floor sanding and polishing

How To Coat Your Deck

Lifestyle

Sealant, stain, and paint can be applied to the deck for varying degrees of protection. Before deck coating or painting, the deck surface must be prepared. All you must do is prepare the wood, wash it thoroughly and apply the stain.

If possible, you can also use a roller to apply the stain first and then apply it to the wood with a brush. Working with the wood grain, apply an even layer of stain with a 4″ brush. For best results with deck stains, wood must be thoroughly cleaned and dried.

floor sanding and polishing

You will know that it is time to paint the terrace when the drops of water splashed on the surface quickly soak into the wood. The stain needs time to soak into the wood before it dries completely, so avoid painting your deck in direct sunlight. Deck stain is similar to deck sealer, except it provides more protection from the sun and minimizes graying of the wood. To prepare your deck for staining you could give it a floor sanding and polishing.

Wood deck sealant is not the same as wood stain, although both will protect the wood from the weather. By penetrating the wood, Deck Sealant creates a protective layer that helps minimize water intrusion and retain moisture. Before sealing, the deck may need to be sanded to ensure that the deck sealer penetrates the wood properly. Deck sealant is usually a clear coating that penetrates deep into the wood and forms a clear film on the surface while maintaining the wood’s natural finish.

The best choice for finishing a wood deck is to use exterior woodwork paint. When you paint your deck, you are covering the entire surface of the wood with several thick matte finishes. Paint, both latex and oil based, can protect against UV and moisture, but the best patio paint tends to be short-lived as a sealer or stain. Deck painting can also help protect your deck by protecting it from water damage, rot, mould and other nasty problems.

If your deck is old and heavily weathered, a stain won’t work wonders. On an old terrace, before painting it is necessary to remove dirt, grey from the sun, mould and old stains.

Properly cleaning the wood before painting the deck will remove any mould or mildew spores and allow the wood stain to better adhere to the wood. If water is absorbed or repelled, if you decide to go ahead and paint, always apply a light wood paint stripper and then pressure wash the deck before any stains to make sure you prep the wood.

The bottom line is that you don’t need to let your wood deck or wood fence “age” before painting if you prep the wood before painting using a quality paint stripper and pressure washer. If you have a new treated wood deck, it’s best to wait a few weeks for the wood to dry completely so that the stain can soak in more fully.

Staining the new deck will give a more even colour or tone to the wood, and sealing will help keep the natural colour. Heavy sanding of the deck will not affect the absorption of the stain into the wood – the product is designed to absorb. If your deck is made of beautiful wood, the right shade and finish will accentuate it.

A quality wood stain will seal the wood structure, so moisture doesn’t seep into the wood deck and cause it to rot. Translucent stains are best for beautiful wood decks such as rich cedar and mahogany where you want to preserve the natural colour of the wood and show off its beauty.

Deck stain also provides water repellence and adds pigments to the wood in varying degrees of opacity, from translucent to hard. Instead of a combination product with stain and sealant, you can apply a simple stain to the deck and apply sealant after 48 hours for a similar level of protection.

If your deck has been painted or coated (big mistake), you will need to remove this high maintenance finish with a stripper before cleaning. If you applied a hard stain or clear sealant and then covered areas of the deck with flowerpots or furniture, those areas that are shaded from the sun need to be sanded. If these stains remain on the old deck, they will show through the new finish and ruin the final look of the deck.