Deck staining cost

What deck staining costs

The spread comes almost entirely from preparation. Cleaning and brightening a weathered deck is quick; sanding out a peeling finish or stripping failed solid stain is slow, and it is the part most estimates leave vague.

Choosing a stain

• Transparent and semi-transparent. Show the wood grain, soak in rather than forming a film, and wear gradually, so recoating is easy. They need recoating more often.
• Solid stain. Looks like paint and hides worn boards, but forms a film that can peel on horizontal surfaces, and peeling solid stain is expensive to remove.
• Oil or water based. Oil penetrates well and is easy to maintain; modern water-based stains dry faster and clean up with water. Stay with the same type the deck already has unless it is stripped.

Balconies and decks in strata buildings

In a strata, your balcony or deck is usually limited common property, and bylaws often set the finish and colour so the building looks uniform. Ask the strata before staining. Balconies and roof decks surfaced with a vinyl or liquid membrane are part of the building envelope and are not stained at all; damage to a membrane should be reported to the strata.

How a deck is stained properly

1. Repair first: replace split or soft boards and reset raised fasteners. See replacing deck boards.
2. Clean with a deck cleaner, and use a brightener on weathered grey wood. Pressure washing, if used, is done at low pressure so it does not raise the grain.
3. Let the deck dry completely, typically a day or two of dry weather.
4. Sand any fuzzy grain or peeling finish.
5. Apply stain in thin coats, a few boards at a time along their full length, and back-brush so it soaks in evenly.
6. Keep foot traffic off until it has cured, and furniture off for longer.

Timing it around Vancouver's rain

A deck needs at least 48 hours of dry weather before it is stained, and the stain needs another 24 to 48 hours to cure. That makes late spring to early fall, roughly May to September, the realistic window; from October to March there are rarely enough dry days in a row. May and September are often easier to book than midsummer.

Decks under trees and on the north side of a house grow moss and green algae over the winter. All of it has to be cleaned off and the wood fully dried first, because stain applied over growth or damp wood peels within a season.

Staining new wood

New pressure-treated lumber is too wet to stain right away. Wait until water soaks in instead of beading on the surface, which can take weeks to a few months, and longer if the deck was built in the wet season. Western red cedar, the most common wood decking in BC, can usually be finished sooner. Staining too early traps moisture and the finish fails.

How often to re-stain

A good professional job typically lasts two to four years in Vancouver's climate, less on a shaded deck that stays damp. A recoat before the finish is completely worn costs far less than a strip and restain. If boards are soft or the frame is rotting, fix that first; see deck repair cost. Fences follow a similar schedule: see fence staining cost.