Finishes for bare feet
With Boise's July average high around 92 to 93°F and about 55 days a year at 90°F or more, deck temperature matters. Light colors stay cooler than dark ones. Textured, spray-applied cool-deck style toppings, broom finishes and light exposed aggregate all give grip on wet concrete. Stamped decks look good but need a non-slip additive in the sealer.
Resurface or replace?
Resurfacing is the most searched pool deck topic in the Boise area. If the deck slab is sound, with no heaving, no large displaced cracks and good drainage, a resurfacing overlay can renew a worn, stained or scaled surface; national guides put resurfacing overlays at about $3 to $9 per square foot, and decorative overlays at about $6 to $20. If panels have settled, cracked through or tilt toward the pool, the problem is underneath and needs leveling or replacement first. See concrete resurfacing.
Drainage and the pool edge
A pool deck should slope away from the pool so rain, splash and snowmelt run to drains or the yard, not back into the water or under the coping. The joint between the deck and the pool coping is a flexible seal, not concrete; when it fails, water gets under the deck. Ask whether resealing that joint is part of the job.
Winter care
Once the pool is closed for winter, the deck sits through months of frost. Keep deicing salt off it, especially in its first winter, and keep the surface sealed. Pool chemicals splashed on the deck all summer can wear sealer faster than on a regular patio. See concrete sealing.
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