How to Drain Water From Concrete Pool Decks

Establish Grade

• 1

  Excavate or fill the ground around the pool so that it falls away from the pool sides at a slope of 1/4 inch for every foot of distance, also called a 2-percent slope. Pound a stake in at poolside and at the outer limit of the deck, and tie a string between the two to establish the slope. Compact the soil so that its surface lies 12 inches below the pool coping at the side of the pool.

• 2

  Move the string up 6 inches. Fill the deck space with 6 inches of gravel. Compact the gravel and allow it to settle overnight, then fill any low spots and compact the gravel again.

• 3

  Mask the coping around the pool with plastic and painter’s tape to protect the pool against splashes.

• 4

  Hire a contractor to pour a 4- to 6-inch concrete slab, according to local building-code requirements. Ensure that the contractor makes the slab uniformly thick so that it follows the slope.

• 5

  Brush fresh concrete with a coarse push broom to give the deck a rough finish.

• 6

  Cut expansion joints across the dry concrete with a heavy masonry saw. Cut joints so they radiate out from the pool to aid in drainage.

Add Texture

• 7

  Clean the concrete deck and remove any oil and grease with a power washer. Use a heavy-duty cleaner such as trisodium phosphate (TSP) for heavy stains -- and apply a low-VOC paint stripper according to package directions to remove any paint or surface sealer on the concrete.

• 8

  Remove unsound concrete with a mallet or hammer and chisel. Clean cracks and holes with a power washer, and coat them with concrete repair primer and fiberglass fabric. After the primer dries, coat the primer and fabric with polymer patching concrete.

• 9

  Insert stakes next to the pool coping and at the outer edge of the pool, and tie strings as guides for 2-percent slopes.

• 10

  Apply the material, starting at poolside in waves, allowing each wave to dry before applying the next that covers the first and extends it out. Start at poolside with a thick coating to elevate the top of the slope. Application instructions might suggest a squeegee, such as for driveway-coating products, but application instructions might vary.

• 11

  Smooth the final coat from the pool to the outer limits of the deck.

• 12

  Color, texture or stamp the coating with dye or with the tool included or recommended in the kit.