Deck Cleaning & Staining in Bowmanville, ON

First Stain on a Young Subdivision Deck

Fresh pressure-treated lumber is wet from the treatment, and stain can't soak into wood that's still saturated, so the first season after a deck is built usually isn't the time. Once the boards have dried out, the clock starts. UV breaks down the surface fibres and turns them grey, and each freeze-thaw cycle opens small checks that let more water in. On a young deck in the newer parts of town, a few years of that is enough to rough up the surface.

Catching a deck at this stage keeps deck staining simple. There's no old finish to strip, just dirt, mildew and the grey layer to wash off, then a sanding once the wood dries so the stain goes on evenly. Expect $400 to $800 to clean and stain a standard 10x12 deck, depending on its condition and the stain you choose. Stairs and railings add to that.

Near downtown, deck refinishing is a bigger job. Decks behind the older homes have often been stained a few times already, and if the last coat is peeling, it has to come off before anything new goes on, or the fresh stain fails right along with it. We usually suggest a semi-transparent stain for Ontario weather because it soaks in instead of forming a film that can flake.

Pedro handles deck cleaning, sanding and staining. For how he approaches deck cleaning & staining in general, see our deck cleaning & staining page.