Hi I'm new hear, sorry if redundant questions-- building new pool-- problems with new acid washed concrete deck - very rough crumbling concrete on some edges and joints. Looks like the trowel was dragged over when too dry--- looks like i can grind them down smooth with wire brush--- or something like that --- ? - color is very uneven--- looks like muratic acid just poured on without good brushing--- allot of sand pebbles in some places and pure paint visible in others--- Will a concrete polisher make this more even? I don't want to acid wash again, unless very mild. - large slope in some areas--- what is the standard for decks? I have so much slope that it catches the eye--? - Color stinks--- I know, it is hard to predict--- but asked specifically to avoid pinkish colors--- used mocha colored concrete, which litened to pinkish brown. - no joint against house foundation. i was told that there is supposed to be a joint between house and concrete, but often this is not included-- comments? THANKS!

If the stamped deck is on top of the bond beam, you have a canter levered deck. There is no coping but there should be a thin membrane between the decking and the top of the bond beam to allow them to expand and contract independently. If you have something mortared to the top of the bond beam and then the deck, there needs to be a space between the two. On a fresh deck pour, a foam form is used to create the gap and a self leveling caulk that comes in a few different colors is used to keep water out. This caulk will need replacing periodically but doing so is about 1/10th the cost of new coping. Expect about 4-5 years of life for the caulk. Scott

They closed their doors and went of business, with 42 projects unfinished... and we are one of them. It has been a nightmare. In fact, our pool was scheduled to be completed this week, but we just have a shell with large piles of dirt all around. No tile, no decking, and no equipment. After MD pools installed the grunite shell, we found it difficult to reach anyone in the office. Everything was e-mail. They said they were waiting for the waterfalls to come in so they could do tile and stone work. Finally, we drove to the company without an appointment and confronted the Vice President Bob Spero and Construction Supervisor Bob Brucshs. This was shortly after the President's funeral. We were one of 3 couples in the lobby demanding answers. We learned they were deeply in debt and trying to recover the business. They failed. The vendors and most subs cut MDP off because they owed money. They have employees who haven't been paid either. Sadly, we lost a substantial amount of money, and while we have since contracted another pool company to complete the job, we are devastated by the whole situation. I feel bad for the employees and customers that have been taken advantage of by this company. It just goes to show that "60 years in business", A+ rating with BBB, review on Houzz, and "#1 pool builder in MD" means nothing! I want to put this entire experience behind us, but it is hard to accept losing so much money. We spoke with an attorney, and there is little recourse other than Civil action. The company is millions in debt, so we would be very low on the list. We are just moving on...

We have a little bit of everything. The majority of our decking is made with Kool deck. We do have a 1' border all the way around the pool that is stamped/painted concrete. It's made to look like stone. I love the look, but I will tell you that the painted concrete gets extremely hot. As far as "salt wash" goes, that's just unpainted concrete. After they pour the deck, they sprinkle the surface with pieces of rock salt which are melted away with water after the concrete has cured to leave small decorative holes. While this is appealing to the eye, it is also very hot. I think your choice all depends on where you live. We are in Phoenix, AZ (about 1 mile from the sun these days) and the stamped/painted concrete is so hot you could honestly get 3rd degree burns on your feet. The Kool deck is hot, but definitely cooler than the concrete. I agree with Grassy on the color. Pick the color you like and go two shades darker. We were also told to do this and I admit I was scared because the sample was so dark. I'm so glad we did. The color is even a tiny bit lighter than the one we wanted... Good luck with your pool.