Deck staining and sealing in Greenville and Spartanburg

What our deck staining includes

Deck boards take the most abuse of any wood on the property: sun, standing water, and feet. We clean, stain, and seal them in one job, and we stain boards, stairs, and rails as one color so the deck ages together.

Greyed or peeling decks are deck restoration first: wash, sand what needs it, then stain. Get a price range in a minute with the deck staining cost calculator, read what deck staining costs, or see deck staining in Greenville.

Decks, porches, and stairs. We clean the wood, sand the rough spots, and use stains that hold up to Upstate sun, rain, and foot traffic. Rails and stairs get the same care as the floor.

• Cleaning and sanding matched to the condition of the wood
• Stains built for moisture and UV
• Rails, stairs, and boards finished as one
• Flat-rate quote in writing before we start

Step by step, in detail

• We check the condition. Moisture, worn traffic lanes, and any old coating. That tells us how much prep the deck needs and whether the new stain will bond.
• We clean and sand. Wash the deck, sand where the wood is rough or the old finish is failing. Skipping this is why decks peel.
• We stain for traffic. Deck boards get sun, rain, and feet. We use a penetrating stain that wears down slowly instead of peeling in sheets.

Power washing and staining in one job

The wash and the stain are one job with one price. We soft wash rather than blast the boards with high pressure, which tears up the grain. A cleaner lifts the grey and mildew, a brightener opens the wood, and the deck dries before we stain.

The wash adds $1.25 a square foot, and usually about a day for drying. If the old finish is peeling, it needs stripping or sanding instead, at $2.85 a square foot.

Sealing or staining?

With the stains we use, it is the same coat. A penetrating oil stain seals the wood and colors it at once, so there is no separate sealer to buy.

Clear sealers have little or no pigment, so the sun still greys the boards, and the U.S. Forest Service puts the life of clear water-repellent finishes at 1 to 2 years. Pigment is what protects the wood.

Deck painting is the other request we get. A lot of people call a solid-color deck painting. Paint peels under foot traffic, so we use a solid stain when you want that look, mostly on decks that already have a solid finish holding.

Railings and stairs

Rails, balusters, and stairs are hand work, and they get the same stain as the floor so the whole deck ages together. At the Essential level railings are $6.00 a foot and stairs $25.00 a step, on top of $4.00 a square foot for the floor.

A 200 sq ft deck with 30 ft of railing and 4 steps, washed first, usually runs $1,250 to $1,475. A pergola or porch next to the deck is pergola and porch staining, often quoted on the same visit.

Oil or water-based

Decks get a penetrating oil unless they already have a water-based product on them: Exotic Timber Oil at the Essential level, EXPERT Stain & Seal or EXPERT Log & Timber Oil as upgrades. If your deck already has a water-based stain, we stay with water-based, starting with Sherwin-Williams SuperDeck waterborne. We test what is on the wood at the estimate.