Limestone or Concrete Deck?

[LaurenFromTexas]

Hi all. We are selecting our pool deck material today and we're trying to decide between Mexican Limestone, Leuders, or stamped concrete (yes, large difference in cost between the three options).

I'd love your opinion on why one would be better over the others. Will the limestone be too slippery? Which option would hold up the best over time? We are in Dallas, TX. Thanks for your time!

Mexican Limestone


Stamped Concrete

 

[Bill1974]

My vote is limestone. In the inevitable that something needs to be done, the limestone can be reset and look like nothing was done. Concrete you can always tell if something was done. Spill, stain or chip, the limestone can be replaced. Concrete will crack at some point, hopefully its in one of the relief cuts.

As long as the limestone isn't polished and has a bit of texture it will not be slippery. Depending how concrete is finished and if it is sealed it could also be slippery.

 

[LaurenFromTexas]

Thank you Bill! That's really helpful, and I appreciate it!

 

[Mattlar0806]

Definitely the limestone - that stones looks beautiful and will really elevate the look around the pool.
This appears to be a relative value question you are internally debating. If money was no object would this even be a consideration? I would think about the cost difference over 10-15 years and then the decision hopefully becomes easier. Also, as Bill already mentioned fixing the limestone will be easier / cheaper - so over time that upfront cost decays and you get a much better looking patio.

 

[Furiousss]

Our limestone isn't slippery and never got too hot even on 110* days.

 

[markdpratt]

Good advice above about going with limestone vs concrete. We went with travertine coping and a scored concrete patio with a salt finish as we like the way that finish ages over time. BUT, we did notice this summer on the +100 degree days that the concrete got noticeably hotter than the travertine coping.

Good luck with your choice.

 

[Newdude]

We utterly destroyed the budget with the pretty patio and it's appreciated every last moment we are out there. Functional was all we *needed*, but zero regrets.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Lauran,

I went with stamped concrete, and it is ok, but...

I'm always envious when I see pics of decks that are made of pavers or stone.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Bill1974]

It's easy to spend other people's money. Concrete can look just as amazing as natural stone and pavers. In the end you have to figure out what fits the budget and what you want. For retaining walls I generally like the look of natural stone it not having a pattern, but the my budget did not allow. Whatever you decide on, function should come first. Comfort to walk on and not scorching in the summer will make it enjoyable more often. Appearance is also important when you look at it every day. Now that it's fall I finally switched over to a safety cover from a tarp and water bags. With water bags I would close my pool late just because I did not like the look. And the safety cover is so much easier to deal with.

 

[Newdude]

I would close my pool late just because I did not like the look.

Pre TFP I delayed looking at the 'green trampoline' as long as possible and opened it at the last frost. Little did I know my water temps were favorable at those times to clear openings. I always say I'd rather be lucky than smart. (but now at least I know why it always worked great)

 

[Superblue72]

Limestone is beautiful, pavers when installed right will look fantastic. But like all things they have thier cons...im in the building process too and will be installing my decking next spring. I have a paver patio now it looked great 5ish years then all the issues start. Before I get into the issues I would pressure wash every 2 years and redo the polymeric sand..
Ok my current patio (not around a pool)is about 12 years old
Weeds/moss in between joints
Pavers heave/move which require you to reset(this gets old) also a tripping hazzard.
Depending on the material of pavers they fade and don't look as good over time.
I know concrete has issues too but I guess I just want a change as I'm sick of paver patio.

 

[tommelton]

My deck is travertine "pavers" sand set over a concrete base. No heaving or movement other than heat/cold expansion and contraction. The down side is any issues underneath will require lifting the travertine and cutting the concrete. Positive though is the cut concrete can be re-poured and reset the travertine and it looks just as it did, unlike a concrete deck that can never look the same after you cut/re-pair it. So you have the positives of pavers with the stability of concrete.

-Tom

 

[laszlof]

If you're looking for other options, we ended up ordering artistic pavers shellock. Not installed yet, but we went with 24x24 "Cafe" Color on the deck, and 8x4 Tan color on the coping.

Artistic Paver | Shellock

Shellock® Atlantic Series Seashells mixed in each paver and then honed to expose the beauty of the shells. Our Shellock® Paver is a beautiful and elegant alternative to the same old brick paver look. Shellock® consists of actual shells gathered from mother earth. Each piece is made to precision...

www.artisticpavers.com

 

[Newdude]

I know concrete has issues too but I guess I just want a change as I'm sick of paver patio.

I was no fan of my old paver patio for all the reasons you mentioned. And the ants. OMG the ants. They could dig out the leveling sand faster than I could reset one of the sides of the pool. And all that sand went into the pool with the wind.

