Deck & Fence Staining
Stripping, brightening, sanding and re-staining decks, fences and pergolas for the Ontario freeze-thaw cycle.
- Free walkthrough
- Fixed written quote
- 1,000+ homes painted
A deck is the hardest-working painted surface on a property. It takes direct UV all summer, standing water every rainfall, freeze-thaw all winter, and foot traffic throughout. Nothing you put on it lasts as long as you would like, the honest planning horizon is two to four years for a horizontal surface, longer for a vertical fence.
Included
- Moisture check before any product goes on, wet wood will not accept a penetrating stain
- Stripping of failed film-forming coatings where present
- Cleaning with a wood-appropriate cleaner, then a brightener to neutralise and reopen the grain
- Sanding of horizontal walking surfaces and railings, which is where the wear shows
- Popped fastener re-setting and split-board flagging before staining
Not included
- Structural repair, joist replacement or board replacement, quoted separately as carpentry
- Composite decking, which does not accept stain
- Sealing of decks with active rot or failed structural fasteners
How we deliver it
- 01
Wood assessment
Species, age, moisture content and existing coating. New pressure-treated lumber has to weather for months before it will absorb anything, staining it early is money burned.
- 02
Strip and clean
Failed film coatings stripped. Then a wood cleaner to remove grey oxidised fibre, mildew and embedded dirt.
- 03
Brighten
An acidic brightener neutralises the alkaline cleaner and reopens the grain. Skipping this leaves the wood chemically hostile to the stain you are about to apply.
- 04
Sand what gets walked on
Horizontal boards and railings sanded. That is where wear shows and where a smooth surface actually matters underfoot.
Specification
- Substrates
- Pressure-treated pine, cedar, redwood, previously stained softwood
- Not suitable
- Composite decking, PVC, lumber installed under 6 months ago
- Cleaning
- Wood cleaner followed by an acidic brightener
- Wash-to-stain gap
- 48 hours minimum
- Product type
- Penetrating semi-transparent or solid stain
- Application
- Sprayed and back-brushed, or brushed
- Expected service life
- 2–4 years horizontal, 4–6 years vertical fencing
Questions
Full FAQShould I stain or paint my deck?
Stain, in almost every case. Paint forms a film on top of the wood, and when a film on a horizontal surface fails, which it will, under standing water and freeze-thaw, it peels, leaving you with a full stripping job before you can recoat. A penetrating stain soaks into the wood and wears away by fading instead of peeling, so recoating is a wash-and-apply weekend. Paint can make sense on vertical fencing or railings that never hold water.
How often does a deck need re-staining in Ontario?
Every two to four years for horizontal walking surfaces, four to six for vertical fencing. The difference is entirely about standing water and direct sun. Anyone promising you a five-year deck stain in this climate is describing a product datasheet from a milder place, not an Ontario backyard.
My deck is brand new. Can you stain it now?
Not if it is pressure-treated and recently installed. New PT lumber is saturated with treatment chemicals and mill glaze, and it will not absorb stain, the stain sits on the surface and wears off within a season. It needs roughly six months of weathering first. Cedar is more forgiving and can usually be stained after a light sanding within weeks.
Why do you need to wait 48 hours after washing?
Because a penetrating stain works by soaking into the wood, and wood that is still full of water has no room left to absorb anything. Staining a damp deck gives you a coating sitting on the surface that will peel within one season, which is the exact failure a penetrating stain is supposed to avoid. This is the most commonly skipped step in deck work and the most consequential.
- Exterior paintingSiding, trim, soffit and masonry repainting built around the short Ontario exterior season and the freeze-thaw cycle that follows it.→
- Stucco & brickStucco, brick and block coated with vapour-permeable masonry products that let the wall breathe instead of trapping moisture.→
- Epoxy floorsDiamond-ground, moisture-tested epoxy and polyaspartic floor systems for garages, basements and light commercial space.→
Get a fixed quote for deck & fence.
Free walkthrough, a fixed written quote, and no obligation to go ahead.
- 1,000+ homes painted
- Free walkthroughs
- Fixed written quotes
- Serving Toronto and the GTA