the inside of the pool wall is firm, stable, and in good condition. If it has compressed or washed out over the years, re-build. Most manufacturers recommend a six inch high cove.
4. Make sure skimmer and return holes are in good shape. Any areas of rust should be gently sanded and painted with a specialty rust preventative. Make sure the sanded residue does not mix into the ground inside the pool.
5. Carefully open the new pool liner box. DO NOT USE A KNIFE OR OTHER SHARP OBJECT!! Be sure the pool liner is the proper size to fit your pool. There are no returns for a pool liner if the box has been opened. If possible, unfold the pool liner in your yard. Make sure there is nothing there that would puncture it. If necessary, you may unfold the liner inside the pool. Once unfolded, roll the pool liner length-ways, and then fold it in half. With help, carefully lift the liner over the wall and place it inside the pool.
6. Remove shoes and make sure your toenails and fingernails are well trimmed.
7. With one other person inside the pool, unroll the liner and position into place. Use the seam that connects the pool liner's sidewall and bottom as a guide, keeping the seam equal distance from the wall. There may be a little variation if the pool is slightly out of shape. Most pools are slightly out of shape. But remember that once you put a lot of water on the pool liner, it is not going to move.
8. Smooth the overlap pool liner out as much as possible.
9. Remove any three consecutive sections of top-rail and then the coping and old liner remnants.
10. Using the old plastic coping or spring-style clothespins, put the liner over the wall a few inches and secure. Do not worry if the sides of the liner are loose. Be careful not to snag the liner on the edges of the top rails.
11. Skip a few sections and repeat step number 10. Continue until the liner is over the wall throughout the entire pool. Some top rails will still be on the pool and the liner will not be over the wall at these points. This is okay. If you like, you may place a protective layer of duct tape over the edges of the top rails that are still remaining on the pool.
12. Gently smooth the liner out to minimize wrinkles, and then begin running water SLOWLY.
13. As the water is added, with your bare feet and hands, gently scoot the liner wrinkles out, working in a straight line from the center to the edges. A little practice will make you an expert. If the water is coming in so fast that the liner becomes difficult to move, shut the water off. Remember that in a 24' diameter pool, an inch of water weighs more than one ton!
14. As needed, take excess liner over the wall.
15. When there is six inches of water in the pool, the liner is ready to be put in its final position on the sidewalls. Gently place your foot at the bottom to hold the liner in place, and then pull any excess liner over the wall. Use the plastic coping to secure the liner into its final position. Continue around the pool, removing rails that are still on the pool. If you have wrinkles in the side, work them out now, as they will be permanent if you do not. In some cases where the pool is not perfectly round or oval, you will not be able to avoid wrinkles in the sidewall. If your pool has a metal stabilizer bar, place this over the coping as you complete positioning of the liner. As you move around the pool, replace top rails on the pool. Complete the entire pool.
16. When the water level has risen to just below the skimmer and return you will now bolt on the skimmer and return. Do NOT cut the skimmer liner hole until the skimmer is attached. It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you replace skimmer and return gaskets before placing the skimmer and return back on the pool. Once the entire assembly is attached, VERY CAREFULLY cut the liner out INSIDE the faceplate. Use a very sharp pocketknife or razor knife. As for the return, you may need to cut out the liner BEFORE attaching the return. If so, carefully cut out the liner with a sharp pocketknife or razor knife. Take your time and keep the cut round. If your cut is too big to be covered by the return gasket, the pool will leak.
17. Continue to fill and check for leaks at the skimmer and return. If necessary, gently tighten the two to eliminate any leaks. 

How do you change a beaded pool liner for an above ground swimming pool?

The following is intended as a guide to installing a replacement beaded pool liner in a level-bottom above ground pool: While there are several other methods that can be attempted, this seems to be the easiest and least-risk method. We also have a couple of pre-job tips. Screws in top-rails and plates may be rusty. Have a can of WD-40 on hand to loosen them up. Also, wasps LOVE to hide under top rails. Cautiously explore and eliminate the wasps with your favorite wasp spray. Only install flat bottom liners in sunny, 75 degree plus, weather. Only install dished or expandable pool liners in sunny, 85 degree plus weather. Only fill pools during daytime hours. Check the pool liner and pool frequently as it fills with water. Completely inspect the pool liner before installation. Make sure there are no defects before installing. Once you start to install your beaded pool liner, you own it, including all defects.

