Is it a good idea to rubberize my pool deck?

There are many benefits to installing poured in place rubber on your pool apron or deck. Here are a few:

• Hide ugly cracks and dips that concrete will show over time.
• Make the pool deck surface skid resistance.
• Make the surface less hot in scorching summer days.
• Introduce new color schemes to the pool.
• Provide some impact attenuation in case someone falls on the surface.

If you are handy this is something you can tackle in a weekend. If you are not, you can find someone who is handy and get them the right material. Generally, it costs around $10 per square foot for all the materials you need to surface your pool deck with EPDM rubber.  You will need the right mix of EPDM rubber  and Aliphatic Binders. The EPDM comes in 55 pound bags and the Aliphatic binders come in 5 gallon pails, holding 44 pounds each. For every square foot you want to cover you will need 2 pounds of EPDM rubber to cover at a thickness of half an inch (Which is a typical thickness for this application). And for every 10 pounds of rubber you will need 2 pounds of binder (20% by weight). 

The reason you would want to use an Aliphatic binder, versus aromatic, is besides the fact that Aliphatics are more UV resistant and have more tensile strength, they are not easily degraded by pool chemicals like Aromatics are. 

Here are the tools you will need to rubberize your pool deck:

• A check plastic baby tub to mix the rubber and binder in
• Hoe or shovel
• Rounded Trowel
• Some latex gloves
• Spray bottle with water and dish soap.
• Kneed pads
• Garbage bags
• A half inch pipe to use as gauge as you are troweling
• A nice sunny day. (No rain predicted the whole day). Minimum temperature of 50 degrees overnight.
• Clothes you don't care ruining.

We have many videos in our knowledgebase showing how to mix and trowel EPDM, so there is no point in describing them. Also our Install Care Specialists can guide you and provide any support you need. But the key thing is to take your time with prep before you mix the binder with the rubber. You would want to clean the surface thoroughly and let it dry. You will then need to prime only the sections you will be troweling on before the next mix. Lubricating the trowel with soap and water after each pass is key so the trowel doesn't lift the granules. 

Remember that here at Trassig, once we send you any materials, you are paired with an inhouse installer that will show you the ropes. Call us at: 203-659-0456  to start rubberizing your pool deck.