Ugly Concrete Ledge Next to the Pool? Don't Remove It, Veneer It

The Scenario

A homeowner recently asked:

I have an ugly, exposed concrete ledge sitting behind the boulders on my pool deck. I need ideas to 'pretty it up' and make it easier on the eyes without major construction.

The GardenOwl Diagnosis

The Assessment

You have a classic case of 'The Contractor Quit Early.' You have a nice terra cotta paver patio and some substantial granite boulders lining the pool to give it a natural lagoon vibe, but between them sits a foot-wide strip of ugly, troweled concrete—a textbook example of the Infrastructure Displacement Syndrome. This kind of glaring omission is industrial, cold, and ruins the aesthetic; it interrupts the flow between the clean pavers and the organic rocks, drawing the eye exactly where you don't want it to go by allowing a utilitarian structural footer to create a permanent visual 'dead zone' in your design.

It looks like a mistake. It interrupts the flow between the clean pavers and the organic rocks, drawing the eye exactly where you don't want it to go. It’s industrial, cold, and ruins the aesthetic.

The Trap: Putting the Jackhammer to the Footer

Your first instinct might be to rent a demo hammer and chip that concrete away to extend the pavers or add soil. Do not do this.

That concrete isn't just a sidewalk; it is the structural footer holding those massive boulders in place. If you start vibrating that concrete with a jackhammer, two bad things happen:

1. Destabilization: You risk loosening the boulders, which could eventually roll into your pool liner or fiberglass shell.
2. Shell Damage: The vibrations can transmit through the footer to the pool bond beam, causing cracks in the pool structure itself.

This is similar to the issues we see with retaining walls. As discussed in our guide on retaining walls on steep slopes, structural footers are there for a reason. You can't just remove them because they are ugly. You have to work over them.

The Solution: The "River Stone Mosaic"

Since we can't subtract the concrete, we have to add to it. You need a material that can handle being wet, fits an irregular curve, and doesn't require heavy machinery.

1. The Material: Mexican Beach Pebbles

My preferred fix here is to veneer the concrete with smooth, dark river stones (1-2 inch diameter). specifically Mexican Beach Pebbles or polished black river rock.

• Why Dark Stone? Your pavers are terra cotta (orange/red) and your boulders are light grey granite. If you use light gravel, it blends into the boulders and looks washed out. Dark black or charcoal stones provide a high-contrast "frame" that makes the design pop.
• Why Smooth? It contrasts with the rough texture of the granite boulders.

2. The Method: Mortar, Not Loose

Do not just pour a bag of rocks on this ledge. Loose rocks will end up in your pool skimmer, destroying your pump, or scattered across your patio as a tripping hazard. You need to set them in mortar.

• Clean the Surface: Pressure wash the concrete to remove algae and dirt. If you've dealt with slippery green slime on pavers, you know that mortar won't stick to biological film.
• The Mix: Use a Type S mortar or a polymer-modified stone veneer mortar.
• The Set: Apply a bed of mortar to the ledge, then press the stones into it so they are embedded about halfway. This creates a "cobbled" look that is permanent and sweep-able.

Alternative: The "Soft" Fix (Planting)

If you hate the idea of more stone, you can use plants, but you have to be extremely selective. You cannot plant in the concrete, so you need shallow trough planters that follow the curve.

• The Plant Selection: You need something that doesn't drop leaves (which would clog your filter) and can handle reflected heat from the concrete.
• The Winner: Sedum or Sempervivum (Hens and Chicks). According to the North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, these succulents are drought-tolerant and evergreen. They will eventually spill over the edges, softening the hard lines without dumping debris into the water.

Visualizing the Result

This is a high-visibility area. If you mortar stones down and hate them, chipping them off is a nightmare. Before you mix a single batch of concrete, you should see it first.

Using GardenDream, you can upload the photo of your pool and digitally overlay the black river stones to see if the contrast is too stark for your taste. You can also swap in the succulent planters to see if the greenery softens the space enough.

If you want to test this on your own yard, upload a photo to our Exterior Design App and see what this design would look like in your space.