Choosing the Right Stone for Your Pool Deck

It’s official—summer has made its long-awaited return. Daydreaming of the perfect outdoor escape poses an important question—to pool or not to pool? If the answer is a resounding ‘yes,’ choosing the right stone for the pool deck is key to creating a space that performs as beautifully as it looks. When choosing the perfect stone for your pool deck, it’s crucial to balance practicality and aesthetics.

Whether you opt for a rustic-chic oasis, or a sleek and sophisticated hideaway, choosing your stone is made simple with the expertise of the professionals at Stone Curators. The company namesake says it all—they are curators in the truest sense of the word, having searched far and wide for the highest performing natural and reclaimed stone for pool decks and beyond. We tapped Gavin Johnston, Founder of Stone Curators, to delve into the key factors to consider when selecting a stone for your pool deck. Once you read it through, be sure to take advantage of their easy-to-use stone search tool to explore endless options!

LOOK & FEEL

Style 

The style you choose will define the overall appearance of your pool deck. Whether you lean towards sophistication with sleek lines or rustic charm with natural, rough-hewn textures, your choice sets the tone.

Color

Natural stone offers a spectrum of hues and combinations to suit any preference. “While stone ranges in color, light tones are popular around pools,” says Johnston, noting that opting for lighter shades can help keep the surface temperature cooler, especially under direct sunlight. Consider colors that complement your existing home and landscape to create a cohesive look. 

Surface Texture

The texture of the stone significantly impacts the tactile and visual experience of your pool patio. From the rugged allure of split face surfaces to the organic feel of natural cleft surfaces, each texture adds its unique character. “Our stones come from quarries where we do cut-to-size jobs,” Johnston explains. “Virtually any size paver is possible.” These custom sawn stones, treated with precision either mechanically or manually, offer refined textures for a more polished aesthetic.

Scale

The size of the stones plays a pivotal role in defining the scale of your pool deck. Larger stones lend a grandeur to expansive spaces, while smaller pieces allow for more nuanced, intricate patterns.

Shapes & Design Patterns

The choice of stone shapes and design patterns can completely transform the aesthetic of your pool deck. Whether you opt for irregular shapes for a naturalistic feel or structured squares and rectangles for a more organized look, shapes and patterns can help guide the overall design narrative.

Performance

Although the appearance and texture of your pool deck greatly enhance the ambiance, performance should be high on the priority list. Fortunately, Stone Curators possesses the necessary tools and expertise to ensure your top choices meet your needs. While bluestone and granite have long reigned as the go-to stone choices for pool decks in New England, Stone Curators reveals the rise of limestone as a highly versatile contender in both style and performance.

“We’ve done our homework to find types of limestone that work great for pool decks,” says Gavin Johnston, Founder of Stone Curators. Though limestone has long been revered for its luxurious look and feel, a new class of limestones is gaining traction in northern regions due to its ability to endure freezing and thawing climates. 

“We're always looking for stones that are very dense and have very little water absorption to avoid breakage,” says Johnston. 

“We’ve done our homework to find types of limestone that work great for pool decks,” says Gavin Johnston, Founder of Stone Curators. Though limestone has long been revered for its luxurious look and feel, a new class of limestones is gaining traction in northern regions due to its ability to endure freezing and thawing climates. 

“We're always looking for stones that are very dense and have very little water absorption to avoid breakage,” says Johnston. 

Freeze-Thaw

In regions prone to freeze-thaw cycles, opt for a stone with lower water absorption for the pool deck. In addition to a wide range of granites, Stone Curators has handpicked a selection of freeze-thaw resistant limestones and sandstones ideal for such environments.

Heat Underfoot

For comfort underfoot, prioritize stones with minimal heat absorption. Lighter colored stones generally retain less heat, making light-colored granites, along with select limestones and sandstones, ideal choices for pool decks in New England climates. “Limestone has a color range that has not happened with bluestone or granite,” Johnston notes. “In the direct sun, Bluestone also tends to absorb the heat, making it hot underfoot.”  

For these reasons, beige-toned limestones are becoming increasingly popular for pool decks. Two standout limestone varieties offered by Stone Curators are Bavarian Beige limestone and Mountain Hard Beige limestone, which are both as enduring as they are beautiful. 

Bavarian Beige

Bavarian Beige is a quarried European limestone natural stone, sourced from Germany. It comes in a range of colors and textures.

Mountain Hard

Sourced from Croatia, Mountain Hard is another quarried European limestone natural stone. It is incredibly durable—it is the stone that helped build the city of Venice! Nothing says ‘Mediterranean spa’ quite like the bones of Venice. 

Slip Resistance

To ensure safety, avoid slippery surfaces by selecting stones with appropriate surface textures and joint configurations. Man-made textures like adze and bush-hammered offer excellent grip, while surfaces with indentations and irregularities provide natural slip resistance. Wide joints and vegetation-filled joints contribute to a less slippery deck surface.

Explore Options

Reclaimed Stone

Consider reclaimed stone for its durability and unique character. Reclaimed granite, bluestone, sandstone, or porphyry add a distinctive touch to pool decks, blending durability with the charm of weathered patinas. “Reclaimed stone is part of our heritage, and we have a couple yards around Boston where we keep it,” says Johnston. “You can’t fake patina, or something that has character.”

Limestone

As previously noted, limestone not only exudes luxury—it is also increasingly popular in northern climates for its ability to withstand freezing and thawing conditions, and remain cooler underfoot. If you love the neutral, beige look, opt for Bavarian Beige or Mountain Hard.

Granite

A rugged igneous rock, granite boasts durability and a speckled appearance, making it a timeless choice for pool decks. 

Sandstone

Composed of sand-size grains, sandstone offers natural slip resistance with colors ranging from beige to gray-blue.

Bluestone

Known for its deep blue hue, bluestone is cost-effective and naturally slip-resistant, making it a practical option for pool decks.

Marble 

With its exquisite patterns and a spectrum of colors, marble adds elegance to the pool and its surroundings. A metamorphic rock, marble is primarily made up of recrystallized carbonate minerals, typically consisting of calcite or dolomite

Travertine

Formed by mineral springs, travertine presents a fibrous appearance and comes in various shades, offering both beauty and durability.

The Process Made Simple with Stone Curators

The team at Stone Curators has the tools to bring your vision to life. “We see ourselves as an adjunct of the designers,” says Johnston. “We're not pushing a particular product line.” They are known for assisting clients and designers in attaining their goals while providing valuable insights into the most suitable materials and techniques for achieving the right result. 

“We have a passion for stone,” says Johnston. It’s their forte. They curate at the front end, exploring the globe in search of quarries, vendors, and fabricators capable of executing remarkable work. “We’re not buying through distributors,” Johnston explains. “We're seeking out these suppliers and building relationships so that when we have just the right project, we can offer their products for that project.”

To learn more about Stone Curators and how to recruit them for your next project, visit https://www.stonecurators.com/.

(Photography: John Raleigh, Stone Curators)