Concrete pool decks in Hastings NE - good footing when wet, easy on bare feet
Slippery concrete, cracked waterline tile or a deck that burns your feet? We build one that grips when wet and protects the pool's edge.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What should you know before you build a concrete pool deck in Hastings?
A concrete pool deck is the slab around your pool. In Hastings, NE, we build it to give wet, bare feet good footing and to carry water away from your house without washing dirt into the pool. It's also built to leave the pool's edge alone as the deck moves.
Usually it's someone putting in a new pool, or someone living with an old deck that's cracked, tipped toward the house or pulled away from the pool's edge. The price moves mostly with the size of the deck, how much old concrete has to come out, how much base work the ground needs and the finish you pick, since a plain broom finish costs less than exposed aggregate or a decorative pattern. The schedule turns on the dig and the base, the weather on pour day and the curing, which is the wait while the concrete hardens enough to use. Your own figure comes in a written estimate that lists what's included, after I've walked the yard.
How do you know your pool deck needs work?
Cracked tile at the waterline
Sometimes the tile just under the coping cracks, or the coping itself starts lifting. The coping is the cap around the pool's rim, and when this happens the deck is usually pushing on it as it moves. The longer it goes, the more tile and coping repair gets added to the deck job.
Water sitting near the house
Puddles against the house, or a deck that sheds dirty water into the pool, usually mean the slab was poured with the slope going the wrong way. Every swim and every rain keeps soaking the ground under the slab and along your foundation until the slope is fixed.
Flaking or rough patches
When the top layer peels off in flakes and leaves a gritty surface, that's called scaling, and it usually traces back to the mix, the pour or ice melt. It gets rougher on bare feet every year, and past a point a coating won't hide it.
How we build a concrete pool deck
I start with the part you won't see once the deck is down. Our crew breaks out any old concrete, digs down to firm ground and packs a gravel base on the subgrade. That's the dirt the slab sits on, and a base that's only raked level settles and takes the deck with it. We set the forms so the deck falls away from your house and away from the pool, which keeps splash and rain from pooling against the foundation or washing dirt into the water. Rebar, the steel grid inside the slab, goes in to hold the concrete together if it does crack. The joint where the deck meets the pool's edge matters more than most people think, so I'll show you how we build it to let the deck move without cracking your tile. We pour in the cooler part of the day so the top doesn't come out weak and dusty. Then we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a planned place to crack, before it cracks somewhere on its own, and let it cure. If the budget gets tight, cut the fancy finish before you cut the base, because you can resurface a deck later but one that's sinking has to come out.
A pool deck often ties into other work around the yard. If the back door sits above the deck, we can pour concrete steps down to it at the same time. If you're putting up a building near the pool, slab foundation building for it fits in while the crew is already here.
Broom finish
For a broom finish, we brush the concrete while it's still soft, which leaves fine ridges that give wet feet something to grip. It's the plain, budget-friendly choice and suits most family pools.
Exposed aggregate
We wash the top layer off to show the small stones in the mix, which gives a pebbly surface with good grip and more color than plain gray. It costs more than broom and suits people who want the deck to look finished without a pattern.
Stamped or decorative
Patterns that look like stone or tile suit a yard where the deck is the centerpiece. We'll talk about grip before you pick one, because a smooth pattern can get slick when it's wet.
Get a written estimate for your pool deck
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come see your pool. The estimate is free and in person, and it comes with no obligation.
(402) 512-8901- Based in
- Hastings, NE 68901
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
What happens when you call about a pool deck in Hastings?
Here's how a pool deck goes from your first call to a finished, cleaned-up job, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call and set a visit
I'll ask a few questions, like whether the pool is new or already in and what's wrong with the deck you have. Then we set a time for me to come look at it myself.
I walk the job and estimate
I look at the yard, the pool edge and where the water runs, then write an estimate that spells out what's included, so you know what you're paying for before we start. We'll talk through the mix, the finish and the drainage, since those choices change how the deck turns out.
Paperwork first, then the pour
Once you're ready, we sort out the paperwork with whichever office covers your address. Then our foreman leads the crew through the tear-out, base, forms and pour, and I stop by along the way to check on it.
I check it through cleanup
I keep checking in until the deck is finished and the yard is cleaned up. I'll also tell you when it's ready for bare feet and when the chairs can go back out.
