Does Epoxy Pool Deck Last Long? (May Not Be Your Best Option!)

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Is Epoxy Good for a Pool Deck?

If you are building a new concrete pool deck or planning to resurface an existing one, then coatings must have surely crossed your mind. Epoxy coating, on top of a concrete pool deck is a cheap and convenient option. But, how long does an epoxy pool deck last?

Epoxy concrete coating is hard wearing, scratch resistant and impervious to many chemicals. But epoxy is not good for outdoor concrete applications, such as pool decks.  Epoxy degrades & yellows on UV exposure. Epoxy coating on pool decks can also peel and crack with temperature fluctuations and presence of moisture.

Epoxy performs very well indoors. It is often a preferred floor coating for concrete garage or basement floors. The conditions on a pool deck, however, are quite different and more extreme.

A garage or basement floor is not exposed to UV radiation from the sun, the way a pool deck is. The temperature swings indoors are milder than those for the concrete pool deck. The pool deck is also constantly exposed to high humidity and water splashing.

Even if the epoxy pool deck lasts for 10-15 years, as claimed, it is going to be in a very sorry state. It would have lost its gloss, yellowed, delaminated at a few spots and cracked all over.

Epoxy is not a good choice when it comes to pool decks. There are many other coating options, which are a lot better.

What Causes Epoxy to Peel?

There are many instances where an epoxy coating on a concrete slab will peel or delaminate. There are several reasons for this but some that stand out are:

Moisture in the Concrete

Epoxy coating is not breathable. Moisture seepage in the concrete slab from the grade below can rise through capillary action and accumulate at the concrete-epoxy interface. This causes the bond between concrete and epoxy coating to break.

The epoxy coating peels off from the concrete.

Air Entrapment

Air bubbles can get entrapped between concrete and the epoxy coating if the

• Epoxy was mixed in a manner to trap air in the liquid epoxy
• Application was under direct sunlight or if the concrete was too cold
• The concrete was not sealed properly

Air bubbles can not get out making the bond between concrete and epoxy weak. This eventually leads to delamination.

Oil & Contaminants

Epoxy has poor adherence if any oil and grease on the concrete have not been cleaned off really well. This will also lead to peeling.

Poor Concrete Slab Workmanship

Concrete mix with higher than recommended water content will push the finer particles (cement) to the pool deck surface. Cement is structurally weak and does not adhere well to epoxy coating. You will get large scale delamination in such situations. 

Does Epoxy Crack Easily?

The advantage of an epoxy coating is that it is very hard wearing and scratch resistant. This makes epoxy coating a great choice for areas with high foot or vehicular traffic. 

Hardness also means brittle. A bit like glass. You can not scratch glass with a steel knife but it cracks when hit by a wood mallet.

Concrete has high compressive strength but there is no way you can stop a concrete slab from cracking. The hardness of epoxy plays against it when it is applied on concrete slabs such as pool decks. 

When concrete cracks the epoxy coating mirrors those cracks. Epoxy does not have the flexibility to expand without cracking as an elastomeric or rubber coating would.

Not only are cracks in the epoxy coating on pool decks terrible for looks, they also expose the concrete below to moisture and chemicals. In essence the epoxy coating has failed to do its job.

Do Epoxy Floors Yellow?

Yes. Epoxy yellows when exposed to the UV rays in the sunlight. It also loses its gloss faster than most other concrete coatings. A phenomenon known as “chalking” in the coatings industry. This makes epoxy a very poor choice for outdoor applications.

Actually almost every manufacturer of repute will state “For Interior Use Only” on any epoxy paint or coating. So why would you put an epoxy coating on a pool deck which is exposed to sunlight all the time.

Epoxies lose gloss quickly and begin to chalk after a couple hundred hours of exposure.

Source: US Coatings

So, the epoxy coating that you put on your pool deck would be looking dull & chalky even before the pool season ends.

If it was not for the above disadvantages of peeling, cracking, yellowing and losing gloss in outdoor conditions, epoxy would be a great coating for pool decks. It has some outstanding properties.

Are Epoxy Floors Hard-Wearing?

Epoxy floors are extremely resistant to abrasion and scratches. Epoxy concrete floors are hard wearing and would easily handle the dragging of pool furniture or BBQ grills. 

Epoxy coatings are very popular as garage floors because of their resistance to abrasion. Since the garage floor is indoors, the epoxy coating is not exposed to UV radiation, high humidity and wild temperature swings.

But epoxy pool decks are not a great idea. Pool decks are outdoors and good weatherability (not a strong suite of epoxy) is important.

Thank you very much for reading the post. I do hope you found it informative and helpful.