Hot concrete pool deck! Possible fixes?

[newpoolj]

We recently had an integral colored concrete (Davis Colors Pewter) pool deck with coping poured and stamped, and it turned out to be a little darker than we expected, and unfortunately, very hot. The concrete was a 6 sack mixture, so it has a smoother/denser finish which may be causing it to retain more heat and/or feel hotter.

It's hard to know how much of the heat is due to the color vs the texture, but just to give an idea, today it's around 90 degrees outside and an infrared thermometer measured the pool deck at 135 degrees on average, 145 in some spots!! For reference, the black asphalt in the street by my house is around 137. This summer it will get up over 100 here, so I think we've got a big problem.

Aside from feeling horrible about this, I'm wondering what a good solution would be. I've read about concrete paint and overlays such as Sundek. The main thing I'm wondering: would an overlay be necessary to get the temperature down, or would a lighter colored paint be enough? Any general advice? I'd lean towards whatever gets the temp down and is lowest maintenance since I know overlays will fail eventually.

 

[cowboycasey]

Your deck turned out really nice looking..

Most on the forum seem to be really happy with Sundeck and it lasts for many years...

Cool Deck Coatings for Pools | SUNDEK

A cool deck is a coating for around pools that stays comfortable to walk on with bare feet. Get a free quote from SUNDEK for your project.

www.sundek.com

 

[newpoolj]

Your deck turned out really nice looking..

Most on the forum seem to be really happy with Sundeck and it lasts for many years...

Cool Deck Coatings for Pools | SUNDEK

A cool deck is a coating for around pools that stays comfortable to walk on with bare feet. Get a free quote from SUNDEK for your project.

www.sundek.com

Any idea if the Sundek overlay is necessary to bring temps down or will their acrylic paint do the trick?

 

[sl7vk]

Honestly... I wouldn't sweat it...
I'd just get some outdoor carpets for the areas most frequented and call it good.
Deck looks good, other products might make it look far less good.

 

[jamjam]

if you water down the patio how long does it take for the temp to rise back to 135

 

[newpoolj]

Honestly... I wouldn't sweat it...
I'd just get some outdoor carpets for the areas most frequented and call it good.
Deck looks good, other products might make it look far less good.

We plan to try something like that - a combination of carpets and umbrellas. The pool coping is just as hot though, so kids getting in and out may get burned unless we shade most of the pool with a giant sail or something. We want the sun, we just don't want small kids getting burned. 135-145 is really hot.

 

[cowboycasey]

I agree.. I am using white coping and white stamp release on stamped concrete deck.. The deck will also have solar under it taking some of the heat away into the pool where we want it

There was an owner on here that has had sundeck for 13 years or so and needed to have it redone... I am not sure if the cheaper paint will also last that long but they are going back with sundeck again..

 

[kne]

Sorry for the hijack, but a question. I'm a little bummed, but glad I've read. I ordered some trial black and dark grey solvent base stain to color my patio, does this mean that the concrete will be hotter than current?

 

[newpoolj]

Sorry for the hijack, but a question. I'm a little bummed, but glad I've read. I ordered some trial black and dark grey solvent base stain to color my patio, does this mean that the concrete will be hotter than current?
View attachment 332661

I would think so. As best I can learn, the feeling of heat is a combination of color, thickness of the concrete, and density (ie: how smooth or porous the surface is). But I'm not expert so I'd love to learn more how much of each is a factor.

 

[Nikilyn]

Have you tried walking on it wet, not only to see how much it cools down but also for how slippery it is. I’ve walked on some stamped concrete wet and it’s been very slick.
We don’t have Sundeck but another brand, Reflecto-Seal. It’s supposed to be 15 degrees cooler than their standard colors. We have acrylic lace and I like that I don’t have to worry about anyone slipping and it’s cooler.

 

[newpoolj]

Have you tried walking on it wet, not only to see how much it cools down but also for how slippery it is. I’ve walked on some stamped concrete wet and it’s been very slick.
We don’t have Sundeck but another brand, Reflecto-Seal. It’s supposed to be 15 degrees cooler than their standard colors. We have acrylic lace and I like that I don’t have to worry about anyone slipping and it’s cooler.

It definitely is slippery when wet, but at least have the option to improve that with sand blasting to expose a bit more texture. It's the heat that is harder to solve. I just tried hosing a sunny spot down, and after a few minutes the concrete was somewhat dry and the temp was back up to 120.

Thanks for the reference to Reflecto Seal. It's hard to tell what the product is - is it just a paint or is it also a textured overlay and then paint on top of that, similar to Sundek?

 

[Nikilyn]

They put the acrylic lace, or whatever texture you want, on the concrete, then put a paint on it. I’m assuming that’s what Sundeck does.

 

[newpoolj]

It was 75 degrees yesterday. The blacktop in the street was 109 degrees, my pool deck was 120! I can't even wrap my head around how hot it is and why this is happening. I am guessing the density of the concrete plays a huge role.