So you’ve decided that it’s time to have your deck repainted, where do you start?  A good place to start is to develop a list of questions to ask when you’re interviewing a prospective contractor.

Some questions that a knowledgeable contractor will ask are:

1.  What is the age of the surface and when is the last time (if ever) that it has been painted?

This question is generally asked to establish whether the pool is an older kool deck surface that has never had a sealant applied or if it’s a newer acrylic texture.  This is important because a kool deck that has never been sealed will need a lot more product applied to seal the surface.  The newer texture will need to be examined to determine what type of coating it has been sealed with.  In addition it may be necessary to add a skid resistant admixture to ensure that the deck remains non-slip with the addition of layers of sealant that tend to fill the traction adding voids in the surface.

2.  Do you have an idea of the square footage that needs to be repainted?

Here at the Decorative Concrete Experts, we do a lot of pool deck repaints.  This question is used to get an idea of the scope of the job so that we can give an approximate cost figure over the phone.  This allows us to see if the job is within the customer’s budget over the phone.  This figure doesn’t need to be exact, it’s just to get a good idea.  The easiest way to figure square footage is to sketch out the area on a piece of paper and divide the areas into rectangles that you can multiply length x width.  You can subtract out obstacles such as the pool and planter beds.

3.  Are the cracks mostly smaller hairlines, or do you have some noticeable height difference where slabs have shifted?

When there is a height difference, it may be necessary to mill down the high side and texture it to match to remove a trip hazard on the surface.  This is especially important on commercial pools where liability is a larger issue.  We inject a sealant into the cracks that seals out water, prevents insects from entering, and keeps weeds from growing.  The sealant is carefully placed so that the crack blends into the deck and is actually less noticeable than before.  Beware of “contractors” that apply a crack filler with a putty knife that actually makes the crack stand out and look more obvious.

4.  Is the surface in sound condition or are there areas that have flaking paint and/or texture?

Occasionally we come across decks that have had the wrong sealant applied at some point.  Generally when this occurs, it’s necessary to see the job in person to determine the most cost effective way to remedy the problem.  Also, many customers call us because the textured surface is delaminating.  This problem can be limited to small areas that we can patch and blend into the rest of the deck.  Sometimes it is an extensive issue that can only be fixed by removing and replacing the entire surface.

When it is time to have your pool deck repainted, trust the Decorative Concrete Experts to do the job right the first time for a fair price.  Call us today at 407-342-8552.  Visit our Orlando pool deck paint page here.