Pool Deck DIY
Why Install a Pool Deck?
Your pool deck sets the tone for the entire backyard. It's one of the most heavily used surfaces on your property. It needs to handle constant foot traffic, poolside splashing, and temperature extremes while still looking polished and cohesive with the rest of the space. The right material makes all the difference: slip-resistant, durable, and visually tied to the home's exterior. It's an investment that pays off in both function and appearance for years to come.
How to Start
Your pool deck takes a lot of punishment: it needs to handle constant foot traffic, poolside splashing, and changing water levels while still looking polished. Before you start pulling measurements, work through a few key design decisions.
What's the overall aesthetic: natural stone, manufactured pavers, or permeable pavers that allow rainwater to drain below? How large does the deck need to be to comfortably accommodate the pool surround, furniture, and movement?
Once those decisions are made, spend some time looking through different styles and finishes. Our design booklets at Silverthorn Landscape Supplies are full of practical inspiration.
Then get your measurements down: length, width, height, and all grade changes across the area. Note whether you want a contrasting border around the pool's edge and, if so, how wide it should run.
Sketch out your plan before ordering anything. A clear drawing with measurements, product choices, and any border details marked will prevent costly surprises mid-project. Use our Materials Calculator to work out quantities.
Tools You May Need
Paper & pen • Tape measure • Stakes & string • Marking paint • Square • Level • Shovel • Wheelbarrow • Rake • Gloves • Chisel • Safety glasses • Knee pads • Rubber mallet • Hose • Hand tamper • Broom
Additional Tools
4" piece of 2x4 wood • 2 pieces of ¾"-1" pipe (for levelling)
Products You May Need
Paving stones • A-gravel • Limestone screenings • Paver restraints • Metal spikes • Gator Super Sand Bond (polymeric sand)
Note: Advanced Performance Bedding (APB) is a two-in-one alternative to A-gravel and Limestone Screenings that self-compacts. Come in or give us a call to find out if it's right for your project.
Additional Machinery (optional)*
Skidsteer • Stone Saw • Vibrating Tamper/Plate
*Make sure you are qualified to run any equipment you may rent, or have someone experienced with machinery come out and help.
Installation
1. Plan
Review the How to Start checklist and lock in your plan. Measurements, product type, and quantities should be confirmed before you proceed.
2. Preparation
Mark out the excavation area, then call the appropriate utility companies to locate any buried lines before you dig (phone, cable TV, internet, gas, hydro, waterlines, and city piping).
3. Excacate
Excavate to a minimum depth of 6"-12" depending on project type. Remove all loose soil. Excavate the sides a minimum of 6" wider than the area where you'll be laying pavers.
4. Base
Add A-gravel and compact every 2", grading toward the final project outline and continuing to add and tamp layers until height requirements are met. Slope away from all buildings and the pool for drainage (a minimum of 1" for every 10 feet). The gravel base should stop roughly 3" below the desired finished height of the pool deck.
5. Screening
With the A-gravel base solid and compacted, it's time for Limestone Screenings. Lay 3/4"-1" diameter pipes on the compacted base so that pavers placed on top will sit 3/8" above the desired finished level. Spread screenings between and over the pipes, then pull the 2x4 board across to level. Remove the pipes and fill the voids with additional screenings.
6. Laying Pavers
Lay pavers directly onto the screened bed. Start with the border around the pool's edge first, then work along the longest straight side of the pool to minimize cutting. Use a string guide to keep joint lines straight and leave enough spacing to allow for corrections. For banding or accent work, lay those pieces first and build the main field toward them, cutting to fit as you go.
7. Cutting
Mark any pavers that need to be cut and either cut them yourself with proper safety gear and training, or bring them to Silverthorn and we'll handle it. See Cutting under our Services for rates.
8. Edging
Once the pool deck is laid, install edge restraints along the full perimeter to prevent lateral movement. Use Snap Edge and 10" metal spikes, driving the spikes into the compacted base (not the soil, where they won't hold).
9. Compacting
Sweep the pavers clean and compact with a plate compactor, passing over the entire pool deck a minimum of three times in varying directions. This final tamping allows the pavers to settle fully into the screenings.
Note: Certain specialty pavers require a pad on the plate compactor to prevent scratching or surface damage.
10. Finishing Touches
To create a durable, weed-resistant surface, sweep Polymeric Sand* into the paver joints until flush with the surface. Compact once more, then sweep additional sand into any joints that have settled further. Clear each paver of excess sand, then lightly mist the entire deck with a garden hose to seal the joints.
Note: Some specialty pavers are not compatible with polymeric sand. Confirm before applying.
Ready to get started? Come in or call us & we'll help you put it all together.