Dragonfly Design & Construction: Resurfacing an old concrete pool deck

Resurfacing an old concrete pool deck

During these economics times, most of us are staying in our existing homes and remodeling the parts that have gotten old or are in disrepair. As a contractor, I need to find solutions that are within most people's budget. As you know you can find lots of products that promise amazing results, but will they give you long lasting results? Because every product makes promises, I always experiment on my home before trying anything new at a client's home.

Three years ago I decided I would experiment on my deck surrounding my pool. I recruited my husband and we spent the weekend on this project. By the way, he really doesn't like the construction field, but assists whenever I ask. Thank you darling! We prepped, primed and painted our concrete pool deck with an exterior deck paint which took a good 16 hours to complete. The results were spectacular. I antiqued the base color with veining to resemble large travertine slabs. Everyone loved it and it cost less than $500.00 in materials. Unfortunately, it only lasted 2 years and started to peel away.

One good thing about this paint experiment was it helped preserve the pool deck a few more years until I had a break in my schedule and went for the next best thing.... concrete resurfacing.

With many years of construction experience and trial and error, I have found that the key to a successful project is in the preparation. You cannot skimp on the prep work. The following steps will hopefully help those of you who have youth and stamina to complete this project. You will need at least 4 to 5 guys to get this project done correctly. I personally worked on this project so I could give you my opinion on whether it is a DYI project or a professional project. Answer: Unless you have a talent with concrete and drywall finishing... I would let the pros do this one. But for those of you ready to tackle this project...here's the game plan.

This is a messy project! Remove most of your furniture if possible, otherwise cover everything up.

Step 1: Grind. You need to rent a heavy duty grinder with a diamond wheel grinding attachment and abrade the entire surface.

Step 2: Acid Wash. Mix at a ratio of 4 parts water to 1 part muraitic acid. VERY IMPORTANT: When diluting pour the acid into the water. If you do it the other way, the acid could react and throw acid toward you. Remember chemistry class with the rubber aprons and face shield? Please use common sense and wear protective clothing, rubber gloves, face shield and long pants, long sleeve shirt and work boots.

Step 3: Neutralize. I think the easiest product is TSP which you can buy at the big box store. Following the dilution instructions on the box.

Step 4: Repair. Cut out any rust spots and remove the rust rebar section. If it is a large section, replace with new rebar. If the coping is cracked or falling apart, cut back each section at least one foot, remove and pour new concrete. Any cracks should be filled with an epoxy filler. All repairs should be covered with a reinforced repair fabric and elastomeric coating. Once dry feather a polymer cement coating over the repair areas.

Step 5: Patch. Use a level to find any low spots on the deck. Patch all low spots with a polymer cement coating. Sand surface once dry.

Step 6: Prime. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT STEP! Use a two-part epoxy primer over the entire deck. This will seal the repairs and bond with the new resurfacing material.

Step 7: Coat. Apply one very thin layer of resurfacing material either with a metal squeegee or trowel. Let this dry. Sand any edges that might affect the finish coat. I colored mine a terracotta shade.

Step 8: Decorative Coat. Rent a hopper gun and spray a medium coat of material (similar to an orange peel texture). Work in a six to eight foot section. Have a second person work behind you lightly dragging the texture with a finish trowel to flatten the surface. This created dimension in the surface.

Step 9: Stain/Antique. I used an espresso Eco-stain to enhance the color of the surface. Use a broom to blend and create various shading on the deck. This is where the artist in you comes out. Once dry, I mixed the antique powder in charcoal into a small sprayer and mist small areas.

Step 10: Seal. I used a wet-look sealer which tends to get slippery when wet. Broadcast a slip-resistant granule into the next-to-last coat of sealer. I used aluminum oxide in an 80 grit size.