A deck is many small surfaces
On paper a deck is a floor area. In practice the floor is the quick part. Railings with balusters, stair stringers and treads, the fascia boards around the edge, and any benches or planters all take brushwork, and the balusters alone can take longer than the boards they stand on. When you compare re-stain bids, check that both include the same parts:
- deck boards, the walking surface;
- railings, top caps and balusters;
- stairs, including stringers and risers;
- skirting or fascia;
- built-in seating, planters or a pergola.
Removing what's already there
The price turns most on the old finish and how much of it has to go. A deck with worn penetrating stain may need only cleaning and a fresh coat of the same type. A deck with peeling solid stain or paint usually needs stripping and sanding, because a penetrating stain can't soak through a film. Switching from a film-forming product back to a penetrating one is the most labor-heavy route. Ask what the painter plans to remove and how: chemical stripper, sanding, or both.
Cleaning and brightening
Grey, weathered wood often gets a cleaner to lift dirt and mildew, then a brightener to restore the wood's color before stain. Those are separate steps with their own products and rinse time. Pressure washing can raise grain and gouge soft wood if it's done hard; ask what pressure will be used and whether the boards will be sanded afterward.
Repairs before stain
Stain doesn't fix a deck. Loose or cupped boards, popped fasteners, split ends and soft spots should be dealt with first. Some painters reset fasteners and replace a few boards; work on joists, posts or the ledger is carpentry and belongs in a separate conversation. Ask the painter to list board repairs and how they're priced.
Kelso-Longview figures
NOAA's engineering weather data for Kelso-Longview lists a 50-year basic wind speed of 85 mph (3-second gust at 33 feet), a 100-year rainfall rate of 1.0 inches per hour and about 27 freeze-thaw cycles in an average year.
A deck is a flat surface open to all of it. In general terms, each freeze-thaw cycle works on water held in end grain and in checks in the boards, and a finish that has worn through lets more of it in. The rainfall rate is an engineering value for intense storms rather than a typical day, but it's a reminder that a deck needs a finish that sheds water and boards that drain.
For price, the weather matters mostly through the schedule. Stain needs dry wood going on and dry hours afterward, by the product's own label. A crew may clean one day and stain days later, once the wood has dried. Ask how the painter checks that the wood is dry enough and what happens if rain comes in between.
Product class and coats
- Clear and toner finishes show the wood and wear fastest.
- Semi-transparent stains add color and some protection from sun.
- Solid stains hide the grain, behave more like paint, and can peel the same way.
- Some products call for one coat, others for two applied wet on wet.
Ask which class and product is on the proposal, how many coats, and what its label says about recoating in later years. Our deck and fence staining page covers each in detail.
If the deck carries old paint
Some decks, railings and porch floors were painted rather than stained. Under EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule, anyone paid to do work that disturbs paint in homes, childcare facilities and preschools built before 1978 must hold RRP certification, firms included, even sole proprietorships, and their workers must be trained in lead-safe work practices. If old paint on your deck will be sanded or stripped and the home was built before 1978, ask how the painter will contain and collect the dust and chips. That containment and cleanup is part of the price.
Questions for the bid
- Which parts of the deck are included?
- Is the old finish being stripped, sanded, or cleaned only?
- What product, how many coats, and how long to dry?
- How are board repairs handled and priced?
- What happens if it rains between cleaning and staining?
The pricing guide explains what goes into painting prices generally.