I don't have experience with those, but we looked at both the spray coating and the concrete. I preferred the concrete because it looked more like stone, but get a sample and check it with wet feet. They add a fine sand to the sealer of what I saw, but with wet feet, it was still very slick -- like my indoor tile. We then looked at different options and had a couple of sample boards down to check colors. They had been sitting in the sun a while and I stepped on them with my bare feet. Both were hotter than the pea gravel DH doesn't love, and one color was a lot hotter than the other. I mainly wanted to suggest that you get a sample board of whatever you are considering and test it in both sun and when wet to make sure you will be happy with it.

The company that did my pool plaster and tile is Pool Works (713-466-3300) -- they have a sister company Deck Works. I was very pleased with the pool work and would expect the same on the deck work, but we decided not to do the deck, so I can't speak from experience there. Hope you get some other comments.

Aggietexan,

I'm very interested to know what you've found out about the limecoat. You were kind enough to reply to my post several weeks ago about my pool re-model. We currently have pea gravel/aggregate decking and it's too rough and hot on the feet for us. Did you end up with the limecoat? Any help in this area would be so appreciated. Thanks! Shelley

We ended up going with a new coat of SunDek. I thought the Lime Coat/Carve Stone was very attractive, however on the day when we were looking at the product (a sunny day in May), in about 10 minutes the sample boards got too hot to stand on without burning my feet!

We chose a darker color this time, and had them add speckles of three other colors for an aggregate look (hides dirt)! So far we're very happy with the appearance of the deck, and at least we can still walk on it in this terrible heat wave!

I used Allied Outdoor Solutions last year to pour a concrete patio and install a hot tub in the backyard of my new home after interviewing a few companies, and Allied seemed like the best company to go with. Positives: The employees were really nice, and they did a quality job on the patio and installation of the stone around the hot tub. They did a great job setting up and taking down the project, so we didn't have to do anything to assist in completing the project. Negatives: Allied was not timely in installing the patio. After we moved into the home and contracted Allied, it took about 4-5 months for them to start and complete the project. Allied used a local sprinkler company to come and adjust my sprinkler lines in the yard to accommodate for the patio. The sprinkler company changes the zones in my sprinkler panel, and then adjusted the sprinkler heads in my front yard. I contacted Allied, the job is still under warranty, and they denied doing anything to change the zones on my sprinklers or that they messed with the sprinkler heads in the front yard. Well, the sprinkler company did, because the owner told me face to face that he did in my front yard after the project, but that everything should be working better. Conclusion: While Allied did a great job with the patio, they really did and it is very nice, they are not timely and the do not hold up their end of the warranty.

What was the cost per square foot with Allied? We are thinking about calling them for a quote, but if it's outrageous then we'll go another route. Thanks

Lime Coat must be recoated every 3-5 years too.

I would love to know quotes of what you are being quoted. Allied quoted us 15k for 1000 sq pool deck. That seems really high but I have nothing to compare it to.