During the summer months, it is always fun to cool off in the pool. As a result, the pool deck sees a lot of wear and tear. Because the pool deck has so much traffic during this time, it can also become dangerous as the surface becomes slick with water from the pool. As a result, friends and family can slip and injure themselves, making pool decks potentially dangerous. For those that already have pool decks or thinking of installing new pool decks, there are easy steps that you can take to avoid these dangers.
One of the best things that you can do to keep others safe is to prevent your deck from gathering algae. Wet pool decks are an excellent place for algae to grow. When algae are wet, it will get the deck even more slippery, making it a truly hazardous situation. If you keep your deck from growing algae, you can help prevent injuries that come from slipping.
Pool decks are naturally slippery. They come in all kinds of surfaces such as wood, tile, concrete, stone, and river rock. Depending on which surface you have, you might want to do more to create deck friction. By getting help from a pool maintenance technician, there are things that can be done to increase the friction on your deck. Without any treatment, the deck friction is usually around .60. However, when you treat your deck, it can be increased. Some experienced technicians can even get the friction as high as .80, which may minimize falls.
There are always products that you can buy to help clean and treat your pool deck. However, you may want to contact a professional, as they often use products that are made to last on your deck for years instead of a mere couple of months. Contacting a professional may be another great way to do all you can to keep your pool deck safe for others to use.