The slope a new surface needs: Table 306.5
The slope for decks, other than wood decks, shall be not greater than 1/2 inch per foot (1 mm per 24 mm) except for ramps. The slope for wood and wood/plastic composite decks shall be not greater than 1/4 inch per 1 foot (1 mm per 48 mm). Decks shall be sloped so that standing water will not be deeper than 1/8 inch (3.2 mm), 20 minutes after the cessation of the addition of water to the deck.
| Surface | Minimum slope | Fall over 6 ft |
|---|---|---|
| Carpet | 1/2 in per ft | 3 in |
| Exposed aggregate | 1/4 in per ft | 1.5 in |
| Textured, hand-finished concrete | 1/8 in per ft | 0.75 in |
| Travertine/brick-set pavers, public pools or spas | 3/8 in per ft | 2.25 in |
| Travertine/brick-set pavers, residential pools or spas | 1/8 in per ft | 0.75 in |
| Wood | 1/8 in per ft | 0.75 in |
| Wood/plastic composite | 1/8 in per ft | 0.75 in |
Resurfacing changes the material underfoot, and the pool code ties the slope of a deck to that material. Table 306.5 gives each surface a minimum: a textured, hand-finished concrete deck needs 1/8 in per foot, exposed aggregate 1/4 in, carpet 1/2 in, and travertine or brick-set pavers 1/8 in at a residential pool. The rougher the surface, the more fall water needs to leave it. Section 306.5 adds a ceiling, 1/2 in per foot for decks other than wood and 1/4 in for wood and wood-plastic composite, and a test: no standing water deeper than 1/8 in, 20 minutes after the water stops.
A thin coat follows the slab it covers. It does not add fall. So the first number to measure on an old deck is the fall it already has, over the run water takes from the pool edge to the drain or the outer edge. Lay a straightedge with a level along that run and read the drop at the low end. The calculator multiplies the run by the minimum of the surface you want and compares.
Take a 6 ft run with 1 in of fall. A textured coating needs 0.75 in over that run, and 1 in clears it. Exposed aggregate needs 1.5 in: the same slab would hold water under it, and the verdict turns to regrade. Carpet needs 3 in, which is also the ceiling at 1/2 in per foot. Switching to a rougher finish on a flat slab is the case where resurfacing is the wrong job.
The step at the sidewalk: 306.6.1
The open gap between pool decks and adjoining decks or walkways, including joint material, shall be not greater than 3/4 inch (19.1 mm). The difference in vertical elevation between the pool deck and the adjoining sidewalk shall be not greater than 1/4 inch (6.4 mm).
Every layer added on top of the slab raises the deck against whatever it meets. Section 306.6.1 caps the difference in height between the pool deck and the adjoining sidewalk at 1/4 in, and the open gap between them, joint material included, at 3/4 in. The calculator adds the thickness of the product to the step you measure today.
On a deck flush with its sidewalk, a coating built up to 1/8 in leaves a step of 0.125 in, inside the limit. A stamped overlay of 3/8 in leaves 0.375 in, over it. Pavers laid over the old slab at 1 1/4 in leave 1.25 in. Over the limit, the quote should say how the edge is handled: a feathered transition, a ramp, or the sidewalk raised to match. If it says nothing, that work is not in the price.
Gallons and price of each coating step
| Step | Coverage | 1 gal | 5 gal | Gallons for 684 sq ft | Cheapest pails |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clear Sealer | 250 sq ft per gallon (200-300 depending on porosity) | $65.62 | Not sold | 2.736 → 3 | 3 × 1 gal: $196.86 |
| ALL DECK Laminating Resin for Waterproofing | 50 sq ft per gallon (with fiberglass mat); spec sheet 40-60 ft2/gal | $69.86 | $333.00 | 13.68 → 14 | 2 × 5 gal + 4 × 1 gal: $945.44 |
| Textured Basecoat & Aggregate Kit | 80 sq ft per gallon (basecoat); spec sheet 85-100 ft2/gal | $100.93 | $480.70 | 8.55 → 9 | 1 × 5 gal + 4 × 1 gal: $884.42 |
| UV Shield Finish Resin | 125 sq ft per gallon; spec sheet 125 ft2/gallon | $82.53 | $396.20 | 5.472 → 6 | 1 × 5 gal + 1 × 1 gal: $478.73 |
The deck around a rectangular pool is the outer rectangle minus the pool: for a 15 × 30 ft pool with 6 ft all around, 27 × 42 ft less 450, or 684 sq ft. The manufacturer read for this page, All Deck, sells a system for traffic-bearing surfaces and names pool decks among them. Each step has its own coverage, printed on the product page, and its own price by the gallon and by the 5 gal pail.
