Cracked mortar

[93notchlx]

Hi all,

What's a good product to use to repair or replace the mortar that's between the tiles and concrete deck? As you can see, ours if flaking off in some spots and is separated from the deck in other spots( from the concrete deck shifting I'm assuming ).

I would prefer to use something flexible to prevent the separation from the deck.

Would I have remove all of the old mortar first or just the parts that are flaking off?

Thanks in advance.

 

[ajw22]

Do you understand where the expansion joint between your pool structure and the deck is?

Expansion Joints and Coping - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[93notchlx]

No, I didn't know about expansion joints but that article makes sense and confirms my suspicion that whoever built that pool should have used a flexible sealant between the tile and deck rather than mortar. So it sounds like I need to remove the top row of mortar and replace with one of the flexible sealants. I'm guessing the Sikaflex®-1A would work better on a vertical surface correct? We have a cantilever deck, by the way.

 

[ajw22]

If you have a cantilevered deck you should clean out the expansion joint so that the deck is not coupled to the bond beam.

Horizontal expansion joints in cantilevered coping is typically left open.

 

[Clvh]

Hi all,

What's a good product to use to repair or replace the mortar that's between the tiles and concrete deck? As you can see, ours if flaking off in some spots and is separated from the deck in other spots( from the concrete deck shifting I'm assuming ).

I would prefer to use something flexible to prevent the separation from the deck.

Would I have remove all of the old mortar first or just the parts that are flaking off?

Thanks in advance.

Curious to know what you did as we have the same issue. I have read various forums and some say silicone base, some say urethane. Some suggest self-leveling but others say non self leveling on a horizontal surface.

 

[93notchlx]

Curious to know what you did as we have the same issue. I have read various forums and some say silicone base, some say urethane. Some suggest self-leveling but others say non self leveling on a horizontal surface.

I ended up using a urethane sealant , Vulkem 116. It's not the easiest stuff to work with, but I think it was a good choice. What I mean is that it's quite a bit thicker than standard caulk so using a standard caulking gun will give your hand a work-out. In addition, it's VERY sticky, so don't get any on places you don't want it to go. Mineral spirits works well for cleanup, except when you get in on porous concrete.

What I did was first was remove any loose mortar. Then tape off the area you want to keep clean( top edge of tile and bottom edge of concrete decking ). Apply the sealant and run your finger along it to smooth it out. Finally, peel off the masking tape slowly and parallel to the surface. If you pull at a 90 degree angle, lines won't be as clean. As I said, the sealant is super sticky.

It would probably have been better if I removed all of the old mortar, even the parts that were not flaking off, but this proved to be a giant hassle. It was destroying my cheap oscillating grout remover blades and was making a giant mess - dust and debris falling into the water. In the end , I'm pretty happy with the results. I'll post a few 'after' pics.

 

[93notchlx]

I ended up using a urethane sealant , Vulkem 116. It's not the easiest stuff to work with, but I think it was a good choice. What I mean is that it's quite a bit thicker than standard caulk so using a standard caulking gun will give your hand a work-out. In addition, it's VERY sticky, so don't get any on places you don't want it to go. Mineral spirits works well for cleanup, except when you get in on porous concrete.

What I did was first was remove any loose mortar. Then tape off the area you want to keep clean( top edge of tile and bottom edge of concrete decking ). Apply the sealant and run your finger along it to smooth it out. Finally, peel off the masking tape slowly and parallel to the surface. If you pull at a 90 degree angle, lines won't be as clean. As I said, the sealant is super sticky.

It would probably have been better if I removed all of the old mortar, even the parts that were not flaking off, but this proved to be a giant hassle. It was destroying my cheap oscillating grout remover blades and was making a giant mess - dust and debris falling into the water. In the end , I'm pretty happy with the results. I'll post a few 'after' pics.

Here a few 'after' pics.