Adding the finishing touches
A quick guide to pool accessories

Now that your pool is in and you're in a summer fun mood, you've probably been out picking up the usual run of water toys - foam noodles, air mattresses, toddler floaters, goggles, flip-flops ... the usual suspects.

There are a few other poolside items you might find useful, especially considering you're planning on buying all this other stuff.

Here's a list of some of the accessories that will ease your new life around the concrete pond.

Storage benches

and cabinets

These nifty storage units, perfect for putting away water toys, come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Metal grate storage bins, the kind PE teachers store basketballs in, are a great way to go for the bargain shopper. Many moderatelypriced storage cabinets are made with polyethylene, making them water and weatherproof year round.

For the high-end shopper, go with a wooden or teak cabinet that doubles as a bench.

Pool art

Add some flamboyance to your pool with an ornately-designed decal in the deep end.

Choose from turtles, clams, dolphins, bubbles or even the American flag. Don't go hiring an artist and emptying your pool just yet - these heavy, flexible plastic decals sink to the bottom of your pool and stay in place with water pressure.

For only around $100, these handy pictures beat the heck out of a $5,000 mosaic.

The Cube

This toy is a must-have for your kids. An inflatable cube, this fiveby five-by-five foot island is open on the inside and has enough room to fit your adolescents and five of their friends while staying afloat.

Kids can access the inner chamber through any of its four walls. The cube also can also double as a swimming pool in itself.

Just add water, and then pull the drain on the bottom to empty it out again. At just $60, this little toy is a steal.