Concrete Pool Decks in Norfolk, VA

Slope and drainage around a pool

Water leaves a pool deck constantly, and where it goes is the first decision on the job. The deck slopes away from the pool, so splash out and rain carry dirt and debris away from the water rather than back into it. Where a deck ties into a patio or runs up to the house, its slope has to work with the slopes already there.

Standing water on a pool deck is more than a nuisance. It is slippery, it stains, and it works into any joint it can reach. A deck that holds water wears out sooner and is less pleasant to use.

Where a deck drain or channel is part of the design, the elevations are set around it from the beginning. Adding drainage to a slab that was poured flat is not a small job.

Working against the pool structure

The deck meets the pool at a joint, and that joint does real work. The pool shell and the deck are separate structures that move independently, and the joint between them keeps the deck from bearing on the shell or cracking as the ground moves.

That joint is formed as part of the work rather than cut in afterward, and it is sealed with a flexible material so it can still move. NRMCA joint guidance describes isolation joints as the way to separate a slab from other parts of a structure. A joint filled hard or covered over passes movement straight into whichever side is weaker.

Around the coping, the height of the coping relative to the deck decides whether water runs off cleanly and whether the edge feels right underfoot. That relationship is set before the forms go in.

Finish and comfort underfoot

A pool deck is walked on barefoot and wet, which rules out smooth finishes. A steel trowel finish is slick around water. NRMCA's finishing guide describes a broom texture after floating as the way to give exterior concrete a non slip surface, and a lighter broom keeps that grip without being harsh on bare feet.

Surface temperature is the other comfort question. Dark surfaces in full sun get hotter than light ones, so color is worth weighing before choosing a decorative finish or a tint.

Decorative finishes are offered. Around a pool they are judged on texture as much as appearance, since whatever is chosen has to stay safe when wet. Some decks pair a concrete field with a border of another material at the coping, and the concrete portion follows the same slope and joint rules either way.

New pools and existing pools

On a new pool, the deck comes after the shell and the plumbing and works around both. Order matters, because a deck poured before something underneath it is finished means breaking concrete to get back to it.

On an existing pool, the work is usually replacing a deck that has cracked, settled or become unsafe underfoot. Taking out an old deck next to a finished pool is careful work, with the shell and coping protected throughout. The base underneath is corrected while it is open, since a deck that settled once will settle again on the same ground.

Access shapes the day. A pool usually sits in a back yard behind a fence or gate, and how concrete gets from the truck to the forms decides how the pour runs. Where a truck cannot reach the deck, the pour is planned around that, because concrete does not wait while a route is worked out.

Curing and caring for a new deck

A new deck needs time and moisture to reach its strength. The NRMCA curing guide says curing typically runs 3 to 7 days and that concrete allowed to dry out can lose as much as half its potential strength. Summer pours also set faster in the heat, and NRMCA's hot weather guide recommends dampening the subgrade before placing and starting the cure as soon as finishing ends.

Over the years, the sealant in the joint at the pool edge is the part to check. A flexible seal that has cracked or pulled away lets water under the deck. Pool deck work is offered in Norfolk and across the Hampton Roads service area, and a deck that steps down to a yard can include concrete steps in the same job.