Mastic Repair and Maintenance: Extending the Lifespan of Your Pool Deck

Your backyard pool is one of the most major investments you’re likely to ever make. 

With this in mind, it’s essential that it’s kept properly maintained in order for you to enjoy the full benefits of it. 

At Backyard Paradise Luxury Pools, we provide a comprehensive pool service to all of our clients. In addition to building quality pools of all designs, we’ll also help to keep it in the best condition and extend its lifespan with a range of pool maintenance services. This includes leading pool mastic repair and maintenance.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at how professional mastic repair and maintenance can help to extend the lifespan of your pool deck.    

What is pool mastic?

Pool mastic, also known as pool caulking or pool sealant, is a strong and durable putty-like substance used in swimming pools to stop water seeping through cracks.

How does pool mastic work?

The purpose of pool mastic is to keep your swimming pool sealed and to prevent any water from leaking from the pool into the concrete and decking. 

Mastic acts as a seal between the coping and your pool’s deck, making sure it’s kept dry and preventing any water damage. For backyard inground pools, it’s normal to also have coping around the pool.

If water leaks from your pool onto decking, it can cause severe damage to your deck that could be costly to repair. 

One of the big advantages of using mastic to keep your deck protected is that it can expand or contract depending on the season, temperature and weather conditions.

For example, during the hot summer months the mastic will slightly expand and then contract in winter when the temperature drops. This means that no matter what the conditions, your pool’s mastic will ensure no cracks occur or rotting sets in. 

When should I replace my pool mastic?

On average, your pool’s mastic will need to be replaced every few years, but there are a few signs you should look out for that might suggest immediate action needs to be taken. 

This includes:

Cracks in the decking 

The most obvious sign that you need to replace or repair pool mastic is if you start to notice cracks along your pool decking. This indicates that your pool is struggling to handle changes in the weather, and your pool mastic may not be expanding and contracting correctly.

While this could start out as a minor issue, if not quickly addressed these cracks could become more severe, making them more difficult to fix. With this in mind, it’s worthwhile inspecting your decking for cracks at least once a month in order to catch issues quickly. 

Falling pool tiles 

Another sign that your pool mastic may not be up to scratch is if tiles begin falling off your pool’s wall. 

While this could simply indicate that the glue on the tiles has worn away, falling tiles might also reflect the fact that your mastic is working too hard and needs replacing. This is most likely to happen after a period of extreme weather – something that we’re no stranger to here in Texas. 

Therefore, if you’ve recently experienced severe weather conditions in your neighborhood, it’s always worth checking out your mastic to see how it’s coped. 

Deck heaving 

When your deck has risen to a higher level than it was before, this is known as deck heaving and it could be a sign that mastic needs replacing or repairing. 

It usually occurs following a period of sudden temperature change and, while it doesn’t necessarily mean you need new mastic, it could be one of the reasons it’s happened. 

Separation between decking and coping

Over time, you may start to notice a separation between your decking and its coping. This could start out as just a small gap, but if not quickly rectified can get worse and worse. 

This might mean that your mastic is not properly bonded to the concrete sections of your pool, and if you notice any separation it’s essential you call for professional support as soon as possible to stop the issue from getting worse.

At Backyard Paradise Luxury Pools, our team of expert pool technicians can help keep your pool in the best shape possible with a range of leading maintenance services. This includes the repair and replacement of mastic.

If you’re based in The Woodlands, Spring, Montgomery, or any of the surrounding areas and require any pool maintenance services, get in touch with our team today.