By Jeff Keen ·
The short answer
A pool deck gets hot because dark, smooth, dense surfaces soak up the sun and hold it. A lighter color, a textured knockdown finish (often called cool deck or spray deck), and a cool-touch color sealer make the biggest difference, with shade from a pergola or sail doing the rest.
Why concrete gets so hot
Concrete is good at holding heat. Dark colors absorb more sunlight, smooth surfaces have nothing to break up that heat, and by mid-afternoon in a Coastal Bend summer a dark deck can be too hot for bare feet.
What actually helps
In order of how much difference they make:
- Color — lighter sand, cream and tan tones stay noticeably cooler than grays and deep browns.
- Texture — a sprayed knockdown finish breaks up the surface, feels cooler and grips better when wet.
- A cool-touch sealer — we offer Color Seal's H2Cool line, made to stay cooler underfoot, in twelve colors.
- Shade — a pergola, cabana or shade sail over part of the deck gives everyone a place to stand.
Can an existing deck be fixed?
Often, yes. If the deck is sound and reasonably flat, a fresh knockdown texture and a cool-touch color can go right over it. If it is lifting or badly cracked, resurfacing will not last, and we will say so before quoting.
Building a new pool?
If you are putting in a fiberglass pool with our sister company Kinetic Pools, we pour and finish the deck in-house, so the color and finish get picked with the pool instead of as an afterthought.
