Outdoor Living

Your pool decking material is an important factor to consider while building your dream pool. Pool decking requires the perfect balance of aesthetics and functionality. Depending on your preferences, the decking material can lend more beauty to the pool or be utilitarian instead. 

With more innovations with each passing day, many materials can provide the best of both worlds so that you don’t have to compromise. Here’s a list of different materials you can use as your pool’s surroundings. 

Concrete

One of the best features of concrete is its resistivity to slippage. Also, it proves to be the most comforting material if your pool is continuously facing sunlight in a warm climate, all thanks to its excellent reflective properties. 

If you opt for concrete decking, you will notice that the installation time is significantly less and repair work can be done quickly and easily. The trade-off, however, is that concrete tends to be less aesthetically pleasing visually. 

However, innovations in the segment have led to the developing concrete variants that have significantly improved its aesthetic value.

• Stamped concrete is designed to look like flagstones or bricks. Coloring is done with chemicals to bring the appearance closer to that of a stone deck.
• Stenciled concrete is made to appear like stone or brick pavers.
• To bring more texture and make the surface anti-slippery, rock salt grains or pebbles are used with the concrete.

Brushing the conventional concrete deck with chemical dye and color stain will result in a textured look with added slip resistivity.

Pavers

Pavers are always available in casted conditions. The casting is done beforehand in various designs and shapes. Pavers are generally made of concrete or stone. It takes careful planning and execution to get a paver decking done rightly. 

The pavers lend a unique look to the pool while retaining the benefits of using a concrete or stone material. It could lead to lesser repair costs because if one paver unit gets damaged, then only that damaged unit needs replacement/repair. This type of pool decking also requires periodic maintenance to avoid weeding in the pave junctions.

Wood 

There will always be a demand for wood decking due to the authentic feel it provides. No material can replace the feel of wood. The aesthetics of a wooden deck is also very pleasing. However, wooden decks require frequent maintenance since it can deteriorate over time due to the moisture of the pool surroundings. 

Bricks

Bricks are also used for decking by placing them on a bed of sand. Using conventional bricks on the sand to surround the pool area might not add to the pool aesthetics. Since bricks also tend to absorb moisture, during the winter season when it becomes cold the bricks may crack. The heat absorption nature of bricks also makes them a poor choice in sunny and warm conditions as they tend to become hot to walk upon. 

Travertine Tiles

Travertine tiles are a natural choice if you consider visual aesthetics to be the main priority. Travertine tiles also feel softer and smoother to walk upon in comparison to other materials. Care should be taken not to use any glazed material since it will become dangerously slippery due to the moisture and lead to accidents.  

Flagstone

Flagstone has a very rich coloring and distinct textured look. Flagstone provides the added advantages of slip resistance, moisture resistance, and durability under heavy usage. These tend to overheat under sunny and warm conditions, so be aware of the location of your pool in conjunction with the sun’s appearance. 

Contact a Trusted Pool Builder

When it comes to your backyard and perfectly designing your pool, your decking choice matters. Find a pool builder you can trust to learn more about the different options available when designing your pool.