Pool Deck Concrete
Rockford MI and surrounding areas
Pools
One of the main components of an inground pool is the pool deck. The pool decking is the area you walk around when using the pool. When considering pool decking options, there are several things to think about. Installation cost, durability and longevity, and appearance are all important parts of the 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 next, followed by stamped concrete and wood decking. A brushed concrete pool deck is the least expensive option for a pool deck.
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. As experienced residential concrete contractors, we 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 be? Obviously, budget can be the main factor in 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 later after your yard is fixed and the fence is installed.
When working through concrete around pool ideas, consider starting by making two sides mainly service areas. These sides need a minimum amount of concrete because they allow for movement around the pool, and nothing else. The other two sides can then be considered use areas. These are the two sides that will need to 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 west? 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 the view. You probably want to spend your time looking at what you consider to be the best view. Diving boards and ladder rails can obstruct the view into the pool from your home. Looking around a diving board or ladder to find someone in the pool isn’t really a major inconvenience but if you have to do it thousand of times over the life of your pool, it might be best to avoid it.
Pool companies will have different allotments for a pool concrete deck. Most contracts use 3’ or 4’ around the pool as a very common measurement. While these measurements are what is provided by the 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 an allowance for that side of the pool, but the 2’ of clearance behind it isn’t really a comfortable amount of room for walking behind it, so going to 7' or 8’ is a good idea. A pool ladder is placed into the pool deck 18” back from the edge of the water. If your ladder in the deep end is on a 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 should be 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 will need to install a drain to catch the water and route it away.
Drains come in different 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.
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, either in white or gray colors. 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 has provided 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. The cantilever profiles can be found here. Poolform Liners
When you are considering pool coping ideas, you should consider concrete cantilever coping as an option.
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