Share
We have (had) an oval above ground pool, with internal swim-out steps that were made out of large styrofoam blocks and sat under the liner.
Our yard was flooded in February and water came up under the outside of the pool coping. This resulted in the foam blocks floating and destroying the pool.
I have completely dismantled the pool and purchased new wall, liner, posts, etc. that were damaged.
I plan to replace the swim-out steps with concrete, so they won't float if we ever have as much water in our yard again.
I'm comfortable with basic concreting and have done a number of small to medium slabs. But I am not sure about how to go about forming up an object of this size and shape.
The foam steps have coreflute sheets on top, then an EVA foam blanket over the top and it all fits in under a liner which is fitted to the size and shape of the steps.
The supplier of the pool said concrete steps was the old-school way but hasn't been able to produce any real advice.
The wall is not strong enough to be the formwork for the curved back. I am not sure how or what to use to form up the curved rear of the steps. Maybe I could use several shorter flat pieces to make like a hexagonal curved rear.
I could just use 17mm form-ply for the flat front faces, but another thought was cement sheet, possibly the thick stuff they use for bathroom floors. Another idea was to use besser blocks for the front face.
So, I'm a bit lost in all this, with lots of thoughts, but no real idea.
I have included some pictures of how the foam block steps go together and the final look.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Greg
Awesome work, @TekBoffin!
I have to say when I first saw your project, I had my doubts about it, but you've really done a bang-up job right there.
Congrats on pushing through a difficult situation and many thanks for sharing those images with us. I bet the kids are over the moon! Great job, dad.
Mitchell
