Advice on coping and decking re-do?

FloraCali

Member
Apr 18, 2025
5
SW Florida
The home we bought, uncaged outdoor pool was resurfaced with pebble-tech about 5 years ago. The cement coping was replaced with travertine, which I don't believe was sealed but unsure, or maybe it was just poor quality travertine. It always looks dirty, some tiles are pitted and moldy. I tried using gentle power washing without much help. My husband tells me to just ignore it, but it irritates me. I would like something with a cleaner, brighter look. Options? Cement, epoxy? Anything new out there I haven't seen? BTW - the tiles used for the coping are thicker and harder but not more of a tan color. The pavers they used are more porous ( I understand it's the nature of travertine?). They are set in sand. Sloppy job in my opinion. What would be better for a cleaner, look?
 

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Pic added now. That deck looks good to me in the picture.

When you say "a cleaner, brighter look" what do you mean? Do you want to super clean your deck/coping or are you thinking of replacing it?

You can clean with bleach to get the current stone cleaner. It will not hurt the pool as we use chlorine (bleach) in our pools.

It is very common to set the decking in sand. They did a good job as the ones seen in the picture are nice and level.

Tell us more of what you are thinking and we can help you find what you want I am sure.
 
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Pic added now. That deck looks good to me in the picture.

When you say "a cleaner, brighter look" what do you mean? Do you want to super clean your deck/coping or are you thinking of replacing it?

You can clean with bleach to get the current stone cleaner. It will not hurt the pool as we use chlorine (bleach) in our pools.

It is very common to set the decking in sand. They did a good job as the ones seen in the picture are nice and level.

Tell us more of what you are thinking and we can help you find what you want I am sure.
I mean whiter. I suppose I could try diluted bleach with gentle power wash and see if it helps. Yes, it is level.
Some of the tiles are very moldy. Maybe replace those and try to clean the rest. I don't want to replace it, of course but hoping for a cleaner look. We're in the process of landscaping and doing new decks so maybe that will help too. :)
 
You do NOT want to replace any of the deck unless you do the whole thing. They will never match due to the time and elements the old ones have been exposed to.

Me? I would use full strength bleach without any additives in it. You may need to get "chlorine" which is the same stuff but a bit stronger than bleach you can find now a days. I would have a hose ready to rinse the chlorine off the stone.

-Pick a stone that is out of main eye sight.
-spray or pour some of the chlorine on it and scrub it with a hard bristly brush
-rinse it real good

What does it look like? Did it get rid of the mold and such?

Make sure you are wearing clothes and shoes you don't care about because they will get bleach on them!
 
You do NOT want to replace any of the deck unless you do the whole thing. They will never match due to the time and elements the old ones have been exposed to.

Me? I would use full strength bleach without any additives in it. You may need to get "chlorine" which is the same stuff but a bit stronger than bleach you can find now a days. I would have a hose ready to rinse the chlorine off the stone.

-Pick a stone that is out of main eye sight.
-spray or pour some of the chlorine on it and scrub it with a hard bristly brush
-rinse it real good

What does it look like? Did it get rid of the mold and such?

Make sure you are wearing clothes and shoes you don't care about because they will get bleach on them!
Thanks, I will try it, nothing to lose. We've also had very little rain this reason and I notice the rain helps keep it a bit cleaner.
 
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Maybe a few more pictures of you are looking to clear up. Overall I think it looks fine. The only thing I see is the color variation in the coping pavers is more than the field pavers. But that is a characteristic of natural stone. The color make have been more uniform when they were installed or maybe they have become more uniform over time. Other than cleaning with straight chlorine I don't have any suggestions other than accepting or replacing.
 
If there is mildew on the travertine it can be hard to eradicate as it becomes embedded. You can try a product like Wet & Forget to saturate the travertine and then rinse it off gently either with a hose or your low pressure washer.