Signs the deck needs to come out
- Slabs that have lifted or dropped, leaving a lip someone can stub a toe on.
- A gap opening between the deck and the pool coping, or the deck tilting toward the pool so water and dirt run in.
- Cracks that run all the way through and keep widening each spring.
- Puddles that sit on the deck after every rain or every cannonball.
If the deck is still solid and level and the complaint is how it looks, it may not need to be replaced at all. A resurfacing overlay, stain and seal costs less and takes less time; see pool deck enhancement or our write-up on resurfacing vs. replacement.
What each stage looks like
Photos from our pool deck jobs: an old deck broken out to the coping, a new stone base going in, and a finished deck poured with a broom finish.
Pouring a deck that stays put
Breaking out a pool deck is careful work. The deck sits right against the coping and the pool wall, so we cut and remove it in sections rather than pounding next to the pool. Once it's out we can see what went wrong: soft fill that was never compacted, water running under the deck from a downspout or a low spot, or tree roots pushing up.
The base gets rebuilt with compacted stone. The new deck is formed with a steady fall away from the pool, so splash-out and rain drain toward the yard or a drain instead of back into the water. Along the coping we leave an expansion joint and seal it with a flexible sealant, which lets the deck and the pool move separately as the seasons change instead of cracking at the edge.
Indiana's pool code spells out a lot of this. Decks have to be slip-resistant, drain without leaving standing water, and slope at least 1/8 inch per foot on a textured concrete deck, but no more than an inch per foot. The joint between the coping and the deck has to be watertight, and neighboring slabs can't end up more than a quarter inch apart in height.
Finishes for bare feet
Broom finish
Fine texture swept into the surface. Simple, cool underfoot and grippy when wet.
Stamped pattern
Slate or stone texture with color. We keep the pattern textured and the sealer low-sheen near the water.
Light colors
Lighter concrete and stains stay noticeably cooler in July sun than dark tones.
Grip in the sealer
A fine grit mixed into the sealer keeps stamped decks from getting slick.
We replace pool decks around Carmel, Fishers and Noblesville, and anywhere else in the towns we cover.