Concrete pool decks in El Paso TX - a deck with good grip for wet, bare feet
Cracked, slick or too hot to stand on? We pour pool decks finished for grip and heat, with a flexible joint at the coping.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What makes a concrete pool deck in El Paso hold up?
Concrete pool decks in El Paso, TX, are the slab around your pool that everyone walks on wet and barefoot. We build them to drain away from the house, grip underfoot and move at the pool edge without pulling your coping loose. We're based in El Paso and work across the city and the cities around it, in Texas and over the line in New Mexico.
Most of the decks I look at are cracked, sinking toward the house, or too slick and too hot to stand on, and some are new pools still waiting on a deck. The price moves with the deck's size and shape, how much old concrete has to come out, how much digging the base needs and the finish you pick. The schedule turns on that same tear-out and base work and on pouring when the weather is right, and the estimate puts the figure for your own deck in writing.
How do you know your pool deck needs work?
Cracks running across the deck
Cracks that wander across the slab instead of following the cut lines usually mean the base settled or the joints went in late or not at all. Left alone, water gets under the edges and the pieces start to lift into edges that catch bare toes.
Loose coping or cracked tile
When the coping rocks or the tile at the waterline cracks, the deck is usually pushing on the pool edge with nothing flexible between them. Waiting lets more pieces pop loose, and the repair moves from the deck into the pool itself.
Water running toward the house
Puddles that sit, or water that runs back at the house or into the pool, mean the slab doesn't fall the right way. Every rinse and every storm then carries dirt into the pool and soaks the ground next to your walls.
A surface that's slick or hot
A deck that's worn smooth or feels too hot to cross barefoot usually has a tired finish, or one that was picked for looks alone. If the slab under it is still sound, that can sometimes be fixed without tearing it out.
How we build a concrete pool deck
We break out and haul off the old deck, then dig down to firm subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, and pack a base in layers instead of raking loose dirt level, because a raked base settles and takes the slab down with it. We set the forms so the deck falls away from the house, lay rebar, the steel inside that holds the slab together if it cracks, and put a flexible joint at the pool edge so the deck can move without pulling your coping loose. After the pour we finish the surface for grip and for how hot it gets, since people cross it wet and barefoot. Then we cut control joints, shallow lines that give the slab a place to crack where we chose, and keep everyone off it while it cures, the wait while it hardens and gains strength. If the budget's tight, I'll tell you to cut the fancy finish before you cut the base, because nobody sees the base once it's poured and it's what decides whether the deck stays flat.
Pool decks rarely stop at the pool. If your back door sits higher than the deck, we can pour concrete steps down to it in the same job. If a pool house or equipment shed is going in, our slab foundation building work puts the slab under it at the right height, so it drains with the deck instead of into it.
Broom finish
A broom finish is the light ridged texture we drag across the wet concrete, and it's the plain, budget-minded choice that still grips wet feet. It suits families who want a deck that works more than one that shows off.
Exposed aggregate
We wash off the top layer of the concrete to bare the small stones underneath, which leaves a rough, pebbly surface that grips. It suits owners who want more texture and a natural look, and we'll go over stone color with you.
Coated or overlay finish
A coating or thin overlay goes over the concrete for color or texture, and on a new deck it's a later step once the slab has cured. It suits owners who want a particular look or feel underfoot.
Resurfacing the deck you have
If the old slab is solid and just worn or stained, a new surface over it can freshen it up without a tear-out. It suits decks that are ugly more than broken, and I'll tell you which one yours is.
Get a free on-site estimate for your pool deck
Send a few photos of your deck, its rough size and the finish you like. We reply within one business day to set a time, and I come out to measure and write your free estimate, with no obligation.
- Based in
- El Paso, TX 79901
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–9 PM
What happens when you call about a pool deck in El Paso?
Here's how a pool deck job runs from your first call to the day you can use the deck, and who you'll deal with at each step.
Call or send the form
You call (915) 265-1446 or send the form, and we set a time for me to come see the deck. Tell us whether it's a new pool or a tired deck, so I know what I'm walking into.
I measure and write it up
I come out, measure, look at where the water goes and ask how you use the pool, from lounge chairs to kids running laps. You get a written estimate that spells out what's included and what isn't, so you can hold it up against other bids.
We prep the ground and forms
We line up any paperwork the job needs, break out the old deck, dig down and pack the base. Then we set the forms for the fall, the rebar and the flexible joint at the pool edge.
