Subscribe by Email

Your email:

Free Fiberglass Pool Buying Guide!

fiberglass-pool-buying-guide-inground

Download Now! Simply Click the Book to get Your Copy.

Posts by category

Welcome to the Most Educational Swimming Pool Blog in the Country!

Loading

Current Articles | RSS Feed RSS Feed

Pool Patio Materials: Stamped Concrete vs Pavers

  
  
  

So which is the better swimming pool patio material:  Stamped Concrete or Pavers? 

That's currently the debate in the pool patio world.  Both are durable, relatively affordable, and look great; that's probably why consumers find them the two most popular options on the market today.  But which is better?  Let's discuss the pros and cons of each so you can decide for yourself.    

Stamped Concrete:

Cost:  Usually priced between $10-$13/square foot depending on the region. 

Advantages:

  • Many stamp patterns are available. Seamless stone, slate, and flagstone are some of the most popular.
  • Wide variety of colors to choose from. Stamped concrete is often composed of at least two colors; a base color that is mixed in the concrete or trowelled into the surface, and a second color called a release agent that is broadcasted on top of the concrete just before stamping.  The relationship of these two colors is what gives stamped concrete it's unique antiqued look. 
  • It can mimic other materials such as slate, flagstone, or brick for a fraction of the cost of the natural material.
  • Stamped concrete is sealed which protects it from the elements as well as pool chemicals like salt from salt water systems.

 

Disadvantages:

  • It's concrete so it will crack. Two guarantees on concrete: it will crack, and no one will steal it without you knowing about it. The contractor's job is to place control joints to cause the concrete to crack where they want it too....but sometimes concrete cracks where it wants to. The only way to guarantee no crack is to get no concrete! 
  • If more than one truck load of concrete is required there is no guarantee that the colors of the two trucks will match perfectly.
  • The sealer needs to be re-applied every 2 to 3 years.
  • The surface can be somewhat slippery without the addition of an anti-skid agent mixed in with the sealer (and it should be).

jumbo stone stamped concrete pattern

 A picture of stamped concrete pool patio.

 

Pavers

Cost: Usually about the same price as stamped concrete, maybe a little more depending on the contractor.

Advantages:

  • They won't crack...if installed correctly.
  • Can be easily added to in the future.
  • If underground repairs are needed, a seamless fix is possible.
  • Not slippery unless sealed, which is seldom done around pools.

Disadvantages:

  • There's a good possibility that they will settle and move over time, especially in areas where there was extensive backfill.
  • Weeds can grow up between pavers unless polymeric sand is used. This is sand with a polymer additive that causes it to bind together between the pavers and harden. It does prevent weeds, but needs to be re-applied every couple years.
  • More limited color and pattern selections.
  • There can be unwanted variation in color of the product.  Even between different pallets of material from the same truck. 

paver patio

Here's a picture of a paver pool patio. 

So what say you...which do you prefer?  Asking me if I prefer stamped concrete or pavers is like asking me if I would rather have a porter house or rib eye steak....the answer is "yes".  But seriously, there are situations that call for both.  A few things to consider are the compatibility of the material with existing elements of the yard, color compatibility, and weather you plan to add to expand the patio in the future.  One things for sure, with the durability and beauty of both of these patio materials it's hard to go wrong.   

describe the image

 

Download our FREE Fiberglass Pool Buying Guide---The Ultimate Education Tool for Swimming Pool Consumers.


download-free-ebook-now

Tags: 

