Posted by 
One of the best materials for building concrete floors or decks is concrete materials, including major resurfacing products. Some of the typical resurfacing products include the Sakrete Flo-Coat, Rapid Set, Ardex CD, and NewCrete. Also, there are simple steps to follow to effectively resurface pool decks below:
- To clean the pool deck surface, do a grind or pressure wash on it
- Repair any crack that you identify on the deck by spraying or smoothing it off. In addition, you can also repair any chipped area, which may require some level of spalling before the eventual repair
- Smoothen any patched area through grinding or running a stone over the surface
- Vacuum the concrete surface or simply rinse it to remove any dust
- If you need to keep any part of the deck untouched, merely mask it with a protective layer
- Mix the concrete ingredients to have a homogenous mixture and start the resurfacing process
- You may add some texture or designs by sweeping a broom across the surface without causing any significant depth
- Use a concrete sealer to protect the surface of the pool deck
- Protect the resurfaced pool deck zone from human interference until it dries up and is ready for use
Needed tools to carry out resurfacing or pool deck repair include the following:
- Pressure washer
- Steel trowel or squeegee
- Broom
- Drill (manual or automatic)
- A paddle or spade for mixing cement with other ingredients
The following tools are optional in the process:
- Vacuum
- Hand grinder
- Leaf blower
Steps to Repair or Resurface Pool Deck
Step 1: Prepare the deck surface from the work
Now that you or your client have decided to repair or resurface the pool deck, it is time to prepare the place for the work. You have to remove any loose or damaged portion of the pool deck if there is any at all. If there are unwanted items like leaves, molds, mildew, dirt, or any kind of debris, you also need to remove such from the deck surface.
One way to ensure that you deal thoroughly with the deck in preparation for resurfacing is to pressure wash the surface of the concrete patio. Alternatively, you can use a grinder lightly on the concrete surface. While using a hero, ensure you put on a face mask as a means of protection. Whereas you can attach a vacuum to a grinder to reduce any possible dust on the surface.
If there are no loose or spalling concrete parts on the pool deck’s surface, pressure washing can work fine in the cleaning and preparation stage. After the vacuum cleaning, you may also add some manual cleaning to remove any leftover dust or use a pressure washer to remove any loose dirt. After washing, kindly leave the surface to dry for about 24 hours before proceeding to the next step.
Step 2: Repair all the damaged areas
As you have identified the cracks, spalled concrete, chipped areas, or broken concrete, you now need to fix them up. However, it depends on the size of the gap or damaged area. The method you employ to fix the damaged areas depends on the size of the damage. For instance, if the crack is just a hairline size, you may not be able to do much about it except a slight resurfacing to maintain a smooth structure.
However, suppose the cracks are more significant than one-sixteenth of an inch. In that case, you must repair that portion with a flexible concrete crack sealant. Also, if you have a crack that is wider than a quarter of an inch, you cannot rely on simple resurfacing, but you have to fill it up with some dry sand or a foam back rod. When filling, leave a little space on the fill, depending on the depth of the crack or damage. This method can help you figure out the crack repair before adding a sealant to the surface.
After adding a sealant to eh surface in repair, you may also have to sprinkle some sand on it to improve the character’s texture. Note that every resurface material requires some amount of surface to hold on to. Ensure that whenever the repairing works are in progress, the pool portion remains in a position to not allow any crack to stay on the repaired surface. You can also use a resurfacing material to fix chipped or spalling areas and later smoothen them up.
Step 3: Clean the Surface by Rinsing, use of Vacuum or with a Leaf Blower
After repairing all the damaged portions, endeavor to clean the repaired surfaces through the three suggested methods. You can either clean it by rinsing it with a vacuum cleaner or a leaf blower. The cleaning process also ensures that the repaired surface is still intact and that the resurfacing material bonds well with the existing surface.
If you have a strong leaf blower, you can do the cleaning, dry up the surface and resurface it on the same day. Ideally, when you rinse off the concrete surface, you should allow it to dry for a day. Without a concrete resurfacing, you may not need to leave it out for a day.
Step 4: Mask off the unwanted areas
While resurfacing and repairing the poolside deck, you may have some areas that you want to avoid. The best way to separate such regions is to mask them off using painter’s tape to keep out the railings, ladder, skimmer, and other parts. If the resurfacing material gets to any of these surfaces, it may stick, and it may become tough to remove it. When you pass the untargeted areas, you can then remove the tape.
Step 5: Mix the Resurfacing materials and apply it
It is time to apply the resurfacing materials to the pool deck after mixing it thoroughly using a steel trowel or a squeegee. Kindly follow the mixing instruction that is on the bag of the resurfacing substance you bought. Ideally, you may also be required to add about 3.5 quartz of water with one bag of the resurfacer. Also, mix the materials for about 2 minutes until it becomes lump-free.
Step 6: Add texture with a Broom
You may also want to add some texture to the worked surface with a broom. But keep it as superficial as possible and ensure that you do not dig deep into the surface. Drag the broom across the concrete surface of the pool deck. In addition, don’t wait until you finish the whole surface in place before you broom it, and do it little by little when you complete it apart. The resurfacing material dries up too quickly.
Summary
In summary, the process of resurfacing and repairing your pool deck made of concrete requires a level of diligence. If there are areas where you don’t want to touch, mask such areas off and protect the sites you work on with a sealer. After the whole work, you may guard the pool location until the work is dry and ready for use again.