The deck job in pieces
A deck re-stain looks like one job but is several: cleaning the wood, removing old finish where needed, fixing boards and fasteners, then applying the stain to floors, railings, stairs and sometimes the framing underneath. Each piece varies from deck to deck, which is why a painter in Helena, Montana usually wants to see a deck before quoting it. This page explains what moves the price. It lists no prices.
Size and parts
The floor area of the deck is the starting point, but it's rarely the biggest factor:
- Railings and balusters. A railing with many thin spindles can take longer than the floor below it.
- Stairs. Treads, risers and stringers each have edges and ends to coat.
- Skirting, joists and posts. Some homeowners want the visible framing stained too.
- Built-ins. Benches, planters and pergolas add detailed surfaces.
Ask the painter to list what's included.
Cleaning, stripping and brightening
Stain needs clean, sound wood. Graying, dirt and mildew come off with a deck cleaner and rinsing. Old stain that's peeling or blotchy may need a stripper, which is a bigger and messier step. A brightener after stripping restores the wood's color and prepares it to absorb the new coat. Sanding can smooth raised grain and splinters. The condition of the old finish is the main thing that decides whether a deck needs a light clean or a full strip, and so the main variable in the quote.
Water for washing
The City of Helena's 2024 Consumer Confidence Report says Helena's water comes from the Missouri River Treatment Plant east of the city and the Tenmile Water Treatment Plant west of it, plus the Eureka Well at Cruise and Park avenues, a groundwater source the city says needs no further treatment. It's printed here as the city states it. A deck cleaning uses plenty of rinse water; ask how the crew will keep cleaner and stripper runoff out of gardens and storm drains, and how long the wood will dry before staining.
Drying conditions
In an average year at Helena, NOAA counts about 0 hours with the wet-bulb temperature above 73°F and about 6 hours above 67°F. Those are NOAA's engineering weather data for Helena.
Stains and their labels set limits on temperature, moisture in the wood and direct sun during application. In practice, the wood should be dry before staining and kept dry for the drying time the label states. Applying stain to a deck board that's hot from full sun can make it dry before it soaks in, leaving lap marks. Many painters work in sections, keeping a wet edge along whole boards and staying out of the strongest sun. Ask how they plan the work on your deck.
Repairs
Before staining, a painter or carpenter may:
- replace cracked or rotten boards;
- reset or replace popped nails and loose screws;
- tighten wobbly railing posts;
- sand splintered areas.
Ask whether repairs are included or priced separately, and who does them.
Stain type and coats
- Transparent and toner stains show the most grain and wear the fastest.
- Semi-transparent stains show grain with more color and protection.
- Solid stains cover like paint but tend to wear rather than peel.
Many decks take two thin coats of a penetrating stain; solids may need two coats as well. The deck's history matters: going from a solid back to a semi-transparent usually means stripping. Our deck and fence staining page explains the choices.
Painted railings and older coatings
EPA runs the Renovation, Repair and Painting program in states it has not authorized; Montana does not appear on the list printed here of states running their own EPA-authorized programs. If a deck has old painted railings or trim attached to an older house, scraping them may disturb old paint. Ask how chips will be contained and collected rather than left in the soil under the deck.
Comparing deck bids
- What's included: floor, railings, stairs, framing, built-ins.
- Clean only, or strip and brighten.
- Repairs included, and who does them.
- Which stain, which opacity, and how many coats.
- How runoff is handled and how long the wood dries first.
- How the deck is kept off-limits while it dries.
For more cost drivers across painting jobs, read the pricing guide.