How to Build a Brick Pool Deck

Mark the location of your new deck with wood stakes. Decide how far you want the deck extended from the pool, and its overall width and length. Arrange the stakes two feet apart. Wrap twine around the top of each stake and carry it to the next one. The twine shows you the exact layout of the deck.

Remove the grass or sod from the marked-off area. Scoop away the top layer of grass and approximately two inches of soil underneath using a shovel. Spray the ground with a garden hose and pack down the soil with the shovel.

Spread a 2-inch layer of sand on the packed down dirt. Run a rake across the top, making the sand even. Spray the sand with more water and pack it down with the shovel. The sand should sit even and level on the ground.

Cover the sand with a thin layer of concrete, no more than 1 inch thick. Spread the concrete smoothly across the sand with a trowel or shovel. Let the concrete cure for 24 hours before affixing any bricks.

Lay a piece of plastic paver edging next to the swimming pool. Set 12-inch spikes on top of the plastic and hammer them straight into the ground. The spikes should go deep into the ground and sit flush with the top of the plastic. Arrange additional pieces of plastic paver edging in a rectangle or round shape, creating the outline of your deck. The plastic creates a finished edge between the end of the deck and the beginning of the pool.

Spread a layer of mortar ½ inch on the bottom and sides of one brick and place it against the plastic edging at the top of the deck, near the swimming pool. Tap the brick into place, so that the top of the brick sits flush with the edging. Place a 1/8-inch wood spacer next to the brick. Spread mortar on a second brick and carefully place it next to the first. Tap the brick into place with a rubber mallet and set a wood spacer next to it.

Work your way from the left corner to the right corner. Every time you lay a new brick, add a spacer to the side. Check the height every time you add a new brick, making sure the surface is level. If the brick is not level, tap the top with the rubber mallet until it sits even with the other bricks. After laying one row, add spacers to the ends of each brick before laying the next row. Keep adding additional rows until you fill in the space between the edging pieces. Use spacers on each side of the bricks.

Remove the spacers in between the bricks. Apply mortar to the top of the bricks, spreading it across each brick so that it will fill any cracks or gaps between the bricks. Wipe off the excess mortar with damp sponges before the mortar dries on the bricks.