Pools In Rockford, MI, And The Surrounding Greater Grand Rapids Area.
One of the biggest design choices when installing an inground pool is the surrounding pool deck or pool patio. This pool decking is the hard surface you walk around when using the pool.
When considering pool decking options, there are several things to consider. Installation cost, durability, and appearance are all important parts of this decision.
Common pool deck options include concrete, pavers, treated wood and composite decking. In terms of installation cost, pavers and natural stone are the most expensive, composite decking is usually slightly less, followed by stamped concrete. A brushed concrete pool deck is the least expensive option.
When considering pool deck ideas, the first option is usually concrete. This is because concrete around pool is usually already included by a pool installation company.
Pool deck installation is a major focus of Rockford Stamped Concrete. We can work with pool deck designs that are provided to us by your landscaper or pool company. If you don’t have a plan already, we can help with pool deck ideas for inground pools. We can install either a stamped concrete pool deck or a brushed concrete pool deck for you. Deciding which is the correct concrete finish for you will depend on both the budget and the overall aesthetic you have for your pool area.
Pool Deck Layout
How large should each side of the pool deck be? Obviously, budget is one of the main factors to this decision. More concrete is better than less because it will make your pool deck concrete more usable. If you discover that don’t have enough concrete to work well for you, it is a lot more costly to add more later after your yard is fixed and the new fence is installed. So, what is the best way to figure out the initial layout of your pool deck?
When working through concrete around pool ideas, consider starting by making two of the sides service areas. These sides need a minimum amount of concrete because they allow for movement around your pool, and nothing else. The other two sides can then be considered use areas. These two sides should be larger to accommodate a table and chairs, umbrellas, storage boxes, lounge chairs, etc.
Next look at the layout of the pool. Which side is south? Which side is east? These two sides get the most sun in the summer, so if you love laying in the sun, those should be the sides you make the largest. While compass direction can play a part in the layout, also consider your view. You probably want to spend your time looking at what you consider to be the best view. While this focus is usually on the larger background view, consider also what is going on up close. Diving boards and ladder rails can obstruct your view into the pool. Looking around a diving board or ladder to find someone in the pool isn’t a huge inconvenience but why do it a thousand of times over the life of your pool if you can avoid it with good planning?
Pool companies will have different allotments for a pool concrete deck. Common pool contracts allow for 3’ or 4’ around the pool. While these measurements are what is provided by your pool company, they are just starting points and usually need to be altered. A diving board usually takes up 4’ of space next to the pool. If you have a diving board, it is common for the pool company to have a 6' allowance for that side of the pool, but the extra 2’ of clearance isn’t really a comfortable amount of room. Going to 7' or 8’ is usually a better idea. A pool ladder is placed into the pool deck 18” back from the edge of the water. If that ladder is on a 3' service side, you will only have about 18” of space to walk by it. Once again, you should think about adding more pool deck space to get around it or move the ladder to the larger use side (if you don’t mind looking at it).
Many times, pool decks connect directly to the home via a sliding or access door. Pool decks are designed to slope away from the pool to avoid rainwater flowing into the pool. At the same time, it is important to make sure that water flows away from the foundation of your home. This means that if your pool deck connects to your house, there will need to be a low point between the pool and the house where we install a drain to catch the water and route it away.
Drains come in different styles and widths, but we normally install a 2” wide strip drain called a deco drain. It comes in two standard colors, white and gray. The drain color usually matches the coping/ skimmer box color. Below is the link to the normal drain we install. SRW is white and SRG is gray.
Pool Coping
Pools have different types of edging where the pool deck meets the pool. This edging is called the pool coping.
There are several different pool coping options out there. The most popular type of coping is a metal edge, in either a white or gray color. Other pools will use concrete coping stones or even natural stone. A third option is concrete pool coping. This concrete coping is created when the rest of the pool deck is poured. Another name for it is cantilever coping because the edge “cantilevers” or hangs out over the edge of the pool.
For many years we used disposable Styrofoam forms to create concrete cantilever coping, but the results were not always ideal. The Styrofoam would sometimes sag or push out, creating lines that were not as straight as we desired. Creating tight radius corners was also difficult. We now have a new forming system that provides much better results.
One major advantage of concrete coping over other types of coping is that the edge profile can be made into different shapes, from square to bullnose to various rock edges. We currently have two different edge shapes that we offer, which are the square and bullnose profiles. There are other profiles available as well that we can provide for a bit of additional cost. Here is the link to the edge profile options.
Poolform Liners (concretecountertopsolutions.com)
When you are considering pool coping ideas, you should consider concrete cantilever coping as an option.
Pool Deck Resurfacing
While the products above are usually considerations for new pool decks, we also can change the look of older existing pool decks. The creamy surface cement of concrete can wear away over time, and the cement around pool will begin to show the stone beneath. Concrete paint is not really a good option as it tends to flake off rather quickly. Constant maintenance of a pool deck like painting is not in yours plans, as you would rather be swimming. Rockford Stamped Concrete does pool deck resurfacing that can renew the look of your pool deck, and the pool deck resurface cost is one of the better values available to you. It will totally change the appearance of your outdoor living area.
It is important to note that concrete pool decks that have sunk significantly or are broken up by extensive cracking are not good candidates for repair, and the best course of action is probably a concrete pool deck replacement. If your concrete pool deck falls into this category, we will let you know immediately.
Prior to beginning a resurface of your cement pool deck, we will evaluate the concrete to spot any issues that will need to be addressed first. Any holes will need to be filled. Broken chunks of concrete and areas with extensive cracks will need to be replaced. Once we complete our pool deck repair, we can begin our concrete pool deck resurfacing.
There are different options available when resurfacing your pool. Please visit our Overlays and Resurfacing area to learn more about them.
Our Step by Step when Creating a Pool
CONTACT INFORMATION
Phone: (616) 254-7197
Address: Rockford, MI 49341
BUSINESS HOURS
- Mon - Sat
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- Sunday
- Closed
