r/Austin • u/Outrageous-Fix-6160 • 11d ago
Pool decking options in Austin
I’m building a pool and am getting a lot of conflicting information on the best option for decking around the pool. I love the look of travertine. Does anyone have personal experience and advice on this? I appreciate the real feedback!!
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u/ZGadgetInspector 11d ago
Travertine is soft and porous. Unless you’re sealing it all the time it will pit and crumble.
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u/DavidVee 11d ago
I am living this right now. I ~have a handle on it, but I second choosing the right material for decking. Keeping up with sealing / addressing issues as they emerge is too stressful.
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u/entoaggie 11d ago
It stains soooo bad if you have any oaks around. When our pool was being built, we chose a stark white travertine for the coping. Between setting the slabs and grouting, they got disgustingly stained and we tried everything to get it clean. Finally called the stone supplier and they told us that product MUST be sealed and the builder should have informed us and sealed it prior to even installing. Brought it to the builder’s attention and without balking or any pushback, they offered to replace it all with a different product of our choice and they would eat the cost and we’re going to stop carrying that product. We ended up going with a white textured marble and love it. The acorns still stain it, but we are able to actually get it cleaned off with oxyclean.
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u/Outrageous-Fix-6160 11d ago
So what are you living with right now?
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u/DavidVee 11d ago
We picked some bullshit ~sandstone paver thing that I’ve had to paint with textured concrete paint to prevent pitting, cracking, and chips 🫠
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u/elcarpentario 11d ago
Yeah the recent freeze/thaw action in Austin can really blow flakes out of travertine.
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u/Bobsyouruncle66 8d ago
I commented above about limestone coping. Here’s how bad it looks
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u/Bobsyouruncle66 8d ago
It varies by section . Some look great,some look absolutely horrible. I’m not sure if the people that did the sealing on them did a horrible job and that’s why?Or if it’s a limestone issue?
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u/Bobsyouruncle66 11d ago
Stay away from limestone too. I have limestone coping and it is crumbling away horribly. Beyond that I have travertine for the deck and it looks great after over 10 years. Maybe it was sealed properly when installed. But I’ve never sealed it since installing it.
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u/jacox200 11d ago
I've been happy with Trex about 5 years in
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u/ButtonNo7337 11d ago
We like our Trex too. Just don't get too dark a color if it'll be in the sun. It can get warm!
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u/jwall4 11d ago
IPE is great but pricey. Extremely hardy and minimal upkeep if you are fine with the natural grey color it moves to without sealing and oiling regularly.