Concrete Pool Deck Questions

[briansturgeon]

We are trying to decide on what to do for decking around our pool. We originally planned on doing about 1500 ft of concrete but now I'm getting worried about running into issues with a lot of cracking and stuff. I know that concrete cracks but it seems like I've read that some recommend not pouring the deck until the following year which realistically isn't an option for us. I can't imagine no decking around a new pool that will be done by may.

I have friends that do concrete work for a living they just don't do pool decks generally. I can save a ton of money by having them do it for me. I can probably do the decking for around $2 ft or so.

What main things do I need to have them worry about that are specific to IG VL pools?

Also, I've read many posts that reference bond beams when pouring the deck but I'm not totally sure I know what the bond beam is.

 

[JohnT]

A bond beam is not part of a vinyl install.

The big issue with cracking is your backfill. If you use soil for a backfill, you'll have a long wait before you can pour. Use a good fill material that won't settle.

Your concrete worker friends can probably get a better finished product than an average pool builder. The tricks to finishing the edge flush with the coping may be something they are already comfortable with.

Don't forget bonding for the rebar in the deck.

I would recommend you consider a minimum of 4ft deck width. You might get by with less on a back side that is only used for maintenance. That's what I did, and I wish it was 4ft. 3ft is surprisingly like walking a tightrope when you are carrying things or have two people working.

 

[briansturgeon]

PB said he will backfill with gravel.

What do you think about cantilever vs aluminum coping?

I was going to pour a min of 6' around perimeter with 12-14' on one end and off my deck between pool/deck. I just became concernced because someone said that they thought a smaller width meant less likely to have issues.

One concrete contractor I had talked to previously said if you go with foam forms and pour cantilever you had to tear out the coping when you needed to replace the liner. that sounds absurd to me and can't be right? Am I thinking correctly?

 

[bk406]

One concrete contractor I had talked to previously said if you go with foam forms and pour cantilever you had to tear out the coping when you needed to replace the liner.

Thats not true. For that kind of poured concrete coping they use a double track that has a liner bead and a place to attach the form. Tell the builder what kind of coping you want and he should install the correct track. It's also important to find a concrete company that specializes in pool decks. They tend to know what they are doing over a company that pours slabs, driveways and sidewalks.