Walk around your pool and look at the line where the coping meets the deck. The strip of flexible sealant in that joint is mastic. It is one of the least noticed parts of a pool, and one of the most important.
What It Does
The deck and the pool are built as separate structures so they can move independently as the ground shifts. The gap between them is deliberate. Mastic fills that gap, flexes with the movement, and keeps water and dirt out.
Signs It Has Failed
- Cracks or splits along the joint.
- Sealant pulling away from the coping or the deck.
- Gaps or missing sections.
- Hard, brittle or crumbling material.
- Weeds or grass growing through.
What Happens If You Leave It
Rain and splash-out run into the open joint and behind the pool. In North Texas, clay soil and winter freezes turn that water into loose coping, tile falling off and cracks in the top of the pool wall. Each of those repairs costs many times what new mastic does.
Why Before Winter
Water that freezes in an open joint does the most damage. Replacing worn mastic in the fall means the pool goes into the cold months sealed.
Mastic cracked or missing?
It's a small job that prevents big ones. Call for a free mastic quote.