Pool surrounds that read like furniture.

Finishes

• Cantilevered concrete coping. The deck slab extends out over the pool edge, creating a sharp clean line where the architecture meets the water. Requires careful structural and waterproofing detailing.
• Exposed aggregate. Slip-resistant in wet conditions, durable to pool chemicals, and visually warmer than plain concrete. Range of aggregate looks.
• Honed concrete. Diamond-honed surface — silky to walk on, contemporary, architectural. Reads like polished concrete but with better slip resistance for pool decks.
• Burnished finish. Repeated trowelling at the cure stage. Tighter than broom-finished, slip-rated for poolside, low-maintenance.

What matters in a pool surround

Three things, in order: drainage, slip resistance, and joint detailing. We work with your pool builder, landscape architect or designer to land all three. Drainage falls are critical — water needs to leave the deck cleanly, not pool against the coping. Slip rating needs to be appropriate for wet bare feet. Control joints have to be placed where the eye can accept them — usually following architectural lines rather than concrete-best-practice spacing.

Project sequencing

Pool surrounds usually go in late in the project — after the pool shell is finished, after the pool tiling, and ideally before the landscape soft works so we have site access. We coordinate with your pool builder for the coping detail (especially cantilevered) and with the landscaper for the deck-to-garden transition.

Standards we work to

• AS 3600 — Concrete
• AS/NZS 4586 — Slip resistance (pedestrian surfaces)
• AS 1926 — Pool safety (boundary detailing)

Common questions