The Department of Planning and Development Services of Orange County, California recently gave the green light to an interlocking concrete paver installation on a commercial pool deck in the City of Lake Forest. This was after many years of vetoing all previous applications to install this type of paving system in swimming pools used by the public.
There were no references in the state or local building codes prohibiting the use of pavers on pool decks. However, building code officials were reluctant to approve them because of a perceived health hazard to users. Their concern was that water would infiltrate the joints, causing a buildup of harmful bacteria in them and in the bedding sand. Another concern was sand might be washed out of the joints and could clog the pool filtration equipment.
These concerns were investigated by one of the major developers of homes and commercial centers in Southern California. This developer asked me to approach the County and persuade them to allow this type of construction.
What dramatically changed their perception of sand-set pavers was a tour of a local major theme park with pavers that had been in service for four years. Their sand-filled joints had been stabilized to hold the sand in place and this made the surface almost waterproof. The county officials were impressed with the performance of the pavers in high-traffic areas in the theme park. They remarked that the joints didn't show cracking and degradation typical to mortar-set pavers with grouted joints. When compared to the theme park pavers, those around public pools receive little wear.
Concrete pavers with stabilized joint sand have been used for years on pool decks in private homes for years. Beside private homes, officials have approved their use in commercial application in other parts of North America. Florida probably has the most swimming pools per capita and those with concrete paver decks typically include a stabilization material to secure the joint sand, as well as greatly reduce ingress of water. The approval from Orange County officials opens another market in a place where the commercial, as well as private swimming pool per capita ownership is likely to be near Florida.