Pool deck question
 

We are finally both retired and down here full time after being on and off for close to three years. We are putting in a pool and getting quotes. I was planning on getting a concrete deck with a coating like Kool Deck. But getting quotes a few companies were pushing pavers as an alternative to the concrete and I was surprised that the cost was pretty much the same.

I am curious if anyone on this site has had both and would recommend one over the other. I like the look of pavers but I would think the concrete would be a lot easier to maintain. I'm a DIYer and would most likely doing all my own maintenance.

IMHO, pavers have their own set of problems, weeds, the need for resanding periodically, possible problems with pavers shifting, etc., I would definitely go with a concrete pad, and a NON SLIP finish. Based on my previous experience I would NOT recommend a Kool deck coating UNLESS the final finish is a suitable concrete STAIN. My point, do NOT under any circumstances use the paint the was used for the outside of the house, been there done that.

Pavers get very hot in the sun. We prefer cool deck (knock down?) coating. It's hopper-sprayed and then “knocked down”with a concrete trowel.

Concrete cracks!

We put shellock pavers on our pool deck and they stay much cooler than I would have guessed. I was walking on it yesterday at 3pm in bare feet with no discomfort. I don't know how they do it but it works. They look nice too. Let me know if you'd like to come and see/feel them yourself.

I had pavers (although in NJ) and down here I have concrete with the coating.

As said by VT, the pavers are a pain. Weeds appear between the pavers. You need to brush sand in between the cracks ever year or two.
I don’t think settling and un even pavers is as issue down here (no freezing ) - in NJ that was a problem

With concrete, we get it power washed every 2 years, that’s all.

Generally the concrete pad installer will come back and make 'stress' cuts, so when the concrete cracks it will usually be at these cuts. Since these cuts in the driveway tend to collect dust, etc., and then weeds, I cleaned these out and filled in with a 25 year silicone caulk several years ago, and no weeds.

One will be happy with brick around your pool for a year or two, then once maintenance begins, you may wonder what if I chose concrete instead. We chose concrete, brick can be hot to walk on, taking care of pool is enough, adding maintenance for brick isn’t worth it to us

Thank you all for your replies! I'm up for doing the maintenance now but looking forward I may be less inclined so I think I will go with the concrete deck. I will be filling in the expansion cuts as I did that in my Michigan house and that worked out great.

I build automobile dealerships up north, so have some experience with large concrete slabs and how they crack.

There's a trick to it. You need to make sure your "saw cuts" are laid out prior to pouring the concrete. Then position your wire mesh (or whatever is being used), along those saw cuts lines, so there's a space where you plan to cut.

Almost all concrete cracks, but if you line up your reinforcement with your saw cuts, you have the best chance of keeping the cracking to a minimum. (Or, pour 5000-6000 lb concrete. It doesn't cost much more and will probably never crack.)

Using quality caulking in the saw cuts, should keep them mostly weed free.

We are very happy with our low maintenance concrete pool deck. A couple small stress cracks have been filled with flex seal and painted over. Other than that, once a year I spray the deck with some 30 second outdoor cleaner, scrub it with a brush, and rinse it off while being very careful not to get anything in the pool. After 7+ years it still looks great. I would never get pavers, too much work and easy to stub your toes walking around barefoot. Good luck with the project.

If it's not too late reconsider getting a pool. Initial cost is exorbitant and so are the maintenance and ongoing taxes.

Pool and cement decking built by T&D almost 13 years ago. Surface of decking was painted with a coating that allowed us to walk on it in full sun and high temps. Painted by Steve Kling 2 years ago with same coating. No maintenance at all except hosing down by Egners. Prior to painting, Steve Kling filled in those open areas in large cement with silicone like Village Tinker mentioned.

Would you care to share the type, brand, etc of caulk for the driveway cuts? We came back from a two month vacation to find weeds flourishing in the driveway.

We chose pavers and love the look. We had it sealed and have not had one weed in the 3 1/2 years since its completion. (We haven’t had to do any re-sanding either.)

Comes down to personal choice and budget. Pool’s are ridiculously expensive. We contracted for ours during the height of the pandemic, so that may have played a part, but we enjoy the heck out of our “cement pond” and use it just about every day. We were snowbirds until 2020, and I wasn’t about to live through FL summers without a pool, even though our community has two pools, one a beautiful resort-style. With your own pool, YOU control the temperature, YOU control when and with whom you swim, and YOU control the music, if any.

Good luck and ENJOY!