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🛠️ Repair and renovation
Renovation warning signs
Small repairs now prevent big, expensive ones later. Walk your pool in spring and fall and look for these signs, and ask a pro to confirm what needs fixing.
Failing mastic (expansion joint caulk)
Mastic is the flexible sealant in the joint between your pool coping and the deck. Sun, chemicals, and movement wear it out over time.
Signs it is failing:
- Cracks, gaps, or pulling away from the concrete or coping
- Hard, brittle, or crumbly material
- Missing sections, or weeds growing in the joint
- Water pooling or damp ground beside the joint
What happens if you wait:
- Water gets under the deck and coping and washes soil away, causing voids, settling, and cracks
- In cold climates, trapped water freezes and expands, which can crack coping, tile, and concrete
- Water reaches the tile and bond beam behind it and loosens them
- A simple re-seal becomes a costly deck, coping, or tile repair
Re-sealing usually costs far less than the damage it prevents. Have a pro check your joints at least once a year.
Cracked or loose tiles
One cracked or popped tile is an easy fix, but water behind it can loosen neighbors and freeze in winter. Tap tiles gently: a hollow sound means the bond is failing. If several tiles are loose, cracked, or stained, ask a pro whether to replace just those tiles or the whole waterline band.
Loose or cracked coping
Coping that wobbles, has gaps, or shows cracks is a trip and injury risk, and it lets water in behind the pool wall. Do not ignore it. A pro can check the mortar bed and bond beam and decide whether to reset or replace it.
Freeze-thaw damage
Water expands about 9 percent when it freezes. Water inside tiny cracks, joints, or porous materials can crack tile, coping, plaster, and pipes as it freezes and thaws again and again.
- Keep joints sealed and repair cracks before winter
- Keep the winter water level your cover type calls for
- Winterize plumbing and equipment properly
- Make sure the deck drains away from the pool
- Inspect everything in spring for new cracks or lifted tile
Water damage around the pool
Watch for soggy or sunken ground, a deck that cracks or heaves, damp or stained areas, patches of lush growth, or a pool that keeps losing water. These can point to a leak or failed joints. Do the bucket test and call a leak detection pro before damage spreads.
Rough, stained, or flaking plaster
Roughness, widespread staining, flaking, or hollow spots mean the finish is wearing out or lifting. Poor water balance shortens its life. Small spots can sometimes be patched, but widespread wear usually means resurfacing. Ask a pro before draining, since emptying an inground pool can damage it.
Deck cracks, heaving, and drainage
Hairline cracks are common, but wide, uneven, or growing cracks and pooling water need attention. Water that sits near the pool or runs toward your house can cause settling and trip hazards. Seal joints, fix drainage, and have a pro assess raised or sunken slabs.
Spring and fall inspection checklist
- Walk the deck joints and look for cracked, missing, or shrunken mastic
- Tap tiles and look for cracks, loose tiles, or stains
- Check coping for movement or gaps
- Look at the deck for new cracks, heaving, or pooling water
- Check the plaster for roughness, stains, or hollow spots
- Photograph anything that changes so you can show your pro
Never mix chlorine products with acids or each other. Add chemicals to water, never water to chemicals. Store them cool, dry, and apart. Barriers, self-latching gates, and constant adult supervision save lives. Learn CPR.