We pour, finish and cure
Our crew pours when conditions make sense, finishes the surface and cuts the joints. The deck then needs time to cure before the furniture goes back on it, and we'll tell you when it's ready.
Why El Paso homeowners call Formcraft El Paso Concrete Company for pool decks
The owner writes your estimate
I come out to look at the deck and write the estimate myself, and our own crew does the work with me on site for the pour. The person who told you about the joint at the coping is the one watching it go in.
Learned the trade in El Paso
I framed houses for years, then learned concrete under a finisher here in El Paso and started this business in 2013. I switched because I was tired of building on slabs that weren't right, so the base gets my attention first.
Licensed and fully insured, every job
We're licensed and fully insured, and you can ask about it at the estimate. That matters on a pool job, where heavy work happens a few feet from tile and coping you don't want to replace.
No promise of zero cracks
I'd rather lose a job than tell you a slab will never crack, because concrete moves. What I can do is pack the base right and cut the joints on time, so the cracks you get land where we chose.
If the old deck is giving you trouble or the pool is going in soon, reach us through our contact page or call (915) 265-1446, and I'll come measure it.
Pool decks, steps and slabs in El Paso
The City of El Paso lists the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code among the codes it uses, so ask us how it shapes your deck plan, and I'll walk you through it at the estimate. The city's One Stop Shop also keeps a contractor list with a general contractor category whose residential work includes swimming pools, foundations, retaining walls, and storm water and grading. If you want to know how that list applies to your job, the office takes calls at 915.212.0104, and it's a fair question to raise before you hire anyone.
Around the city we see plenty of older pools whose decks have been patched more than once, and newer houses where the deck meets a back door and needs steps. We see the same mix on jobs in Horizon City and over the line in Sunland Park, and either way I check whether the slab underneath is worth keeping before anyone talks about tearing it out.
Questions about concrete pool decks in El Paso
Which finish works best for a wet, barefoot pool deck?
The best finish is one that grips wet feet without getting too hot to stand on, because you're weighing both at once. Broom, textured, exposed aggregate, coated, overlay and decorative finishes all differ in grip and in heat, and very dark finishes can get uncomfortable in the sun. Bring a picture of what you like to the estimate, and we'll talk through how it will feel underfoot.
Is it cheaper to resurface an old pool deck than replace it in El Paso?
Usually, yes. Resurfacing is a cost-effective way to freshen a concrete deck and fix its imperfections, as long as the old concrete is a good candidate for a coating. If the slab has sunk or broken up, a coating won't fix that, so ask me whether yours qualifies before you plan a full tear-out.
What upkeep does the joint between a pool deck and coping need?
Check it once a year and redo the caulk when it cracks, pulls away or breaks down, which is what one coping maker advises. That maker notes most elastomeric caulks, the rubbery kind used there, last about five to ten years. It's worth the trouble, since one pool engineering firm says that without a flexible joint there, deck movement from heat and cold often knocks coping and tile loose and cracks the waterline tile.
What is the best time of day to pour concrete in hot weather?
The cooler part of the day is best, according to one industry guide. Fresh concrete that dries too fast can crack as it shrinks, and that kind of cracking is often tied to hot-weather work in dry climates. Ask any contractor you're talking to what time they plan to pour, and ask us too.
How long does a new concrete pool deck need to cure before it can be coated?
At least 28 days, according to one coating maker's instructions, so a coating on a new deck is a later step and not part of the pour. Until then the slab is still drying out and gaining strength. If you want a coated finish, plan on it as its own visit after the cure.
How should a concrete pool deck drain?
Water should run away from the house and other buildings, and dirty runoff should stay out of the pool. Ask any contractor where the water will run on your deck before the forms go in, because once the slab is poured the fall is set.
Other concrete work that goes with a pool deck
Concrete steps construction
When your deck sits lower than a back door or patio, we pour steps in the same plan so the landing, rise and finish match the deck.
Slab foundation building
If a pool house, cabana or covered patio is going up beside the deck, its slab foundation gets planned with the deck so heights and drainage line up.
Pool deck work across El Paso and nearby cities
Formcraft El Paso Concrete Company is based in El Paso, TX, and builds pool decks across the city and the cities around it. Socorro, TX and Santa Teresa, NM are among the 12 cities with their own page below, and we work in others nearby too.
El Paso, TX
Get your pool deck measured and priced
If your pool is still going in, call before the coping is set so the deck, the joint at the edge and any steps get planned together.