Protecting your deck this winter by staining it now

The Rochester area is a tough place for an outdoor deck. as a flat surface, it collects water and also bakes in the sun to a much higher degree than any vertical exterior wall does. It gets walked on, furniture is moved around on it, pets claw at it. In the fall it hosts wet leaves, in the winter it hosts layers of snow and ice, sometimes for weeks. While some decks are made from composite materials most are still made from raw lumber.

When your deck is first built, the wood is fresh from the lumberyard and it takes a few months for it to lose its moisture and “shrink” to the final dimensions it will maintain for years. If you just installed your deck you should wait for this to happen before staining it. Once the deck is dried out, then it’s time to stain. You definitely want to protect your deck with stain because the wood is simply too porous to last without it.

Staining a deck is what keeps it alive, the stain itself repels water and water is not what you want. Water gives you surface rot and it also gets between the wood grain and freezes causing the wood to pull apart and let even more water in. It’s a vicious cycle that results in a rotten deck.

In Rochester NY your deck is going to experience the full range of weather conditions that will test it to its limits. Your options are to go with a clear stain or progressively more solid stains depending on the final appearance you desire. If you have an existing deck you are going to need to stain it every few years depending on its appearance. The process of caring for an existing deck involves a few steps before staining.

For existing decks, the first step will likely involve pressure washing to blast off any dead finish layers, dirt, mold, and mildew, etc. Depending on the condition, you may need to first apply a stripper to the existing surfaces to remove any existing paint or stain. This is sometimes the first step used that will reveal the raw wood underneath that needs to be exposed for restaining. As an alternative to stripping the deck, it may just be manually sanded with a disc sander to knock off the old stain. Your deck may also need to have nails hammered back in or minor wood replacement, especially on railings, balusters, or stair treads as well as the deck boards themselves.

If you are using CertaPro Painters^® of West Rochester to perform the work you are going to be in good hands, they will make the determination as to exactly what steps are needed to get your existing deck back to its raw state.

The re-staining process will likely also involve prepping the balusters and railings. These are the areas that traditionally get stained first so that the team of painters can walk on the existing deck to access them on both sides. The vertical portions of your deck are of special concern because they are the most visible and if you have warped or broken balusters or railings the impact on your curb appeal will not be good. You want smooth railings that are stable, stairs that are stable, and decking that doesn’t rise and fall with each warped board.

Once everything is prepped the stain is applied, special care needs to be taken to avoid the stain getting on things like exterior walls, concrete decks, pavers, and walkways because it’s a stain we are talking about and its job is to stain things! Expect to see drop cloths used to protect other surfaces as well as plants that might be surrounding your deck.

The stain will dry fairly quickly and your deck should be safe to use in a matter of just a couple of days. The important difference at this point is not that your deck is going to look basically brand new but that it’s going to be protected from things like Rochester winters. While you are enjoying the rejuvenated look and planning your next deck party you will also be enjoying a deck that has had years of life added to it.

You can have your deck stained from the spring to the late fall but it may make the most sense to have it done in the fall, you might think that’s not a good time because you won’t get to enjoy it again for a few months but what you will be doing is protecting it from the coming winter. Letting it go till spring is gambling with its overall lifespan because the last deck you want to get buried under ice, leaves, and snow is the one that is in need of restaining right now.

If you live in the Rochester area and would like a free estimate on deck staining feel free to contact us, we are glad to come out and assess your deck, present you with options and schedule a time to not only beautify your deck but protect it and extend its life. Given the cost of a new deck, preserving the one you have in a timely fashion is money well spent.