It is a must have. Even though I'm having a bit of a glitch right now, it is worth every bit....much, much cooler. I have 16X32 with 6, 4, 10, 10 on each side = $2500. (I'd do the math for you, but I'd get it wrong!) I have no shade and I'm in the south..hot.

It is still really hot in 100 degree weather.

all i can say is that it is much cooler than the concrete slab was, and the porch cools quicker in the evenings...

big deck - no shade - 100 deg in Hou TX last 2 weeks - light beige kool deck comfy to walk on the whole time.

Make sure they apply it when the concrete is 'wet' and that you respect the week to 2 week curing period.

I have a few questions.

Do you think grey would be just as cool?

Can it be applied with lasting results to a concrete deck that is 3 years old?

Isn't most Kool deck acrylic now? I think it used to be something different. Am I wrong?

big deck - no shade - 100 deg in Hou TX last 2 weeks - light beige kool deck comfy to walk on the whole time.

I'm in the HOuston area as well. We had a big gathering on the 4th .. many adults, many kids. No one said anything about the deck being hot.

The highs thursday through Sunday were 101, 100, 101 and 102. I have a peagravel pad off the back of the house for my grill and smoker ... it was not possible to stand on it without shoes on.

Kool deck needs to be applied to new concrete. Otherwise need to go the acrylic coating for old concrete. In Phoenix it doesn't matter. It all gets to hot to walk on.

Will the acrylic stuff still be as cool?

if you are looking for a "base price" finish, we did salt deck concrete, and i can walk on it in the likewise 100 degree dfw heat. it is not "cool" but it is obvious when you make a step off of it and onto the flagstone coping which is lava hot or onto our existing exposed aggregate patio which is likewise too hot to stand on in direct sun

Hello all

been lurking on the side lines for a while but recently contracted with A/S for a sping build!!

From my limited underatanding, Kool deck works very well but it shouldnt really be installed anywhere with freezing winters. It doesnt last long once water and ice begins to "lift" it off the concrete decking, an then its very expensive to repair

There are a variety of products now available which are referred to as "Kool Deck". It's like saying you need to "Xerox" something when you want to make a copy. Spray deck coatings are a lot cooler on your feet and is more slip resistant as well. I have never heard of it being applied while the concrete is wet like a previous poster mentioned. Typically you want the concrete to cure for 1-2 weeks before applying it. It can be done sooner, but that's the benchmark I follow. In the hot summer, it can be applied faster than in the winter. By the way, for an extra cost, you can get it "stamped" with a pattern.

I'm in Phoenix and have acrylic on my decking. It is cooler than standard concrete, but still very hot. As soon as it gets wet, water gathers in the little indentations and then is very comfy to walk on even in 115 degree heat. Deck tends to stay wet with just getting in and out of the pool. I also usually spray it down when we first go out to the pool.

True kool deck is applied to wet/green concrete. Within the first few days of a pour. Everything else is applied after the concrete cures.

Nothing is as cool as Mortex Kool Deck other than limestone which is the aggregate in Kool Deck. It needs to be applied the same day or before surface drying occurs. It bonds better if you do not use fly ash in the concrete. It can be applied later but requires a scratch coat with bonding agent under these conditions. It is fairly easy to repair cracks with the Mortex repair kits. The colors don't fade.
It withstands about 70 freeze thaw cycles before it starts to break down. Adding plastic bonding agents increase the number of freeze thaw cycles it can withstand but also drive up the surface tempatures. Basically the porous nature of limestone makes it cool, as porosity decreases temperatures increase. The same is true for natural stone or any patio finish.

We're in Vegas and have done a lot of "try outs" at our own home, I made DH put in a separate slab on an unused side of the house for some tests. I wanted to finally put stone around our 16 year old pool, one passed the heat test and just this year it was d/c here, not selling due to bad economy. So after a few cocktails I agree to let him put the new Xcel deck IR (infra red?) over our old Mortex. He also had some Xcel deck coat, same color, that was not the new "IR". After yesterday in 105 full sun, I can say the IR is cooler than regular Xcel deck, and both were cooler than the old Mortex Kool Deck. I am happy with the color, tea and cream, a medium tan. Their website just says the color will determine how hot it gets and I didn't want a dark color. We have been using Xcel deck for about 4 years and haven't had any problems with cracking/peeling, either new pool decks or re-done decks. We now give homeowners the option with the IR upgrade, it is more expensive but looks exactly the same as the standard deck coat they sell. It is acrylic. We do at least 3 steps,bond coat, scratch coat and top coats. Hope this helps, Barb

Airborne, I have to call hogwash on that comparison. For many years we have conducted the feel test on patio surfaces and pool bottoms. When you have a Kool Deck sample and an acrylic multicoat sample in the same color and under the same conditions the Kool Deck always feels significantly cooler. Any builder or customer can conduct this simple and real test. Mortex has done comparison tests using a laser thermometer on their own products and generally find a difference of 10-20 degrees. They have a posted bar chart on their website.

Unless Xcel has some new miracle ingrediant, I don't know how their surface could defy basic physical properies.

Hey Reno, just saw this post. No hogwash, no samples. This was on a real deck, mine. We have old Mortex, and DH applied the Xcel in stages, in the blazing heat of summer. Used the old deck as a test ground. They did it in stages and left a test ground bare old Mortex. Base coat of bonder, texture coat sprayed and troweled and then top coat. All xcel products, one section of older xcel top coat and one of new xcel IR. The IR was cooler than the old Mortex or the regular xcel top coat to the touch, well feet, even the other day in 110 heat. Of course in 110 even the new xcel IR was hot, but not intolerable. I tried to test the temp with a meat thermometer, but the difference was only about 4 degrees and was in the sun anyway. We have used A @@@crete, S @@@ crete and even E@@@ crete, none were as cool, although not on the same deck and not at the same time. Hope this makes sense. I personally want stone, that will be a whole new post, better let him rest a while tho. Barb