Cool Deck Repair and Resurfacing in Leander, TX
Leander Pool Resurfacing handles cool deck repair and resurfacing in Leander, Texas: worn, loose or flaking Kool Deck patched to match the surrounding texture, or the whole deck stripped, etched and given a new splashed and troweled topping. Mortex, which invented Keystone Kool Deck in 1962 for pool decks, walkways and patios, says the finished topping is a colored, textured cement surface as strong as the base concrete.
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What Kool Deck is made of and how it is laid
Classic Kool Deck and Kool Deck Elite
Mortex describes Kool Deck as a proprietary mix of natural substances and synthetic iron oxide pigments that withstands thermal expansion and contraction better than concrete. The classic Keystone version is mixed on site in a paddle mixer from one Kool Deck unit, a 94-pound bag of white cement, 10 gallons of 20-mesh marble sand and 8 gallons of water, and one unit covers about 300 square feet. Kool Deck Elite, the newer pre-mixed version, comes as a 50-pound bag mixed in a 5-gallon bucket with water and a Color-Unit pack; Mortex calls it an enhanced formula for resisting modern chemical attack and craze cracking, and one bag covers about 65 square feet.
The splashed texture
Kool Deck isn't sprayed. Mortex's instructions throw it from a dash brush in two splashes, the second driving the surface up into high peaks, to a finished thickness of 1/8 inch, and say it cannot be applied with a hopper gun. A single flat, light trowel pass, made as the water glaze leaves, sets the pattern, and the finished deck should show roughly 40 percent smooth flats and 60 percent voids, so the raised knolls can expand and contract into the voids instead of crazing. That sets it apart from the sprayed knockdown coatings covered under pool deck resurfacing, which are knocked down with the edge of a trowel.
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(737) 212-9378How a cool deck is recoated
Stripping and preparing the old deck
Mortex's instructions put a new topping only on clean, sound concrete, preferably 28 days old. Deteriorated concrete and old toppings come off with a scarifier and then a power washer, and a 3,000 psi washer can remove paints, plastic coatings, adhesives and polymer toppings. Its bonding system adheres only to solid concrete, never to brick, wood, tile, natural stone or clay, and won't hold over dirt, oil, wax, paint, stains, loose toppings or curing compounds; Mortex's own advice on preparation is 'The More You Do, The Better the Job.' It also wants major cracks and structural damage fixed well before the topping goes on, and that concrete work, from cracks to sunken slabs, falls under pool deck repair.
Acid etch and bonder
Every Kool Deck surface is etched first: Mortex's mix is 1 part muriatic acid to 1 part water on older concrete and 1 to 4 on new, acid never goes on dry concrete, and says that if the acid doesn't boil and bubble, something is still on the deck. The deck then stays wet for at least an hour before PTA Bonding Agent, a gray, cement-based bonder with the same chemical and physical properties as the base concrete, is scrubbed on thin with a broom so the concrete shows through. The topping has to go on before the bonder dries, and Mortex highly recommends a trained crew of 4 to 5 people.
Two days under plastic
Right after troweling, each area goes under clear 2-mil plastic weighted with sand for precisely two days. If white growths show when the plastic comes off, the deck is washed at once, and it is washed often through the next 28 days. Mortex names a common fault, too: a mix that is too thick covers less ground, leaves a poor pattern, sets faster and crazes more.
For a free estimate on a recoat, call Leander Pool Resurfacing or send the form.
Call or request a free estimate any time, 24/7.
(737) 212-9378
Patching worn or loose cool deck
Small damaged spots don't always need a full recoat. Mortex sells a Kool Deck Repair Kit with enough bonder and texture material for about 6 square feet, in the Kool Deck colors. Its patch steps: the spot is cleared of loose and deteriorated concrete, the patch and the deck around it are soaked, the patch alone is etched with a 1-to-1 acid solution, a thin coat of PTA bonder is scrubbed on, and the Kool Deck is splashed, re-splashed and troweled until the flats match their surroundings. The patch stays under sand-weighted plastic for exactly two days, and Mortex says washing it often for 6 weeks greatly improves its strength.
Before a full recoat, Mortex's instructions handle minor damage the same way: damaged edges, depressions and holes are dampened with no standing water, PTA is brushed into the repair only, and the holes are packed with topping mix using a rubber float, thick enough to avoid craze cracking. Makers don't all agree on old concrete. SUNDEK, a deck-coating maker, says Kool Deck is designed to bond mechanically to freshly poured concrete, within its first 5 hours, while Mortex publishes instructions for putting it on existing concrete from the day after a pour onward.
