Replacing caulking material in joint between coping and deck

[LPCPool]

I'm hoping I can get some tips/advice on replacing the caulking between the coping tiles and the deck. I have about an inch gap and the deck is concrete. The current material is starting to show signs of cracking on the surface and it's starting to separate from the sides.

This is my first time through this type of project and it's definitely something I'm not comfortable handling on my own. I have a local pool company that I usually work with for anything outside my expertise and I'm most likely going to deal with them for the service. Although, I'm not opposed to shopping around.

I had one of their guys come out and he quoted me about 8.50 a linear foot...was wondering if that sounds about right?

What are some of the questions I should be asking? Do different places use different materials? They're telling me what they will apply "2 part polyurethane sealant"...not really sure what all that means and/or if that's what should be used vs. something else?

I'm also wondering if it's better to do this now before closing or to wait until spring right before or right after opening?

 

[Neto]

What I used on my pool is called sika self leveling sealant and it is really strong once is dried and cured, it comes in two colors Sandstone and grey. My pool is about 150 linear ft and I spent about $100-$130 in materials but I must admit that I did a horrible job. The caulk is not level in a lot of places and on others places it overflowed (lol). There is a foam backing rod that gets inserted into the holes prior pouring in the caulk to limit the amount of material you will use but I have also heard you can use sand..... A friend of mine got quoted $600 for his pool and its about same size as mine and that included removing the old material. Ask them what kind of experience do they have installing this, what kind of material will they use and what color.

here is a video of how its done..

 

[ajw22]

They should be:

- cleaning out the expansion joint down to the ground
- filling it with foam backer rod of the appropriate width as the joint - Amazon.com: Foam Backer Rod
- caulking on top of the backer rod using a flexible mastic like Self-Leveling Pool Deck Joint Sealant - DECK-O-SEAL HS-1 SL

Find out what caulking product they plan on using.

$0.50/foot is a good price if they do a quality job.

 

[Bam Bam]

I’m not alone!

I have a similar problem that I partially tackled last year. Didn’t finish but most likely will leave for resurfacer to deal with since I”m not so good at caulking, etc.

For the wide separation section I shoved this expandable weatherseal. I thought sand, snakes, etc was coming through the crack into the pool. Likely not but I feel better that I did something that didn’t cause damage! The plan was to go over with some kind of caulk or plaster.

I also had a tile fall off on the other side that did cause sand to fall into the pool when the water sloshed in the area. I reattached the tile with underwater magic. It worked. The tile has stayed up for 2 years. I’m not so good at finessing the caulker especially underwater with the distortion caused by sunlight refraction.

 

[LPCPool]

..... A friend of mine got quoted $600 for his pool and its about same size as mine and that included removing the old material. Ask them what kind of experience do they have installing this, what kind of material will they use and what color.

Thanks, Neto.

- cleaning out the expansion joint down to the ground
- filling it with foam backer rod of the appropriate width as the joint - Amazon.com: Foam Backer Rod
- caulking on top of the backer rod using a flexible mastic like Self-Leveling Pool Deck Joint Sealant - DECK-O-SEAL HS-1 SL

Find out what caulking product they plan on using.

$0.50/foot is a good price if they do a quality job.

Thanks, AJW...did you really mean to say $8.50 (like I've been quoted) instead of $0.50?

They did state that they would use foam backer rods...however, it does say "as needed"...not sure what that means. Should I ask that it'd be used regardless of "need"?

Here's the full description of work included with the quote I got:

Replace Caulk (pool perimeter)
We will install a 2 part polyurethane sealant in the joint between the deck and coping stones.
We will clean the existing joint and install foam backing rod as needed.
We will tape the sides of the joint then install the sealant and trowel to provide a flat joint.

It did have a note in there about the possibility of the caulking bubbling in some spots and they seem to be chalking that up to being "normal" and it being something that they wouldn't fix...

 

[ajw22]

Thanks, Neto.



Thanks, AJW...did you really mean to say $8.50 (like I've been quoted) instead of $0.50?

They did state that they would use foam backer rods...however, it does say "as needed"...not sure what that means. Should I ask that it'd be used regardless of "need"?

Here's the full description of work included with the quote I got:


It did have a note in there about the possibility of the caulking bubbling in some spots and they seem to be chalking that up to being "normal" and it being something that they wouldn't fix...

Yeah, I meant $8.50. Anything under $10/ft is a good price.

This guy has 140+ ft and if you add up his quote he is a bit over $10/foot.

Expansion Joint Replacement & Kool Deck repair for $3,400?

Hi, So my pool is about 30 years old & the expansion joints are in need of replacement. I was able to find the mason who did the job originally in 1987, he did the deck in kool deck. We met this morning, he measured the entire deck & then gave me some quotes: Remove/clean old caulk: $490...

www.troublefreepool.com

Backer rod keeps them from using more expensive caulk to fill deep joints.

I think you should ask questions just to gauge how experienced they are. And to let them know you are a knowledgeable customer who expects a quality job.