Home, September 2023
Backyard pool floor
A dry pack bed on the floor of a backyard pool, screeded in bays with a straightedge and worked back toward the steps.
Pool decks, pool floors and terraces
Around a pool, water has to run away from the water line. Across Toronto and the GTA, we lay and level the mortar beds for pool decks, pool floors and terraces, indoors and out, with the falls built in. Then the stone or tile setter takes over.
2019 to 2024: home and commercial, photographed on the job. See the 15 photos
- Falls
- Away from the water
- Indoors
- All year
- Outdoors
- Spring to fall
- Handed over
- Ready for stone
Scope
What we do
- Indoor pool decks, from home pools to commercial facilities
- Mortar beds on pool floors, ahead of the finish
- Outdoor pool decks sloped away from the water
- Terraces and pavilions, including over in-floor heating
- Spa and hot tub surrounds
Handover
Ready for the next trade
These are done by other trades, so you know who to book.
| Work | Done by |
|---|---|
| Pool structure, waterproofing and leak repair | Your pool builder |
| Stone, tile and coping | Your stone or tile setter |
| Drains and plumbing | Your plumber |
Method
How we lay a pool deck bed
- 1
Check the falls
Where the water has to go: away from the pool and toward the deck drains, at the height the stone needs.
- 2
Rails and bond coat
Screed rails set to the falls and a bond coat on the structure.
- 3
Lay the bed
Dry pack packed and ruled off between the rails, in bays around the pool.
- 4
Hand over
The bed left ready for your stone or tile setter.
Layers
What goes in, bottom to top
The layers marked Ours are our work. The others are shown so you can see where our work sits between the trades.
- 1Pool structure or slabBuilt and waterproofed by the pool builderBefore us
- 2Bond coatSlurry or bonding agentOurs
- 3Mortar bedDry pack, sloped away from the waterOurs
- 4Stone, tile or copingBy your stone or tile setterAfter us
On the job, September 2024
One commercial pool deck, photographed over three days in September.
Commercial, September 2024
Commercial indoor pool deck
The deck of a commercial indoor pool in dry pack: screed rails, a laser line on the wall, the strip along the pool finished first, then the bays.
1 / 4
On the job
More pools and terraces, photographed on the job
From the crew's phones. Cropped, colour and exposure corrected, nothing added or painted out.
Home and commercial, 2019 to 2024
Pool floors, decks and a spa
Beds on pool floors and around indoor pools and a spa, laid ahead of the tile and stone.
Home, 2022 and 2023
Terraces and a pavilion
A raised terrace and a timber pavilion: beds screeded between rails, ready for the finish.
At home
Building a pool or redoing the deck? Book the outdoor work early: in the GTA it runs from spring to the first frost.
Get a free quoteFor the trade
Pool builders, landscapers and GCs: we lay the beds to your schedule, after the structure and before the stone.
Request a bidQuestions
Questions about pool decks and terraces
Do you waterproof pools or fix leaks?
No. The pool structure, its waterproofing and any leak repair belong to your pool builder. We lay the mortar beds on the deck and the pool floor, ready for the finish.
Do you set the coping and the stone?
The bed is ours. The coping, stone and tile are set by your stone or tile setter on the bed we hand over.
Can you level a sunken or cracked pool deck?
Not the slab itself. Lifting, repairing or replacing a concrete deck is for your concrete contractor or pool builder. Once the slab is sound, we lay a new mortar bed over it, sloped away from the water and ready for the stone or tile.
When can outdoor beds be laid?
Mortar needs warm enough weather to cure, so outdoor beds go down from spring into the fall, roughly while it stays above 5 °C day and night. Indoor pools can be done all year.
Get a free quote for pool decks and terraces.
Send photos and Ricardo prices it from them, or ask for a site visit. Toronto and the GTA.
Related services
- Shower pans and pre-slopesDry pack shower floors sloped to the drain, with the curb, ready for the waterproofing and the tile.
- Dry pack floor levellingSand and cement screeds, flat or to falls: basements, condos, over in-floor heating and whole commercial floors.
- Scratch coatMetal lath fastened to the plywood and mortar trowelled into it: a solid, flat base for tile on a wood floor.
- Interior demolitionTile, floors, drywall and old mortar beds out, down to a clean slab or the studs, ready for the next trade.