How to resurface a masonry pool deck

To repair cool deck flaking (not cracks in concrete):

Step One: All of the flaking or cracked texture needs to be removed. This is accomplished by using a scraper in conjunction with a high pressure washer. If the flaking is excessive and severe it may not be necessary to use the pressure washer. Bottom line is the old patch needs to be removed to expose the underlying cement. The cement also needs to be cleaned and all loose dirt or sand needs to be removed. On areas where the patch is solid and sticks firmly to the cement the sides of those areas should be smoothed at 90 degree angle to prepare for the new cool deck coating.

Step Two: After the removal of the old texture, wash off the exposed concrete and make sure all loose material is also removed. Using a mixture of half muriatic acid and half water, scrub the exposed cement to "score" the cement and also to clean off contaminants. After 3 or 4 minutes completely rinse off concrete and scrub with a hard brush to ensure all acid is removed. Again, a high pressure washer is always recommended for the best removal of all acid and residue. I let the concrete dry completely before moving on to the next step. I've found that any moisture remaining in the concrete will cause the new decking to flake and peel within a few years.

Step Three: Several products exist on the market for cool decking. The easiest is a product I've found is by a company by the name of E-Z Patch. My best advise is to use the internet to find a store that carries the product. The coating product is applied directly to the concrete with a roller. Two coats are typically required. Dry time is normally 3 to 4 hours depending on the day.

Very late in answering here, but solar pool heating systems are great and pay themselves off in 1-1.5 years vs. propane and electric heaters. They are -- by a large margin -- the most cost-efficient renewable energy application that I know of.

I see that you said solar pool heating requires a pool cover. It does not. A pool cover helps greatly, especially in a cold or dry climate: almost all of the heat a pool loses is from evaporation. However, it isn't really needed for solar. Is an uncovered solar-heated pool going to be 95 degrees Fahrenheit pool in the Winter? No, but it is going to give you 8-20 (depending on the size of the array) degrees Fahrenheit for free, which would costs thousands each year if done with propane.

Also, solar pool heating and propane are not mutually exclusive. You can easily get a system that uses both, heating the pool at all times with solar (provided that the panels are hot enough -- properly installed solar pool-heating systems bypass the solar if the panels are cold,) but if that isn't adequate, you can turn the propane on. As stated earlier, this setup saves thousands a year vs. propane. The solar portion of the system will pay itself off in ~1 year vs. propane, and it will save you $10,000-$60,000 over the life of the panels.