The calculator divides the area by each coverage, rounds up to whole gallons, and finds the cheapest mix of pails. Rounding matters more than it seems. The laminating resin covers 50 sq ft a gallon, so 684 sq ft needs 13.68 gallons, bought as 14: two 5 gal pails and four single gallons come to $945.44, less than three 5 gal pails at $999.00. The clear sealer has no 5 gal price in the store, so it is bought by the gallon.
All four steps come to $2,505.45, about $3.66 a square foot of deck. Leave out the laminating step and the total is $1,560.01. Which steps a slab on grade needs is the manufacturer’s call, not this page’s: the specification describes the full system. Two cautions on the figures. The product page gives the basecoat 80 sq ft a gallon where the specification sheet gives 85 to 100; the calculator uses the product page, the lower figure. And the 5 gal prices were read on one color of the basecoat and the finish; other colors may differ.
Materials against an installed quote
An installer prices labor, preparation and the materials together, usually per square foot. Enter that rate, or the quote total, and the calculator shows what share the coating steps make of it at the store prices. At a test rate of $10 a square foot, the 684 sq ft deck is $6,840.00, and the four steps are 36.6 % of it. That rate is a test figure, not a market price.
The share is a question to ask, not a verdict. A high one suggests a coating with few steps or a thin preparation; a low one leaves room for crack repair, grinding and the edge work 306.6.1 can require. The fiberglass mat used with the laminating step is not in the total: the store lists it by roll coverage without a stated unit, so no price could be read. Building a new pool rather than resurfacing an old deck? The gunite pool cost calculator prices deck as part of the build.
Pool deck resurfacing cost questions
What is the average cost to resurface a pool deck?
This page does not publish an average, because the pages that print one give no method. It computes the materials of one system instead: $2,505.45 for 684 sq ft with four All Deck steps. Add your installer’s price per square foot to see the installed total.
What does pool deck resurfacing cost per square foot?
In coating materials, about $3.66 a square foot for the four All Deck steps on a 684 sq ft deck, at the store prices of October 27, 2026. Labor and preparation come on top and are your quote. Small decks cost a little more per square foot, because pails are bought whole.
How much does a cool deck cost per square foot?
No cool-deck topping with a published coverage and price was read, so the page does not price one. Whatever the product, run its thickness through the step check and its surface through Table 306.5: textured, hand-finished concrete needs 1/8 in of fall per foot.
What does fiberglass pool deck resurfacing cost?
In the All Deck system the fiberglass is a mat laid in the laminating resin. The resin for 684 sq ft is 14 gallons, $945.44; the mat itself could not be priced, because the store does not state its unit. The full four-step system is $2,505.45 in materials.
What are the options for resurfacing a concrete pool deck?
Table 306.5 sorts them by the slope they need: a textured coating or pavers 1/8 in per foot, exposed aggregate 1/4 in, carpet 1/2 in. Thickness sorts them again: a coating can stay under the 1/4 in step at the sidewalk, a 3/8 in overlay or 1 1/4 in pavers cannot without edge work.
What is the best pool deck resurfacing material?
The one your slab can drain. Measure the fall over the run and compare it with Table 306.5: a slab with 1 in over 6 ft takes a textured coating or pavers, not exposed aggregate. Section 306.2 also asks every deck surface to be slip resistant and cleanable.
Is painting a pool deck a good idea?
The code does not mention paint. It asks the deck to be slip resistant and cleanable (306.2) and to drain under Table 306.5. A product sold as a pool deck system, with its coverage and steps published, lets you check both. For any other product, ask its maker in writing whether it is rated for pool decks and how it meets the slip-resistance requirement.
Can I resurface my pool deck myself?
This page has no source on labor or skill, so it does not say. What it gives a do-it-yourselfer is the shopping list: gallons per step, the pails to buy and their price at the manufacturer’s store, plus the slope and step checks to run before the first coat.
Which DIY concrete pool deck resurfacing option costs least in materials?
Among the steps read, leaving out the laminating resin saves the most: $2,505.45 becomes $1,560.01 for 684 sq ft. Whether your slab can skip it is the manufacturer’s call. Pail sizes matter too: buying the laminating resin in 5 gal pails only would cost $999.00 instead of $945.44.
How long does a pool deck resurfacing last?
No service life was read. The one term in the sources is the manufacturer’s: the All Deck specification states a “Ten-Year Limited Material Warranty”. A warranty covers the material on its terms, not the slab under it or the drainage of the deck.
Read the result with its boundaries
- The slope and step checks read the 2021 ISPSC as adopted in New Hampshire, on UpCodes. Local adoption decides; a public pool has stricter rows that the tool does not offer.
- The drainage verdict compares one run and one measured fall. A deck that falls in several directions needs one check per run.
- Coverage and prices are one manufacturer’s, on the day read. The fiberglass mat is not priced, and the steps a slab needs are the manufacturer’s call.
- No slab, base or concrete quantity is computed, and no labor price is stored.