With the weather being on the warmer side, it’s time to sit on the deck. There’s nothing better than spending the long summer nights with family or friends, a drink in hand. You’ll need to do some maintenance to keep your deck in great shape so you can use it longer and keep your home’s curb appeal and value. Deck cleaning and restaining are both critical parts of home maintenance.
But you need time, tools, energy, and at least a weekend to do an excellent job of staining a deck. We get it if you’d rather do something else on the weekend than restain your deck. And we’ll take care of you. Here are reasons why you should consider paint services to stain your deck for you.
Options for Deck Refinishing
Refinishing a deck keeps it looking nice and protects it from damage caused by water, which makes it last longer. When people want to refinish their decks, they often wonder if they should stain, paint, or seal. This summary might help you decide what to do if you’ve had a similar problem.
Paint
This option is not exactly the number choice of experts. Paint doesn’t let the wood breathe, so as the temperature changes and the wood swells and shrinks, the paint is likely to crack, leaving your wooden deck open to the weather. Instead, you can use solid-color stains to make a finish that looks like it was painted.
Seal
Using a sealant is a good idea if you want to show off the deck’s natural wood grain. A clear-coating sealant is applied on wood to protect it. It will protect the wood surface to some degree from UV light. It’s a great choice if you like the way the wood looks the way it is and want a layer of protection. Since the sealant is clear, flaking and chipping won’t show up as easily against the grain, but it also doesn’t last very long.
Stain
Staining is the best way to maintain a deck’s natural wooden appearance. Wood stain fills some of the wood’s pores and forms a thin layer over the deck. This thin layer lets the wood’s surface cracks and grain pattern show through, giving the deck an earthy, natural look. But if you want to hide your deck’s flaws while keeping it looking rustic, a solid stain with a lot of colors is a good choice.
Signs that Your Deck Needs Refinishing
Pour a small amount of water on several spots on your wooden deck to see if the wood is ready to be refinished. If the wood gets darker or absorbs the water in less than ten minutes, it’s time to stain it. If, on the other hand, water beads up on the deck’s surface after 10 minutes and doesn’t soak in, you can wait to apply a new stain or remove the old finish.
Over the years, decks usually get a lot of wear and tear. No matter if your deck has been damaged by direct sunlight or a lot of people walking on it, there will come a time when you won’t be able to refinish it.
You might not have to replace it for a while, but you might have to sooner than you think. Here are some times when refinishing the deck isn’t enough:
Visible Damage: If you see cracks, holes, or broken boards in the wood, it’s time to get a new piece of wood to make the deck strong again.
Evident Decay: Rotting wood can sneak up on you and ruin your whole deck. If you find one rot spot, check the entire deck carefully and replace the rotten wood with high-quality wood.
Rusty Fixtures: Check for rust on the fixtures while you look for rot. The fixtures and fittings are probably rusty and weak if you’ve had your house for a long time. Replace them as soon as you can to keep the structure from falling apart
Reasons to Get an Expert to Do the Job
Expert painters use better tools and supplies. Decks that professionals stain can last a lot longer than decks that aren’t stained well. Here are some more reasons why it might be worth it to pay more to have painting services refinish your deck:
Staining Tools & Supplies
To restain a deck, you need the same tools and materials as for any other big DIY project. For example, if you want to clean, you’ll need a Shop-Vac, a deck cleaner, an orbital sander, and a power washer. When the deck is ready to be stained, you’ll need the stain, a deck sealer, paint brushes, or a stain applicator with pads. Deck staining services like CCT Apex Housepainters will have all of these tools and materials, and they are usually of higher quality than what homeowners can buy (or want to spend the money on and store).
Save Time & Effort
Refinishing an entire deck is not as easy as the internet makes it look or sound. Unless you are used to doing long, laborious work, restaining your deck is better done by seasoned professionals. Hiring a service to stain your deck saves you the time it would take you to do it yourself. Plus, most services that stain decks come with a crew, which cuts down on their time and gets you a stained deck faster than you could do on your own.
Avoid Mistakes
Pro painters are just that: professionals. They know how to clean and stain a deck so well that you won’t have to do it again. If you’ve never restained a patio before, it might take you longer, or you might make mistakes that cost you money and mean you have to do it over. A professional painter can do the job right the first time, relieving you of the stress and giving you a better project than you could do yourself.
Need Some Help?
At CCT Apex House Painters, your project will be handled by a dedicated project coordinator. Power washing your deck can alleviate the stress of renovations, whether big or small and allow you to spend more quality time with loved ones. Request a free quote and find out how today!
