A deck is not a floor
Indoors, a floor finish faces foot traffic. A deck faces foot traffic plus sun, rain, standing water, leaves and freezing nights, often with no roof over it. That's why decks need re-staining more often than most painted surfaces and why the price swings so much between one deck and the next. This guide covers what a painter weighs when pricing a re-stain in Chattanooga.
The weather a deck lives with
NOAA's climate normals put average annual precipitation at Chattanooga Lovell Airport at 55.00 inches, with 3.6 inches of snowfall. The same normals show an average of 56.2 days a year with a low temperature of 32°F or below.
Those normals bear on cost in two ways. First, wood that's wet doesn't take stain, so the crew needs dry days both before and after application; that affects scheduling and sometimes the number of trips. Second, water that freezes in checks and open end grain works the wood apart over time, which shows up as splits and raised grain that need sanding before the next coat.
Cleaning and stripping
Every re-stain starts with cleaning. How much depends on what's on the deck now:
- A faded semi-transparent stain usually needs a deck cleaner and a rinse.
- Mildew, algae or grey weathered wood needs a cleaner and often a brightener to restore the color.
- A peeling solid stain or paint may need chemical stripping or heavy sanding to get back to wood that will take new stain evenly.
Stripping is the big cost swing. Ask the painter which category your deck falls in and what product they'll use.
Sanding
After cleaning, many decks get a light sanding to knock down raised grain and splinters. Badly weathered decks may need more. Railings and balusters are slow to sand by hand, and they often take more time than the walking surface.
Repairs
Loose nails, popped screws, cracked planks and soft spots turn up during cleaning. Small fixes, such as resetting fasteners, are often part of the job. Replacing planks, stair treads or rail sections is carpentry, and the proposal should say whether it's included or priced separately.
Choosing the stain
Stains run from clear sealers to semi-transparent and solid color. A clear finish shows the most grain and generally needs recoating the soonest. A semi-transparent stain balances color and grain. A solid stain hides the grain and behaves more like paint, which means it can peel and is harder to change later. Moving from a solid stain back to a semi-transparent usually means stripping. Our deck and fence staining page explains the trade-offs.
Size, shape and access
Price follows the area of the walking surface, but not only that:
- Railings, balusters and posts add a lot of brushwork.
- Stairs, especially open ones, take time to coat all sides.
- Multi-level decks and ones high off the ground need more ladder work.
- Lattice skirting and planters are slow detail work.
- Furniture, grills and planters have to be moved off.
Timing the job
Stain needs a dry surface and a few dry hours after it goes on, and most labels set a minimum temperature too. Crews often avoid staining in full midday sun, which can dry the stain before it soaks in. A proposal that sets a window rather than a fixed date is being honest about weather.
Questions to ask
1. Is my deck a clean-and-coat, or does it need stripping? 2. Is sanding included, and how much? 3. Which repairs are included? 4. Which stain, what opacity and how many coats? 5. How long should we stay off it afterward?
For the general cost picture, see the pricing guide. A callback request puts you in touch with one independent local painter in Chattanooga when you want a deck looked at.