Designing indoor pool decks and deck drains - Brief Article

Decks around swimming pools must be non-slip, attractive, and well drained. Over the last twenty-five years, I have seen tile, concrete, coating systems, resilient flooring, carpet, and overlays used for pool decks.

Although many products exist in the marketplace, none perform as well as ceramic tile or concrete with a light broom finish. Concrete is such a basic and inexpensive material that it has been widely used for swimming pool decks. Although a light broom finish on concrete performs well as a non-slip floor, is easily cleaned and drains well, it is not the most attractive flooring material.

To improve its appearance, color is often added to the concrete. For projects with limited budgets, this is the best choice for a deck material. While this is one of the best decks, it is important to acknowledge that the broom finish may be abraded and require etching or sandblasting in areas to renew the non-slip capability.

Looking for the Best Materials

Architects are always looking for better and innovative materials to use in designing facilities. Exposing the colored stone aggregate of the concrete can produce a more attractive deck that is also non-slip. However, exposed aggregate concrete has two problems that should eliminate it from consideration for an indoor pool deck. First, it is a material that is highly dependent on workmanship and quality control. Often the exposed aggregate is too sharp and hard on bathers' feet. This can be remedied by careful selection of rounded aggregates or smoothing the surface with a terrazzo grinder. Secondly, the recesses around the aggregate are more difficult to clean than broom finish concrete. Most pool operators that have had this type of deck believe that high pressure water sprays are the only way to clean between the aggregate. Preferring to use a standard hose to clean the deck, most operators would choose not to have this type of deck material and the challenges it brings.

In an attempt to keep down initial construction cost with improved appearance, coating systems are frequently selected to go over concrete. Any coating system will require maintenance and replacement that eventually approaches the cost of a ceramic tile deck. It may be more difficult to provide for this replacement out of operating costs than in the initial project budget.

Coating systems include epoxy paint with sand, and various aggregates in binders such as epoxy and other synthetic materials. While initially very attractive, lower in cost than tile and non-slip, over three to ten years the coating systems either stain, crack, and delaminate from the concrete base or lose their non-slip functionality. In short, they require replacement.

Sometimes owners of therapy pools like to provide a resilient or padded flooring in case bathers with difficulty walking fall on the deck. These flooring systems require a lot of maintenance and replacement. On a recent project the owner has decided to replace this type of deck after three months experience with it. On another project, the material was only placed on the main access route from the locker rooms to the pool, limiting the cost of replacement to an acceptable level.

For attractiveness and a long service life, no flooring material exceeds the performance of ceramic tile. Although ceramic mosaic tiles in 1 x 1 and 2 x 2 inch sizes usually meet the minimum coefficient of friction for ADA requirements, some pool operators still complain that their tile is slippery. While humans have been well adapted to walking on two limbs for thousands of years, they still fall on wet or dry surfaces. In the wettest areas of the natatorium it may be prudent to consider using 7_% abrasive tile. European tile with textures and patterns also provide easy to clean and non-slip properties.

For many years slot drains have been considered the best solution for deck drains. Architects like them for their simplicity and elegance. However, there is a trend toward using trench drains or the traditional area drain instead of the slot drain. When the slot drain is well executed, it nearly disappears. It also allows the deck to be sloped in two directions instead of four as the traditional area drain requires. The disadvantages of the slot drain come from debris building up in the narrow slot or poor workmanship that may result in tiles coming loose at the edge.

The location of the deck drain is as important as the type of drain. A location that is closer to the pool than the middle of the deck will put the drain where it is needed most. But a drain that is too close to the pool will make it nearly impossible for the pool staff to wash down the decks without putting the dirty water into the gutter or pool. On the other hand, a drain that is too far from the pool will make the entire deck wet before reaching the drain.

Successful deck drains have been constructed using a variety of materials and types, but there is a definite trend toward the use of trench drains to avoid some of the cleaning and maintenance problems that occur with slot drains.

For long service life and low maintenance costs the two best choices for indoor pool decks are the low and high extremes of initial costs: broom finish concrete and ceramic tile. Other materials offer attractive deck surfaces that require higher maintenance and replacement. Select these products for your project only if you can plan for these expenses and accept the costs.

Richard C. Scott AIA author of "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in Natatorium Design, "Indoor Decks and Drains", and "Natatorium Lighting", is an architect who specializes in aquatics consulting for competition and leisure pools. He has designed over 170 swimming pools over the last 26 years of architectural practice. He is Vice President of Water Technology, Inc. in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.

COPYRIGHT 2000 National Recreation and Park Association
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group