Bringing an older DeForest deck back to a stain that lasts

Decks from the 1980s and 1990s

A deck built with a 1990s house may have worn several finishes by now, often of different kinds: a clear sealer for the first few years, a semitransparent stain later, then a solid stain or deck paint once the boards started looking rough. Each choice made sense at the time, but they don't all stack well on top of each other.

Older decks are also further along in their own weathering. Boards have checked and cupped, fasteners have worked loose, and the gray layer on any bare wood runs deeper. None of that rules out refinishing, but it shapes the job, and the first step is working out what's on the wood now and whether the boards underneath are still sound.

Peeling solid stain or paint: why it fails in sheets

Paint and solid-color stain form a film on top of the wood instead of soaking in. The Forest Products Laboratory's Wood Handbook recommends against solid-color stain on decks and other horizontal surfaces unless the product is formulated for them, since such stains don't resist abrasion well and usually fail by flaking.

Deck boards swell and shrink with every rain and dry spell, shoes wear through the high spots, and once water gets under a crack in the film, it lifts the coating from below. So a deck film rarely wears away gracefully. It lets go in patches and strips, usually worst where water sits: around planters, at board ends and along the steps.

A new coat rolled over a peeling one only bonds to the loose layer underneath, so it comes up with that layer the following year.

Going back to a semitransparent stain: stripping first

Most owners of a peeling deck want a stain that soaks in and simply gets renewed every few years. That's possible, but not by coating over the problem. The Wood Handbook says a semitransparent stain doesn't work over solid-color stain or old paint, and that where a finish is badly cracked and peeling, stripping all of it from that area is usually the best course.

Stripping is the longest part of refinishing an older deck, and the handbook describes it as time-consuming, often difficult work; the spots where the film is still tightly stuck take the most effort. Once the wood is bare and dry, a penetrating semitransparent stain can go on.

From then on, the deck can be kept up with cleaning and a fresh coat instead of another strip. Our post on how to stain a deck covers the staining steps themselves.

Soft, split or loose boards

Before any stain decision, the boards have to be worth staining. The North American Deck and Railing Association's checklist suggests probing damp or suspect spots with a screwdriver: if it sinks a quarter to half an inch with little effort, or the wood feels spongy, decay may be present. Start with board ends, the boards around posts and the stair treads, where water lingers longest.

Soft, deeply split or loose boards should be replaced before the deck is stained, since stain only protects sound wood. Board replacement and anything structural, like a wobbly railing or a tired ledger, is carpentry, and NADRA's advice for structural problems is to call in a deck builder or home inspector.

Mention any boards you're unsure about when you call; George will give you his honest read once he's seen the deck.

Cedar or treated pine: cleaning each one gently

The Forest Products Laboratory notes that most decks are pressure-treated lumber or a naturally durable wood such as western redcedar, and the two need slightly different handling. Treated pine is heavier and harder, often with a green or brown cast. Cedar is lighter, softer and reddish under its gray.

Both are easy to damage with too much force. The lab cautions that power washing or harsh scrubbing with a caustic cleaner can tear wood from the surface, with softer woods like cedar suffering most. Cedar has a chemistry quirk too: Purdue Extension warns that steel wool and wire brushes leave tiny iron particles that react with the wood and turn into dark blue-black spots under the new stain.

A stiff bristle brush, a cleaner suited to the wood and a thorough rinse do the job on either one. If your deck is cedar, our post on choosing a stain for cedar decks explains why a penetrating stain suits it.

How long refinishing an older deck takes

Smaller exterior projects like decks usually take one to three days of work, and an older deck with a film to strip lands at the long end of that or past it. The calendar stretches further because of drying: after cleaning, the Forest Products Laboratory suggests giving the wood at least two warm, windy days before stain goes on, and nobody can book those to the day.

That's why exterior work is scheduled around dry weather rather than a fixed date, with the temperature limits coming from the stain's label. Railings, steps and lattice add brushwork, and a deck that needs boards replaced first waits for the carpenter. The written quote is the price, no extra charge if the job takes longer than expected.

Our outdoor work covers decks, exterior doors, garage doors and trim; whole-house siding isn't part of it. See our deck and exterior page, or schedule a free estimate.

More in DeForest

• Painting in DeForest
• Cabinet refinishing in DeForest
• Interior painting in DeForest
• Decks and exterior, the full service page

Decks and exterior nearby

• Decks and exterior in Waunakee
• Decks and exterior in Windsor
• Decks and exterior in Sun Prairie

Helpful guides

• Choosing a stain for your cedar deck
• Staining a deck yourself: clean, dry, then keep a wet edge