Playful, Vibrant Design Brings New Splash Pad to Life in Duncanville
2025 DCC 2nd Place Award for Cementitious Overlays Under 5,000 Square Feet
When city officials in Duncanville, Texas, began planning updates to Armstrong Park, they envisioned a fun and inviting space where families could gather and kids could play. Among several site improvements was the addition of a brand-new splash pad to replace an older playground. To bring the project to life, the city partnered with Kraftsman Commercial Playgrounds and Waterparks, who then reached out to trusted collaborators, SUNDEK Commercial Contracting and ATD Concrete Coatings, to beautify the surface.
At Armstrong Park in Duncanville, Texas, SUNDEK Commercial Contracting and ATD Concrete Coatings created a gorgeous design for the surface of the city’s new splash pad. SUNDEK and Kraftsman have a longstanding relationship, having worked together on many projects throughout Texas. Once the old play structure was removed, a new concrete slab with a light broom finish—totaling 2,795 square feet—was installed. With the surface ready, SUNDEK crews got to work transforming the space into something both durable and eye-catching.
Contact National AccountsUsing the design specifications provided, SUNDEK manufactured custom colors to perfectly match the city’s vision. After applying the water-based acrylic color coats, the crew sealed the entire surface with a commercial-grade clear sealer. For added safety, they also broadcast aluminum oxide across the surface to increase traction—an important detail for an area that will see so many wet, happy feet. “That provides the best protection for long term maintenance,” says Jason Unruh, Commercial Contracting Project Senior Developer. “It also exceeds ADA compliance.”
SUNDEK created custom colors based on the specifications provided by the project’s design team, using their water-based acrylic color coats to apply the colors to the broom-finished surface.Every part of the design was laid out by hand to ensure precision. “We hand-taped all the lines to make sure the wavy design flowed naturally,” says Jason. That technique also gives it a nice grout line, which adds definition and depth.
SUNDEK crews hand-drew every single line to ensure the wavy design desired by the city. One of the most challenging—and most creative—elements of the design involved a crab motif that needed to align perfectly with certain splash pad features designed to look like crab arms. SUNDEK based their stencil on the original plans but soon discovered that the proportions needed tweaking. “We had to adjust on the fly and make it larger so the body would meet up with those crab arms,” Jason explains. “Once we saw it all laid out, we decided to add a smaller crab too—it balanced the design and made the space feel more complete.”
Details on the splash pad surface resulted in a fun and whimsical design. After adding the larger crab, SUNDEK crews suggested adding one smaller crab to balance the design and give onlookers one additional element to admire on the surface.
The result is a bright, playful splash pad surface that’s as functional as it is beautiful. Kraftsman and Duncanville city officials were thrilled with the outcome: a safe, low-maintenance surface that will provide endless hours of fun for local families for many summers to come.
View more award winning projects