replacing grout at deck/coping line

[texasmax]

Hello all! 2 years ago, we had our pool resurfaced, and part of that job was cutting out a width of the cantilevered deck and installing stone coping. Previously, with the soil expansion and contraction in Dallas, there was a seasonal gap at the grout line between the decking and the tile as the (very long and wide) decking raised and lowered. Now, that transition is now at the grout line where the decking meets the stone. Picture attached for your viewing pleasure The grout is still pliable and rubbery- and at some point (manual watering the surrounding soil doesn't help much, and not at all in certain places where there's no soil access anywhere close), this will seal back up (and the repeat). I'm not exactly sure which grout type was used here, but is there an alternative I can use to replace what's here that will give be even more spreadable that what I've got?

Thanks!

 

[OldPoolMan]

Yes, Deck O Seal, or other types of mastic are available.

 

[duraleigh]

What type of caulk is currently there? It may be hard to find something to flex that much

 

[texasmax]

I should be able to find out from the PB... are you saying that Deck-o-seal wouldn't flex as much as what's in there now?

Right now, I'm at about maximum separation. When it was installed, it was at minimum. It will get back to where it was before, and the pattern will repeat. However, I'm thinking I might wait until I'm at "middle" separation, so that I'll get compression part of the year and expansion the rest of the year, but in either case, it will only be half as much as I'm separated right now, if that makes sense.

 

[duraleigh]

are you saying that Deck-o-seal wouldn't flex as much as what's in there now?

I don't know because I don't know what is in there now. I think your idea of catching it halfway has merit.

I cannot tell the scale....how much space between slabs right now?

 

[OldPoolMan]

You can do a 3/4" gap with deck o seal

 

[gwegan]

There are plenty of products. Generally they are for dealing with expansion and contraction. You are describing slab movement. I'm not sure there many products will last more than a season or two with the kind of movement you describe.

 

[texasmax]

so I'm expanding 25% (1/8" on top of 1/2"). To be fair, there's a bit of vertical movement here as well so it's a little larger than that. Ignoring the vertical movement, if I re-grout at 1/2"+1/16", I'll have at most 1/16" movement in either direction (either compression or expansion). I'm fairly certain the grout didn't separate until recently (either the extent of the spread, and/or the cold weather on top of it), so I should always bet "attached".

 

[duraleigh]

Like gwegan, I am not sure ANY product will survive that much movement, but it's worth a try.

Have the old caulk removed, cleaned up and ready so you can re-caulk just as soon as the expansion hits that in-between spot.