Call or request a free estimate any time, 24/7.
(737) 212-9378Cool deck care in Leander heat and hard water
Heat on installation day
Mortex sets weather limits for installation: for Keystone Kool Deck the air should be 50 degrees and rising and no hotter than 90, and for Kool Deck Elite no hotter than 95, with extreme care urged when temperatures are expected to pass 95°F and no work when rain or frost is forecast. Summer here runs past those limits. At Camp Mabry, Austin's official climate station, normal highs are 96.6°F in July and 97.8°F in August, and 2026 brought 49 days at 100°F or more through September 28.
Gray deposits, salt and spilled chemicals
Mortex says gray mineral deposits collect over time at steps and other busy spots as water evaporates from the deck and leaves its minerals behind; for reference, Leander's City water listed hardness of 194 ppm in its 2024 report. Removing the deposits, with a surface-cleaner attachment on a washer of 3,000 psi or more or by annual buffing, is work for experienced contractors, and Mortex says owners shouldn't attempt muriatic acid washes. Its routine care is strong soap and water scrubbed with a nylon bristle broom and rinsed with a hose, more often with a salt water chlorinator, and any spilled pool chemical, muriatic acid or chlorine, rinsed off immediately. For dirt, leaf, rust or fertilizer stains, Mortex calls its Commercial Cleaner the strongest cleaner that is safe on its toppings.
Beyond Leander, Leander Pool Resurfacing also handles cool deck repair in Briarcliff.
Call or request a free estimate any time, 24/7.
(737) 212-9378Cool deck repair questions
How long does cool deck coating last?
Mortex doesn't put a number of years on Kool Deck in its product, application or care instructions. It says the topping is as strong as the base concrete, and it built Kool Deck Elite to resist modern chemical attack and craze cracking. The years it does publish belong to a sealer: Protect-A-Deck, a solvent-free silicone siloxane water repellent for Kool Deck, gives 5 to 10 years of water repellency by Mortex's account, bridges hairline cracks and leaves color and texture unchanged. It goes on decks at least 28 days old, between 40°F and 95°F, in 2 to 3 coats, and needs three days without rain to cure.
How much is a cool deck per sq ft?
National averages for 2025 put adding a coat of Kool Deck to a concrete pool deck at about $4 to $6 per square foot. In Texas, typical Houston-area prices from 2025 run $3 to $5 per square foot for a spray-deck cool deck system, or $4 to $6 with color. For comparison, typical Austin-area prices in 2026 put a textured deck coating with a color coat at $5 to $8 per square foot installed. An Austin deck contractor prices crack filling, spalling repair and joint work separately, from the damage found during the estimate. These are published averages, not prices from Leander Pool Resurfacing, and the estimate is free.
Is Cooldeck a good product?
It has a long record and a few known limits. Mortex has made it since 1962 and says it significantly lowers the surface temperature of concrete. It is just as plain about the limits: its bonding system won't adhere to brick, wood, tile, natural stone or clay; a mix that is too thick crazes more; and gray mineral deposits gather at steps and busy spots over the years. Makers also differ on old concrete, as SUNDEK says Kool Deck is designed for freshly poured concrete while Mortex publishes instructions for existing decks.
What is the coolest material for a pool deck?
Mortex makes the case for a light-colored Kool Deck, though it publishes no degree figure to compare. It says Kool Deck significantly lowers concrete's surface temperature, and color matters: its darker Designer Colors are warmer than the standard Kool Deck colors, though still more comfortable than plain concrete in the summer months. Paint works against it, as Mortex says its own Systex Deck Paint gives no cooling and turns a Kool Deck surface hotter and slicker where it is applied.
How soon can you walk on a new cool deck?
Not for a couple of days, and Mortex's two instruction sheets give different schedules. Its existing-concrete instructions say to avoid contact for 48 hours, allow light walking after 3 days, normal walking after 14 and heavy patio furniture after 28. Its care sheet is stricter: limit contact for 48 hours, restrict even light use for a week, allow walking after two weeks, and keep furniture and hard-soled shoes off for the whole 4-week cure.
Get a free cool deck repair estimate
Leander Pool Resurfacing answers calls and estimate requests 24/7 for cool deck repair and recoating in Leander and nearby towns. Tell us roughly how big the deck is, where the topping has worn or come loose, and whether it has been painted.