1. Drain your old pool. Remember that once the water is gone, your pool is susceptible to high winds. Don't pick a day where the weatherman is calling for storms! Also, if your pool is into the ground more than a few inches, stay away from the pool as much as possible so that you do not cave in the dirt and push the wall in.
2. Without removing any rails, cut the old pool liner out.
3. Address the bottom of the pool. Remove any roots, rocks, or sharp objects that could puncture the new pool liner. Put down new replacement sand or vermiculite if needed. Make sure the cove around the inside of the wall is firm, stable, and in good condition. If it has compressed or washed out over the years, re-build.
4. Make sure the skimmer and return holes are in good shape. Any areas of rust should be gently sanded and painted with a specialty rust preventative. Make sure the sanded residue does not mix into the ground inside the pool.
5. Carefully open the new pool liner box. DO NOT USE A KNIFE OR OTHER SHARP OBJECT!! Also, make sure the pool liner is the proper size to fit your pool. There are no returns for a pool liner if the box has been opened. If possible, unfold the pool liner in your yard. Make sure there is nothing there that would puncture the liner. If necessary, you may unfold the liner inside the pool. Once unfolded, roll the liner length-ways, and then fold it in half. With help, carefully lift the liner over the wall and place it inside the pool.
6. Remove shoes and make sure your toenails and fingernails are well trimmed.
7. With one other person inside the pool, unroll the pool liner and position into place. Use the seam that connects the liner's sidewall and bottom as a guide, keeping the seam equal distance from the wall. There may be a little variation if the pool is slightly out of shape. Most pools are slightly out of shape. But remember that once you put a lot of water on the pool liner, it is not going to move.
8. Smooth the pool liner out as much as possible.
9. Install beaded edge of liner into bead receiver/ tracking a few inches and secure. Do not worry if the sides of the liner are loose. Be careful not to snag the liner on the edges of the top rails.
10. Skip a few sections and repeat step number.
11. Continue until the liner is in the track throughout the entire pool. If you like, you may place a protective layer of duct tape over the edges of the top rails that are remaining on the pool.
12. Gently smooth the liner out to minimize wrinkles, and then begin running water SLOWLY.
13. As the water is added, with your bare feet and hands, gently scoot the liner wrinkles out, working in a straight line from the center to the edges. A little practice will make you an expert. If the water is coming in so fast that the liner becomes difficult to move, shut the water off. Remember that in a 24' diameter pool, an inch of water weighs more than one ton!
14. When there is six inches of water in the pool check the beaded edge of liner to make sure it is secure. If you have wrinkles in the side, work them out now, as they will be permanent if you do not. In some cases where the pool is not perfectly round, oval, or rectangle, you will not be able to avoid wrinkles in the sidewall.
15. When the water level has risen to just below the skimmer and return you will now bolt on the skimmer and return. Do NOT cut the skimmer liner hole until the skimmer is attached. It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you replace skimmer and return gaskets before placing the skimmer and return back on the pool. Once the entire assembly is attached, VERY CAREFULLY cut the liner out INSIDE the faceplate. Use a very sharp pocketknife or razor knife. As for the return, you may need to cut out the liner BEFORE attaching the return. If so, carefully cut out the liner with a sharp pocketknife or razor knife. Take your time and keep the cut round. If your cut is too big to be covered by the return gasket, the pool will leak.
16. Continue to fill and check for leaks at the skimmer and return. If necessary, gently tighten the two to eliminate any leaks.

What if the liner seems like it does not fit?

If you are having problems after trying to install a liner: ninety nine times out of a hundred, the swimming pool liner needs to be readjusted, or reinstalled. It almost always points to imperfection on the installer's end. No big deal, but your job is not complete. It is much easier to pump the pool out again, readjust, or to fix and reinstall, by restretching, than to warranty a pool liner, pay for the shipping expense, and wait for it to come.
If the liner that you received measures to be within 2-3 feet of the size ordered, then you have the correct one and are just a little timid stretching it in. They are all made short of the dimensions. They are all intended to stretch into place.
Too help you get a little gutsy with the stretching process: here is one way that I like to explain it: "If you held a pool liner out like a plastic bag and filled it with water, it has the resiliency to triple in size. That's why they make them smaller than the actual dimensions....so that you must stretch it into place."
If you find yourself in this predicament here is a good tip for restretching and adjusting: pump the water out, redu the installation, and place the hose of your shop vac in the skimmer box hole. Duct tape the openings of the square as well as the return hole, turn the vac on, and watch the liner stretch like magic. Only do this service, as well as any water filling in 80 degree plus weather.
As a professional it took me dozens of liner replacements until I had the confidence to stretch a liner without anxiety.
Remember, you are the one acting as the service technician, and if you do not learn some of the tricks, then you are going to end up paying for another liner, so either lose your timidness and redu the job. Or you can pay the price of a plane ticket and $500-$1000 for service and we will send someone to do it for you. You can do it!!! Good Luck!!!!!

I have installed the pool liner and it does not look the way I would like it to, what do I do?

The second that you do not like the job that you are doing, you should turn the water off and adjust the pool liner until you are satisfied. If you follow this rule of thumb to the tee, the pool will never overfill past the point that you are unsatisfied with. Once the water level raises above the point that has wrinkles or needs adjusting, your stuck with those imperfections. There is no fix. So do not overfill past a point that you do not like and check the pool very frequently as it fills. You may have to spend a lot of time watching your pool fill, but until you are a professional installer, this will be necessary. The quality of the job, including whether or not the liner holds water, is on your shoulders as the installer.

Beaded Pool Liners