There are many hard choices to face in life, some serious, some not so serious. How to treat your deck may not seem the most serious choice you’ll ever have to make, but over time it can have a significant financial impact. Should you stain, seal, or paint? Well, we can’t help you with some of the other hard choices in life, but we should be able to give you a few pointers on just what you should do with your deck.
Another no-no for decks is applying the wrong sealants, stains, and paints. You should always make sure you use the best types of each. For paints, consider using KILZ Low-Lustre Enamel Porch & Patio Latex Floor Paint. If you need a quality sealant or stain, try Ready Seal Exterior Stain and Sealer.
Let the wood putty dry two to eight hours. Once your deck is ready, you can begin staining, sealing, or painting it. Stick with oil-based stains to enhance the natural wood color and prevent mold and mildew growth. Oil-based stains also help prevent cracking and warping. Water-based stains may dry too quickly and may wear more quickly than oil-based stains.
To give you a real world example, the photos to the right is a two year old deck and fence here in Des Moines. The deck was stained with a single coat of Cedar-colored Ultra Premium Red Label Penofin. The fence in the background was stained with a water-based, semi-transparent, Covered Bridge-colored stain called Deckscapes from Sherwin-Williams.
Certain kinds of wood act as a natural repellent for many types of pests. For example, redwoods, cedars, and cypress are great woods that suppress wood-destroying insects such as termites. So you can rest assured that if your deck is made of one of these types of wood, the worst kinds of pests will want to avoid your deck.
Staining a deck is usually a relatively affordable process, but with rising labor and material costs it can become a bit more costly. The national cost to stain a deck averages about for a 200 square foot deck or about . This cost includes staining materials, as well as labor.
Your deck is at that point again and now you’re wondering can you stain over a stained deck or will it make it worse. It can be tempting to simply put a coat of stain or paint on your stained deck and call it a day, but it could cause more problems that’ll be expensive to fix.
If you’re looking for a middle ground between the two, balancing protection and natural wood appearance, consider a stain treatment. Regardless of which you choose, before staining, sealing, or painting your deck, it’s important to give it a good cleaning. This process can be precarious, and it’s important to make sure that it’s done properly to avoid damaging the wood of your deck.
A sealer for a wooden deck is not the same as a stain, even though they both will protect the wood from the elements. It’s the differences, however, that determine whether it’s a deck sealing vs. staining task. In this article, we’ll look at what a deck sealer and stain are, their different types, some pros, and cons, whether you need to seal or stain a deck, plus what the best product is.
Deck stain is similar to deck sealer, except it offers more protection from the sun, minimizing the graying of the wood. Stains are water or oil-based and range from semi-transparent to opaque, with darker, more solid colors offering better UV protection. A stain can enhance the color of the wood and provide a more consistent pallet.
After applying the solution, remove dirt with a scrub brush, working in small sections. Finish by using a water hose to clear away the grime and the solution from the deck. Let your deck dry for two to three days before replacing furniture and resuming using it. i, Stock, This one project will make a huge difference.
A simple job on a small deck could cost around or alarge job that includes repairing and sealing could cost as much as . The size of your deck influences the cost of staining more than almost any other factor. More deck space means more labor, materials, and work, all of which have a price tag.
If you’re worried about the many details of making sure the deck staining is done right, or you just want the peace of mind of hiring a painting professional, it may be worth finding a contractor near you. Ensure any professional is licensed and insured, especially when it comes to decking work.
If there is a build up of old stains on the deck then the job gets a little tougher but not impossible. You can use a stain stripper which will remove most weathered stains in a single application. Lastly, if there are small spots of stain that won’t come off during the cleaning process, they should sand off easily.
When you start applying colours on top of other colours, the results can be risky… I’ve been called in to fix decks that have had different colour coatings on top of existing stains and it’s resulted in weird dark colours that look like there’s moisture trapped under the surface. Your deck can come out looking blotchy.
The stain will cover between 150 to 400 ft² and last up to 3-years on horizontal surfaces and 4-years on siding and fences. Deck sealing will protect the wood from splitting, cracking, moisture, mildew, and rot while maintaining the color and grain of the wood. A stain will protect the wood and provides a more uniform tint or color to the wood to complement surrounding structures.
Keep a fire extinguisher nearby to put out any fire that may arise. Then place a fire-resistant grill mat between your grill and your deck to protect the wood from charcoal or embers that may fall onto the deck. Another option is to install fire-resistant decking and framing to minimize the possibility of fires on your deck.
Never put stain on a painted deck… Stain needs to absorb into the surface of your decking boards to make sure your deck is protected properly and also so it looks great. Any time you put a coat of stain on top of paint, the paint will stop the stain from soaking into the surface.
Pros Last up to 5 year Rot, mold and mildew resistant Protects against UV and sun damage Multiple color and tint choices and hides wood discoloration Cons Surface to be stained should be washed and let dry Hides wood grain May take multiple applications to get desired tone or color A deck sealer is a clear or slightly tinted water or oil-based product.
It won’t provide any protection for your decking boards. Not only that, the stain won’t mask any blemishes on your deck. It will actually make it look worse. So, never stain over a painted deck… Whenever you paint a deck, the most important part is the preparation. If you want the paint to stick to the surface of your decking boards then you need to make sure all previous coatings are removed and the surface is cleaned then primed before you paint.
Be sure to ask your professional for the cost per square foot when obtaining a quote. Before embarking on any home improvement project, it’s important to break down the cost for every aspect of the job, and deck staining is no different. Among the things to consider are: A professional may want to inspect for damage before staining the deck.
