How to properly stain my deck

What to expect with my stained deck.

When staining a deck you have to have expectations that meet the work being done and products being used.

Living in the Northeast our homes and decks are under all types of weather, snow, rain, ice, extreme heat and with any wood surface they are also freezing when they absorb moisture, defrosting expanding and contracting. 

Not to mention we shovel them, our pets walk on them and typically we entertain on them.

With all of this abuse, you should expect yearly maintenance.

That may be washing every year to remove mildew and dirt or repainting or staining the floor and top rails that are exposed to the harshest abuse.

The lifespan of a deck

To expect a deck in our area to last year after year without any upkeep is setting yourself up for a disappointment. No contractor around can promise a long-term warranty on an exterior deck in our area.

What products?

Now selecting different products will certainly help, a semi-transparent penetrating stain can last much longer than a solid coating in some instances. We are referring to the stains that absorb into the wood and do not leave a clear film on top. That kind of stains will peel and a penetrating stain will fade.

The other benefit of a penetrating stain is you can simply come back, wash it and coat it again rather than the sanding or stripping required with most stains.

You can also select a solid stain, you will see no wood grain, it holds up very well but again expect to possibly re doing the floor and top rails every year or two. Solid stains may peel and typically it is because of moisture.

Knowing what to expect on any painting project can make for a successful one, but having expectations that are simply not possible can set things up for resentment, anger and blaming the contractor for something that is not controllable.