Caulk between deck and coping?

[Tomcat]

The foam used for your expansion joint should already be scored to allow easy removal of the top 1/2" (at least mine was). But then again, if your builder was trying to save every penny, they may not have used expansion joint material made for pool installation.

I simply pulled mine out (the top scored section, that is) and used Deck-o-Seal to fill in the joint. It's expensive, but specifically made for pool use. You mix it and apply with a squeeze-type bottle. It's liquid and self-leveling, but very viscous. I'm sure other stuff (same compound) would work equally well.

Note that my deck was poured in the fall and I installed the Deck-o-seal the next fall after the deck had gone through one winter of freezing and heaving (recommended). It heaved quite a bit (over 1/2") but returned to normal. I still get quite a bit of heave and that has broken the bond between the deck-o-seal and the coping, but so far the deck has returned to normal height every year.

[dep78737]

I've heard you can sprinkle sand on the wet deck-o-seal to make it look less rubbery and blend into the decking/coping.

[duraleigh]

Hey, Brian

from "sunofthebeach"

I used duct tape and put it on both edges of the gap around the entire perimeter of the pool, to keep the edges clean. then just caulk and remove the tape once the caulk is in place and shaped.

Yeah, duct or masking tape is essential... I failed to mention that.

Dave S.

[bethsg]

We filled in the gap with the caulk. THe thing was, and we didn't think about it until after the fact... when the deck contractor poured the deck, he applied the foam around the perimiter of the coping. It had some sort of adhesive which kept it stuck to the coping while the concrete was being poured. When we removed it and used the caulk, we found after one season, the caulk seperated away from the coping. We believe this may have been due to the adhesive which was left on the coping when we removed the foam. So now we need to pull it out and do it again. So, how do you easily remove the caulk, and do it over.

[duraleigh]

Hi, Beth,

Did you use acrylic caulk? If so, that was probably the issue. As I indicated above, this Vulkem 911 polyurethane caulk was a complete hassle to work with but it doesn't shrink and forms what appears to be a very, very durable seal. Mine is 2.5 years old and looks like the week I put it down.

I wish I could give you advice on how to get the old caulk out....that's gonna be tough. I would do it mechanically...i.e. no chemicals.

Dave S.

[bethsg]

Dave,
We used SIKA Flex (Sikaflex-1CSL) polyurethane caulk, which my dh swears is the same as deck o seal. Its self leveling etc... it was very easy to install, using a caulk gun. But it took some muscles to squeeze it, but it did self level very nicely.
It didn't pull out everywhere just in some places, so I am wondering if we can just cut those piece out and redo only those sections...
The work never stops, we are opening our pool tomorrow.

[duraleigh]

Beth,

I thought poly would stick to just about anything but apparently not. That's a bummer it didn't hold up well. Patching it in seems like the best solution. Good luck with it.

Dave S.