Staining a concrete pool deck is one of the highest-impact upgrades you can make to an outdoor space — and it's a very doable DIY. This guide walks the whole process: choosing the right stain, protecting your pool, prepping the surface, applying color, and sealing it with a slip-resistant finish.
Shop Pool Deck Stains & Sealers →
Step 1: Choose your stain
Our top picks are Antiquing™ Stain and EasyTint™ Tinted Sealer, or PaveWave™ and Portico™ for paver pool decks. All are favored for easy application, wide color options, and a natural, semi-transparent finish.
Antiquing™ is a spray-on, quick-dry colorant that creates an aged, mottled look — great on stamped concrete. EasyTint™ is thicker and more solid-looking, ideal for broom-finished concrete, with excellent coverage.
Test your color first. Try an Antiquing™ or EasyTint™ Trial Kit (or a Portico™/PaveWave™ kit for pavers) on a small area. Samples take minutes to apply with a foam brush and remove later with a stiff brush and xylene. Always use the sealer in the kit to see the true, sealed color.
An Antiquing™ trial kit color test — always seal the sample to judge true color.
Step 2: Protect your pool
Before any stain or sealer goes down, keep it out of the water:
- Cover the pool edge with heavy plastic sheeting, secured with painter's tape and weighed down in wind.
- Work in small sections with a roller or sponge — slow and steady near the edge.
- Use a pool cover or lean boards at the waterline as a splash guard.
- Have someone watch for drips and wipe them before they dry.
- If anything enters the pool, scoop out solids and ask your pool supply store about re-balancing the water.
Step 3: Prepare the surface
Prep is where projects succeed or fail:
- New concrete must cure 30 days before staining.
- Remove old paint or sealer with a stripper.
- Power-wash or scrub with ProClean Degreaser™ to remove oil, dirt, and debris.
- Test absorption: pour a cup of water in a few spots. If it doesn't soak in within 5 minutes, etch with CitrusEtch™, neutralize with ProClean Neutralizer™, and rinse well.
- Let the surface dry completely, and mask coping and expansion joints.
New concrete needs a full 30-day cure before it will take stain.
Step 4: Apply the stain
Antiquing™: remove all sprayer filters and apply two saturated coats with a pump-up sprayer — no wait needed between coats.
EasyTint™: spray or roll. To spray, shake well, remove filters, and apply thin coats in slightly circular, irregularly overlapping motions; shake the tank often so color stays suspended. To roll, use a 3/8″ nap roller in one direction with no pressure (pressure causes streaking). Either way, wait 8 hours between coats and thumbnail-test for cure before recoating.
Applying Antiquing™ with a pump-up sprayer — filters removed, two saturated coats.
Step 5: Seal the surface
Once the stain has dried, seal with EasySeal™ or HydroCryl™. Remove sprayer filters, then spray a thin coat starting from a far corner in slightly circular motions; let it dry before the second coat. For slip resistance, mix OxiGrip™ into the final coat — add it while stirring the sealer.
Pro tips: start at a far corner so you keep a clear path out; if sealer pools or looks uneven, backroll with a wetted, wrung-out 3/8″ nap roller; and before releasing the sprayer trigger, dip the tip into a bucket to avoid drips.
A sealed EasyTint™ pool deck — even color and a durable, low-sheen finish.
Step 6: Enjoy
After the final coat of sealer cures for 24 hours, your pool deck is ready — fresh color, slip-resistant finish, and a backyard that looks better than ever.
What's next
- Need color ideas? → Stained Concrete Pool Deck Ideas & Real Projects
- Sealer questions? → Concrete Pool Deck Sealer Guide
- Saltwater pool? → Saltwater Pool Deck Sealer FAQs
- Shop the products → Pool Deck Stains & Sealers
- Talk to us → Contact Direct Colors
Direct Colors. Shawnee, OK. Manufacturing the full decorative concrete system since 1997.
Staining a Pool Deck: FAQs
Which stain should I use on a pool deck?
Antiquing™ Stain or EasyTint™ for poured concrete, and PaveWave™ or Portico™ for paver pool decks.
How do I keep stain and sealer out of the pool?
Cover the pool edge with heavy plastic sheeting before anything goes down, secured with painter’s tape and weighed down if there is any wind.
How long does new concrete need to cure first?
30 days. Remove old paint or sealer with a stripper, then power-wash or scrub with ProClean Degreaser™ — prep is where these projects succeed or fail.
Which sealer, and how long before we can swim?
EasySeal™ or HydroCryl™, sprayed thin from a far corner in slightly circular motions. Allow 24 hours for the final coat to cure.
How do I stop it being slippery?
Mix OxiGrip™ anti-slip additive into the sealer. On a wet deck that is worth doing as a matter of course.
