Concrete around pool

[hawkeye21]

Hello,
Wondering if concrete contractors pouring concrete around pool recommends regular concrete or fiber in concrete. Not planning to do cool decking, so issue is fibers showing up after the finish.
My concern is fibers exposed when walking without shoes and kids playing on the fibered concrete.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I see no reason to use more expensive fiber-reinforced concrete. The deck should be constructed with either steel mesh OR rebar to act as reinforcement and that steel should be connected to the bonding wire of the pool. Depending on the layout of the pool relative to home or other structures, the deck and pool bond beam should be decoupled with proper expansion and control joints cut into the cement shortly after pouring. Proper layout of control and expansion joints is way more critical to the longevity of the deck than fiber additions will be. You should review the entire build plan with the decking subcontractor so you can monitor their work and make the proper choices BEFORE the cement mixer shows up on site.

 

[Bperry]

Hello,
Wondering if concrete contractors pouring concrete around pool recommends regular concrete or fiber in concrete. Not planning to do cool decking, so issue is fibers showing up after the finish.
My concern is fibers exposed when walking without shoes and kids playing on the fibered concrete.

I have concrete deck with fiber in it and there’s no issue with exposed fibers I’ve ever found.

 

[sktn77a]

Fibers don't do squat to reinforce the concrete. Use regular concrete with steel mesh if you want reinforcement.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Fibers don't do squat to reinforce the concrete. Use regular concrete with steel mesh if you want reinforcement.

No, tell us how you really feel ….

It’s debatable as to how much improvement one gets with fiber reinforcement but it does tend to help prevent shrinkage cracks and other surface defects.

But you know what also helps eliminate those issues … knowing what you are doing and knowing how to properly spec a mix, setup and trowel the pour and then do the proper finishing work. When the contractor actual cares to do a good job and not just sling mud and run, then you don’t need the “extras” in the concrete to cover one’s shame. Just find a competent contractor and save the money on not needing the fancy “synthetic Arabian rabbit hair blah blah blah fibers” imported for an extra $29.99 per sack of concrete.