I don't live in Vegas, however I've been there and I know the heat is very different than here in Florida. Days here sometimes feel hotter than your heat due to the humidity vs. Vegas' dry heat. We did pavers and our pool is in full, direct sunlight from about noon on. We chose the white cement based pavers. They do get warm, but not hot to the point where you can't walk on them. If you get gray cement based pavers they will be hot. Kool deck will not be hot. My parents have it and it stays very cool, however IMO you can't beat the look of pavers. My parents are getting estimates on paver overlays because they are tired of the dirt and the cracking.

Go with Travertine Pavers. A little more expensive than traditional cement pavers, but twice as strong, don't get hot, non slip, precision cut, no need to seal, and they look fantastic! Perfect for Vegas. Check out my photos for some pics. Completed just this week, more pics to follow. Bought them from www.gothicstone.com. Lots of good info about them on site.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pool Project Photos

Vegas is just like Phoenix, you definitely DO NOT want anything but Kooldeck if you like skin on the bottoms of your feet. Pavers will get so hot that you won't be able to walk on them barefoot. I agree that pavers and flagstone look better, but if you are looking for safety and comfort that still looks good then there is no decision here, Kooldeck is the only way to go.

I have never heard that travertine pavers don't get hot. I know a few people here who have them outside and they get just as hot as concrete or any other material, but maybe thejimbar knows something new!

If they are getting hot, they are not Travertine! I can assure you, they don't get hot! The club we belong to in the Florida Keys, Cheeca Lodge, uses them on their beach walk and outdoor entrance foyer and circular drive up. Walked them in 90 degree heat in bare feet may a time, cool baby!

Here is a link that might be useful: Travertine Pavers

Advantages of Trav pavers, more info....see link

Here is a link that might be useful: Trav Advantages

Travertine pavers are comfortable at 90F, but they get scorching hot at 110F. But then so does kooldeck. I'm of the opinion that pretty much everything is going to get insanely hot in the sun when it gets over 110F, so get what you want as far as looks and functionality. Kooldeck will be a bit cooler than travertine but is as susceptible to cracking as concrete and doesn't have the high-end look of travertine.

What chiefneil said. Mike NV,FL.

I'm in miami...definately hot here. We just got artistic pavers and with the sun shining directly on them around noon, my feet didn't feel any heat.

In Vegas though it DOES get up to 110. In 90 degree weather anything would be fine, but travertine will burn your feet in 110-115 desert heat. I can definitely tell the difference with Kooldeck when I walk from our patio to our pool deck, the temperature drop is amazing.

Yes, travertine looks good, but if you are in Vegas or anywhere else in a desert climate where temperatures are consistantly above 110 in the summer, I still recommend Kooldeck.

I am with those who say get what you want as all choices will be hot. I have seen some homes in PHX and Vegas that have installed a Sprinkler system in the paver deck just like it was lawn. Turn it on and cool it down.:)

Well You all know I had to chime in..... I have been following the forum for about a year as we are looking for a product for our deck. We are in Vegas and DH is in the business. This is NOT a solicitation, I assume you have your own PB.
Spraydeck - many brands, definitely cool enough in 110, warm but not hot
A few different techniques to install it, best to go see the installers jobs or samples to see what you are getting as far as design and look of his brand.

Pavers - NPT carries Artistic, Gothicstone and Durango pavers. Supposedly they are cool enough to walk on, I haven't tried them myself. They are gorgeous. Pricey too. NPT is in the SW area of town.

I am looking at a natural stone product here, it is lighter in color and have a sample out in the sun as we speak. It is warmer than my old "kooldeck", but we have hit high 90's in the last few days and this stone is still in the running. I don't have a price on it, but DH says it is less than the NPT pavers.It looks like rough cut pavers, random sizes.

Thin pavers - these go over old concrete and I have put samples out for a week in 105+ heat. The lighter colors are cool enough to walk on, made with white concrete. You dont need these, they are for pool re-do, although I guess in Fla they use them over sand for new pools too.

Just comes down to budget for me, as well as being cool. I don't want to have to wear flip flops to get to my pool. Hope this helps,
Barb

Hello Barb. Getting ready to head back to FL tonight on a redeye after a weekend visit. Was just in my grandfather's pool here in Vegas and can attest to the heat today LOL. It felt good to take a dip. It has been pretty warm in FL however our pavers feel pretty cool to the feet under the screen. Can't say the same for the dark colored driveway pavers FlipFlops needed in the afternoon.

Here in AZ their are many of the pool builders that install what they call KoolDeck, but it is just paint and very hot.
KoolDeck is actually white cement that is spattered on the concrete and it is a whole lot cooler than just concrete with paint.

Cliff s

Pawley, heed what Cliff said, be sure what product you are getting if you go with "kool deck".

Mike, hi back at you, enjoy Fla. We ( well DH) is hard at work on weekends. He is moving dirt and almost ready to frame for extended deck around the pool and a new sidewalk.

I still can't decide on decking, this new stone he brought home was warmer than our old kooldeck in yesterdays' high 90's temps in full sun. But not intolerable and it is so pretty. Decisions............ Barb

Hopefully people are ok if I revive this old thread.

I'm grabbling with same problem up here in Portland OR. The architect has specified slate for the paving around the pool and an adjacent patio. It looks great but when I measured the surface temperature of a sample I left out in the sun today for a couple of minutes with a probe thermometer it was just over 140 degrees.

So in addition to thinking about an alternate material I was wondering if anyone had any experience with various methods of cooling a patio. Someone mentioned installing sprinklers and I would think that would be quite effective and I would love to find someone who has done it and see how it worked out.

I was also thinking about some way to keep the stones cool by somehow gently introducing just the right amount of water very evenly into the sand the stones are set into (we are considering sand set). If the sand was damp the heat of the stones would cause the water to heat up and evaporate which would shed an enormous amount of energy. My thought was the amount of water wouldn't be as much as it patio gets during the rainy season so I couldn't see how it would hurt it as long as the water was introduced so as not to disturb the sand (ie very evenly).

Anybody have any info on on using the sprinklers to wet from the top or comments or ideas regarding my thoughts about wetting from the back?

Thanks.

I like Pavers vs cool deck, easier to clean!

Here is a link that might be useful: Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa

I have pavers surrounding my pool. They look beautiful, but when it is hot, you can't walk on them with bare feet. I am trying to find out if there is something I can apply to them, that will keep them cool. The pavers are a tan color, they are not very dark, but they get unbareably hot. I live in Northern California, so the weather here, is about 75-80 degrees during the summer.

Hello rampart, was reading the forum and saw your post. Was wondering if you ever found a product for your pavers?