Installing a pool deck is an exciting part of your backyard renovation project. Creating an outdoor oasis with a beautiful patio alongside the pool allows you to better enjoy sunny days with family and friends. When planning your pool deck, one big decision is which type of decking material to use. Composite decking has become an increasingly popular option for pool decks due to its many benefits. Here’s what to consider if you’re thinking about composite decking for your pool area.
Durability
One of the biggest appeals of composite decking over traditional wood is enhanced durability. Composite decking is made from a mixture of recycled plastic and wood particles or fibers. The combination results in a product that is resistant to issues that can plague natural wood over time. Composite deck boards resist moisture, decay, splintering, splitting, rotting, warping, and insect damage much better than unmodified wood.
This enhanced durability makes composite ideal for pool areas that see a lot of wet feet and water splashing. The material is formulated to prevent water pooling and absorption into the boards to limit possible warping, mold growth, and weakened structural integrity. Quality composite decking retains its vibrant color, resists fading in the sun, and stays firmly in place for years more than alternative deck materials. This longevity means you’ll spend less time maintaining and replacing worn boards.
Low Maintenance
Composite also wins in terms of maintenance for your pool deck. Unlike natural wood decks that require annual resealing, composite boards only need periodic cleaning with soap and water. Their protective polymer shell and stabilizing ingredients prevent tannin bleed, mildew growth, and other unsightly issues you may battle trying to keep real wood attractive around a pool over the long term. A simple scrub or pressure washing once or twice per year revives the crisp color of quality composite boards exposed to the outdoor elements.
The lack of needed refinishing, staining or painting for preservation gives you back time to enjoy your pool instead of constantly maintaining your deck. Composite requires no sanding, sealing, staining or painting so it retains its just-installed appearance year after year. The hassle-free upkeep leaves you more time to relax poolside without worrying about the condition of your decking.
Safety is Key
When situated around a pool where bare feet and wet skin are par for the course, deck safety should be a top concern when making your decking decision. Composite deck boards offer superior grip and traction over many alternatives, especially when wet. The materials and textured surfaces are designed to reduce slips and falls for your protection. Quality composite decking may incorporate grooved channels, multi-toned colorants, and embossed wood grain textures to enhance footing, even after a rain. Proper drainage and resistance to water pooling or puddling also promote safer walking conditions.
You can further enhance the slip-resistant properties around your pool by selecting boards featuring additives for grip reinforcement. Some composites incorporate rubber granules similar to those used in playground surfaces for impressive traction. Silver chloride antimicrobials are also common in quality composite decking to inhibit bacterial, algal, and fungal growth for sparkling waters and sanitary surrounding patios and surfaces. Keep your eyes open for these special features if slip-resistance is your top priority in selecting decking boards for your pool zone.
Aesthetic Flexibility
Composite decking also arrives in such a vast array of natural-looking color options that you can beautifully coordinate with the palette of your poolscape. Warm and inviting earth tones like Walnut, Chestnut, Brownstone, Sandalwood, and Hickory are gorgeous choices to enhance your backyard oasis atmosphere. Cooler Gray Oak or Slate shades pair well with stones, pebbles, or ceramic tiles surrounding the pool. Rich Woodland Brown and Cedar hues bring out lush greenery, gardens and mature trees in the area.
You can mimic pricey exotic hardwood looks with quality composite in shades like Brazilian Walnut, Ipe, Garapa Grey, Redwood, or even a dramatic black for a modern style statement. Sophisticated Tudor Brown evokes Old World European elegance. Nautical themes shine with Coastline or Seaside Gray tones. patriotic Red, White and Blue boards set off your pool and waterscape like a tropical lagoon.
For a somewhat natural yet beautifully consistent appearance, multi-toned composites replicate wood’s depth, knots, and grain variations in planks. More uniform solid colors like Spiced Rum or Sandy Birch exude pristine modernity. Mixing widths, tones and plank installation patterns lets you get truly creative customizing your pool patio. Whatever look you’re going for, quality composite is available in an array of rich colors to enhance your pool and patio.
Managing Heat
If you’ll be barefoot on your pool deck for hours during sweltering summer days, composite boards stay cooler underfoot than materials that absorb and radiate heat. Hot decking isn’t fun for tender feet and can even pose risks like burns. Additionally, an extremely hot deck surface intensifies the water temperature, potentially making it uncomfortably or even dangerously hot on blistering days.
Quality composite boards incorporate infrared-reflecting pigments to reduce heat buildup from intense sunlight. The materials also allow any heat absorbed during peak sun exposure to readily dissipate after sunset. This keeps your deck pleasantly walkable at all times. Just note that black or extremely dark tones will accumulate more solar warmth by nature. But lighter composite shades can minimize painful foot temperatures while you lounge poolside.
Investing in Stability
Composite decking does come at a higher initial price point than wood options. However, as outlined above, the extended durability, ultra-low maintenance, and enhanced safety features deliver excellent long-term value over natural wood or cheaper composite. Going with the most reputable national brands that back their products with at least 20+ year residential warranties gives you decades of enjoyment with very little upkeep or worry. Professional installation is also recommended to ensure proper structural integrity and drainage for stability and flood prevention.
Though composite costs more upfront, it liberates you from the constant cycles of repairing, replacing and refinishing natural wood decking over your property’s lifetime. The right high-performance composite boards retain their integrity, attractiveness and functionality for your family to enjoy for years before considering replacement. And when the time eventually comes to switch things up down the road, quality composite decking retains substantial value over traditional wood when selling your home.
Create Your Ideal Poolside Hangout Spot
The right decking choice ultimately comes down to your aesthetic vision, lifestyle priorities and budget for bringing your ideal poolside hangout spot to life. If easy upkeep, durable beauty, and slip-resistant safety matter most as you relax and entertain by the pool, composite decking delivers on all fronts. With more design flexibility than ever before, you can create a high-performing composite deck complementing your poolscape dreams without breaking the bank upfront or for years to come. Invest wisely in composite decking suited to stand up to life poolside so that you can sit back and enjoy the oasis you’ve worked hard to cultivate.
