Cleaning comes first
Before any stain goes on, the deck gets cleaned. That means the dirt and the gray, weathered surface on the boards, and it means the mildew.
Mildew grows where a deck stays damp longest: in shade, out of the wind, near plants. It’s what turns the corner by the planters or the strip under the eaves black. It stains wood black but doesn’t rot it, so once it’s cleaned off, the wood underneath is ready for stain.
Then the stain and sealing
Once the deck is clean and dry, we put a penetrating stain on the boards, the railing and the stairs. The railing and stairs aren’t an extra; they’re part of the job, because a deck with fresh boards and a gray railing doesn’t look finished.
If an old finish on the deck has failed and has to be stripped off first, that’s more work. Stripping a failed finish before staining costs more than the staining range.
How often a deck needs it
A wood deck wants a fresh coat of stain every few years. You’ll usually see it before you think about it: the boards start to look gray, the stain wears through where people walk, or the shady spots go dark again.
Signs a deck is ready for stain
Gray, weathered boards
On the coast, weathered wood often turns a silvery gray. If the whole deck has gone gray, it’s ready to be cleaned and stained.
Black spots in the shady corners
Those dark patches by the planters, under the eaves or behind the furniture are usually mildew. They come off in the cleaning.
Stain worn through where you walk
A deck lies flat under sun and weather, and flat wood is often the hardest hit. The paths you walk most, from the door to the stairs, usually show it first.
Boards that feel soft
If a board feels soft or spongy underfoot, that’s not a staining problem. That’s a board to look at before anything else, and our deck repair work handles it. We can do the repair and the staining in the same job.
Wood decks only
Staining and sealing is for wood decks: redwood, cedar and pressure-treated lumber. If you’re building new and still choosing the wood, see our redwood and wood decks page.