Comments

We live in Florida and are going to replace our old river rock pool deck. We have several cats and birds who can be messy so we are hosing or pressure washing fairly often. I like the idea of pavers but are they going to be hard to clean and my husband is concerned that the sand between them will have to be replaced more often than usual. Is there a way to butt them really close together to reduce the gap and is there a good sealer that will hold up well? Stamped concrete looks nice and easy to clean but don't like the cracking.
Posted @ Friday, January 29, 2010 11:32 AM by gayle pilson
Great questions Gayle! All pavers are designed to be installed as tight as possible so reducing the gap between them is not really an option, but the type of sand used between the pavers can make a big difference in your case because of the constant cleaning. Many paver installers are now using polymeric sand, which is sand with an additive that causes it to harden. It stays in place much better and will not require as much maintenance as regular sand. Sealing the pavers is definitely a must in your case because of the animals. There are many grades of sealers on the market and typically the ones from big box home improvement stores are very poor quality. A local store that specializes in concrete products could steer you in the right direction. I think pavers with polymeric sand and a high quality sealer may be the way to go in your case if you're strongly opposed to cracks in concrete.
Posted @ Friday, January 29, 2010 2:34 PM by Jason Hughes
Thanks for the info on the pavers. I have also looked at interlocking pavers but they are filled with plain sand(which has to be added often)and not polymeric sand. Why can't they use polymeric sand for interlocking pavers also?
Posted @ Monday, February 01, 2010 8:51 AM by gayle pilson
Gayle, they can use the polymeric on interlocking pavers, we do it all the time. They just set their pavers as usual, sweep it into the cracks, and mist with water to activate the stiffening agent.
Posted @ Monday, February 01, 2010 12:56 PM by Jason Hughes
natural stone pavers is a great application for any patio or pool deck. The benefit of Olimpic stone is that our product stays cools to the touch and its not slippery when wet.  
 
 
 
though the initial cost for the natural stone pavers are usually more expensive you will find that it saves you money in the long run. Natural stone pavers do not need to be sealed and does not take much to maintain throughout the years. Also, the great this about natural stone is the color never fades. 
 
 
 
check us out! 
 
www.olympicstone.com 
 
866-40-STONE
Posted @ Wednesday, February 03, 2010 2:11 PM by helen zahralban
Although I suspect it would be more expensive, would placing the pavers on a concrete base prevent the settling and weed disadvantages associated with pavers?
Posted @ Thursday, April 01, 2010 1:26 PM by Steve
NO SAND of any kind should be used with pavers. One should use blue stone dust. sand just washes out and away and your left with nothing between the cracks. Blue stone should be used for the base and dust should be brushed on top.
Posted @ Tuesday, May 11, 2010 7:33 PM by Cj
We are about to replace a concrete deck around our 25 year old fiberglass pool with pavers. When we contacted the original installer, we were told that we MUST have a 2 foot band of concrete, 4 inches thick to keep the pool locked in place. Is it true that we actually need concrete and cannot edge the pool itself with pavers?
Posted @ Thursday, May 27, 2010 8:08 PM by Mabel Lux
I am so "stuck"  
 
have approx 1260 sq ft pool deck needs to be replaces - we have the old "coolcrete" look - 
 
were looking at stamped concrete 
 
until i heard about " slippery  
 
when when wet" and discoloration  
 
esoecially where the sprinkler system hits 
 
so looked at "lime coat" which seems to have a better longevity and look  
 
but really like pavers but am also worried about the weeds and sand"leaking" from joints  
 
and so i have to jack hammer the old deck out?? or how would you lay pavers on a coolcrete deck 
 
thanks 
 
Posted @ Sunday, March 13, 2011 7:55 PM by afenu
Do you know something that stamps concrete in Raleigh?
Posted @ Friday, July 01, 2011 1:29 PM by Stamped Concrete Contractor Raleigh NC
it is great pleasure to visit your site. thanks
Posted @ Monday, August 01, 2011 3:41 AM by tiffany rings online
live in central FL and have pavers around our pool. Beginnig to have weeds grow between them and am thinking about sealing since we were told that would also seal the sand and thus no more weeds. Worried that the pavers would be slippier and also the drainage would not be very good in heavy rains. Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated. Thanks!
Posted @ Monday, August 08, 2011 3:07 PM by Roy
there is no other practical and excellent way to enhance the look of driveway but letting it have a concrete finishes for a long lasting purpose. A practical and efficient solution. 
Posted @ Tuesday, October 11, 2011 12:38 PM by stamped concrete calgary
This is a great breakdown of stamped concrete vs. concrete pavers. Very valid points on both sides and interesting to see the comments from consumers
Posted @ Monday, January 30, 2012 12:20 PM by Todd Fisher
Great article of pro's and cons of each. I recommend using Pavers, but concrete has it's advantages.
Posted @ Saturday, February 04, 2012 10:42 AM by Wholesale Pavers Mn
Post Comment
Name
 *
Email
 *
Website (optional)
Comment
 *

Allowed tags: <a> link, <b> bold, <i> italics