Paver patio #2 is directly over a new slab with no sand. It's heavenly. After 2 full seasons I saw anthills at a safety cover anchor the other day and lol'd. Ok you litte jerks. You can have that one spot.

 

[Superblue72]

I was no fan of my old paver patio for all the reasons you mentioned. And the ants. OMG the ants. They could dig out the leveling sand faster than I could reset one of the sides of the pool. And all that sand went into the pool with the wind.

Paver patio #2 is directly over a new slab with no sand. It's heavenly. After 2 full seasons I saw anthills at a safety cover anchor the other day and lol'd. Ok you litte jerks. You can have that one spot.

Ya know I didn't even know that was an option putting pavers over a slab. So you still sand the joints after laying the pavers?
Edit I just read you said no sand, sometimes depending on the pavers they look better after the sand kinda like grouting a tile floor..

 

[Newdude]

So you still sand the joints after laying the pavers?

Yup. They used polymeric for the joints and so far, it's doing great.

didn't even know that was an option putting pavers over a slab

The slab is laid without worrying about the base because cracks will never be seen under the pavers. This saves a ton of labor costs. Then the patio guys show up a few days later and they lay the stones in a day instead of spending days on ground prep.

With all the labor saved, I got 2 patios for the price of one.

 

[Bill1974]

No matter what you choose there are some key things that need to be kept in mind.

Everything is going to take some type of maintenance. I try to avoid pressure washing because it forces water is places it normal would not go, blows out the polymeric sand and can deteriorate the surface of paver, concrete, and tile if not careful. I touch up polymeric sand in spots that is has come out of. I try to use chemicals to limit moss growth (shady and damp areas do promote moss growth, good drainage should eliminate this issue). If ants are seen, treat the area to limit what damage they can do. Putting off maintenance just makes more of it later on.

Proper install is critical. If it's done poorly you will have more maintenance. Making sure the underlying material is appropriate and compacted well. Drainage and water management is really importance. Read and follow the instruction for the materials being installed. If you having a contractor do the install, look over the materials and products they are using and ask questions. I had my contactor change the polymeric sand because the one that was delivered was not for pavers over a slab.

 

[Superblue72]

No matter what you choose there are some key things that need to be kept in mind.

Everything is going to take some type of maintenance. I try to avoid pressure washing because it forces water is places it normal would not go, blows out the polymeric sand and can deteriorate the surface of paver, concrete, and tile if not careful. I touch up polymeric sand in spots that is has come out of. I try to use chemicals to limit moss growth (shady and damp areas do promote moss growth, good drainage should eliminate this issue). If ants are seen, treat the area to limit what damage they can do. Putting off maintenance just makes more of it later on.

Proper install is critical. If it's done poorly you will have more maintenance. Making sure the underlying material is appropriate and compacted well. Drainage and water management is really importance. Read and follow the instruction for the materials being installed. If you having a contractor do the install, look over the materials and products they are using and ask questions. I had my contactor change the polymeric sand because the one that was delivered was not for pavers over a slab.

In my experience polymeric sand doesn't do well by just adding to existing, it would last and look horrible in just a few months. It diesnt really bond to the exsiting and then you have a thin layer of sand on top of another thin layer of sand. This is why I would pressure wash the whole patio every 2 years and resand...having it over a slab is a cool idea tho and could potentially help and alleviate a lot of the issues with pavers, mine is over a stone base so this is where I'm speaking from. I could say I would never use a paver decking over regular or traditional base around my pool...to much maintenance, to much mess, to much work, and somehow I see all that mess ending up in the pool.

 

[bmoreswim]

We have a paver patio/basketball court and a hand carved joint & stamped surface concrete pool deck. I prefer concrete over our paver installation around the pool for it's cleanliness. Zero grit, no ants, no weeds. Yes to cracks, stain that faded, and being too hot to stand on in 95+ days (get feet wet, go fast, or wear flip flops). But after 10 years I re-stained (with acid stain this time) it and it looks like new. Cracks don't bother me as they are smooth and thin and not that large in number.

I don't mind the pavers for patio/court (overall look is more consistent over the years). After 10 years I powerwashed and re-sanded. In between I use Wet & Forget spray. Our base was stone dust (6-12" deep), which isn't particularly recommended at large, but our contractor swears by it locally and it has held very well with no shifting, which is the major downside associated with it. Stone dust can vary regionally regarding it's source stone and ultimate makeup.

I have no personal limestone or travertine experience.

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• bmoreswim
• Aug 30, 2023