Repainting concrete pool deck

[tstack22]

My concrete pool deck was painted (poorly) maybe a year or two before we moved in (about 7 years total now) and is in pretty poor shape. Lots of chipping, looks terrible.

What do I need to do to repaint it? Should I rent a floor grinder and sand off the old layer, or is just power washing enough?

Any recommendations for the type of paint to reapply? My wife really wants a black and white checker board pattern--is that feasible?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[proavia]

Post a few pics of the deck. Is it textured? If so, chances are its either Kool Deck or an acrylic lace. The acrylic lace will have a colored topcoat - typically not a paint, but something similar to Xcel deck topcoat.

A gentile powerwash and an acid wash (etching the surface with a weak acid solution) may be the best solution if it's acrylic lace with a topcoat.

While it is feasible to paint the deck black and white, its probably not practical in the desert southwest - unless you only plan to walk barefoot on the white parts in summer.

 

[tstack22]

Post a few pics of the deck. Is it textured? If so, chances are its either Kool Deck or an acrylic lace. The acrylic lace will have a colored topcoat - typically not a paint, but something similar to Xcel deck topcoat.

A gentile powerwash and an acid wash (etching the surface with a weak acid solution) may be the best solution if it's acrylic lace with a topcoat.

While it is feasible to paint the deck black and white, its probably not practical in the desert southwest - unless you only plan to walk barefoot on the white parts in summer.

Thanks. Couple photos attached. Sorry for the low quality, I meant to take them when I got home but didn't get to it before dark.

 

[markayash]

I have a large deck and hired a company and they used a machine that took a layer of concrete off the top. It was loud and made a mess but gave a good surface.
If pressure washing and isn’t enough you might see if tool rental places have them.

 

[proavia]

How old is the pool?

Given the condition of the deck, it may be best to have someone grind it down a little, apply an acrylic lace coating and then a top coat of Xcel deck or similar.

Second option is it power wash and see how walking across the surface barefoot feels. If you can tolerate the feel, do a quick acid wash as described above and apply a pool deck topcoat product.

If there are cracks in the deck, those should be patched before the topcoat is applied.

Regular paint or "normal" deck paint won't hold up - be sure to use a pool deck rated topcoat.

 

[tstack22]

How old is the pool?

Given the condition of the deck, it may be best to have someone grind it down a little, apply an acrylic lace coating and then a top coat of Xcel deck or similar.

Second option is it power wash and see how walking across the surface barefoot feels. If you can tolerate the feel, do a quick acid wash as described above and apply a pool deck topcoat product.

If there are cracks in the deck, those should be patched before the topcoat is applied.

Regular paint or "normal" deck paint won't hold up - be sure to use a pool deck rated topcoat.

I think it's at least 30 years old. I'm pretty sure the prior owners just used regular paint, so no surprise it looks like Crud after a few years.

Do you think a concrete floor grinder would be enough for removing the top layer, or is a heavier-duty specialty tool required?

Thanks for the info.

 

[markayash]

I think it's at least 30 years old. I'm pretty sure the prior owners just used regular paint, so no surprise it looks like Crud after a few years.

Do you think a concrete floor grinder would be enough for removing the top layer, or is a heavier-duty specialty tool required?

Thanks for the info.

I think the one they used in mine was some sort of diamond tooth grinding wheel.I stayed inside. They told me they had to get all the kooldeck stuff off first.

Down side was I got a lot of concrete dust in my pool

 

[proavia]

I'm not sure exactly what tool would be best for grinding the concrete surface. It would be best to consult a professional and pick their brain on the tyoe of equipment they would use.

Use care around the pool coping, pool ladder, house and anything else adjacent to the pool deck. Grinding equpment can easily cause unwanted damage to other areas nearby.

 

[Joshii]

You don't necessarily have to go through all that work. I painted mine in 2018 and it is still holding up: Refinish Cement Deck