Why Hastings homeowners call Hastings Concrete for pool decks
I write your estimate myself
I come out, walk your yard and ask how your family uses the pool before I write anything down. That way the person pricing your deck is the same one who'll answer your questions about it later.
In business since 2013
Before I started this business, I spent years running crews for another contractor, and that taught me the base and the water path matter as much as the top. That's why your estimate spends as much time on what's under the deck as on the finish.
Licensed and insured, easy to check
We're licensed and insured. Nebraska also requires contractors to register with the state, and the questions below show how to look up anyone you're thinking of hiring.
If you've got a pool going in or a deck that's given up, send us a few details or call (402) 512-8901, and I'll come take a look.
Pool decks and the work around them in Hastings
Hastings requires building permits for new buildings and for alterations or additions. The city's list names fences, electrical and plumbing but not pool decks, so it doesn't settle whether your deck needs a permit. The City of Hastings is the place to ask. We'll find out whether the city or the county covers your address and help you through the permit and inspection steps your job calls for. The city also puts it on the property owner to get utility lines marked before any digging, by calling Diggers Hotline at 811 or going to ne1call.com. A deck has to be dug out for its base, so we'll make sure that call's been made before our crew breaks ground.
A lot of the decks we're asked about are around backyard pools where the old concrete has tipped toward the house or pulled away from the coping, and the fix starts under the slab, not on top. We're based in Hastings and work in Grand Island and the cities around it. We see the same calls on jobs around Hastings and in Grand Island, and we build those decks the same way.
Questions about concrete pool decks in Hastings
How much does a concrete pool deck cost in Hastings, NE?
Across the US, installing a concrete pool deck usually costs about $10.10 to $12.40 per square foot. That's a national market figure, not our price. Your deck's size, any old concrete coming out and the finish you choose move it up or down from there. Your own number comes in the written estimate after I've seen the yard.
What is the best finish for a concrete pool deck?
The best pool deck finish is one with good grip when wet, because slip resistance matters more around a pool than anywhere else. Broom, textured, exposed aggregate, coatings, overlays and decorative finishes all differ in traction and in how hot they get, and very dark finishes can get uncomfortable on bare feet in full sun. We'll weigh the finishes above against how your family uses the pool.
What causes cracked tile around a pool deck?
Cracked waterline tile usually comes from the deck moving and shoving against the coping because there's no flexible joint between them. That joint should be a flexible mastic, a rubbery sealant, run the full depth of the concrete, and without it deck movement will often knock coping and tile loose. One coping maker's guide says to check that joint every year and repair the caulk when it cracks or pulls away. It notes that most of those stretchy caulks last five to ten years.
How do I keep a new concrete pool deck from flaking in winter?
Start with a mix that has entrained air. Those are tiny bubbles worked into the concrete that help it hold up when it freezes and thaws while soaked, and they limit the flaking that ice-melt chemicals cause. For the first winter, put sand down instead of ice melt on the new concrete. You can ask any contractor whether their deck mix has entrained air, and I'll go over ours when we talk about the mix.
How often should you seal a concrete pool deck?
Plan on recoating a film sealer every 18 to 24 months and a penetrating sealer every three to five years, going by one sealer maker's guidance. The penetrating kind lasts longer but brings out the color less. So it comes down to whether you'd rather reseal less often or have a richer look.
How do I check if a concrete contractor is registered in Nebraska?
Before you hire, look them up in the registered contractor database on the Nebraska Department of Labor website. State law requires contractors doing business in Nebraska to register there, though registration doesn't vouch for the quality of the work or protect you from fraud. If you're doing the work on your own property, or having it done there, the state doesn't count you as a contractor under that law.
Related concrete work around your pool
Concrete steps construction
A drop from the patio door or a slope to the pool calls for steps with even heights, so the walk to the water feels steady.
Slab foundation building
Planning a pool house or a pump shed beside the water? It starts with a slab foundation poured on a packed base, ready for walls.
Service areas for pool decks around Hastings
Hastings Concrete is based in Hastings, Nebraska, and builds pool decks in Hastings, Grand Island and the cities around them. Those two cities have their own pages here, with more on the work we do in each.
Hastings, NE
Get your pool deck estimate started
Call or send the form with where the pool sits, a rough deck size in square feet and the finish you're leaning toward, and I'll come out ready to talk specifics.