Sealing & Staining a Deck

Deck sealing is an important step to take to ensure that your deck is protected. It is best performed during good weather conditions from spring through fall or whenever you sense a 48 hour period of dry weather. Most deck stains and sealers require a string of dry days for proper application and drying.

Sealing and Staining Benefits:

• Protects your deck from harmful elements.
• Improves the visual appeal.
• Sealing CCA (chromate copper arsenate) treated lumber reduces exposure to arsenic.
• It adds value to your home.

Before applying a stain or sealer, it is best to thoroughly wash your deck. Using a power washer is a fast and effective way to wash your deck. After the proper drying period, you can return to seal your deck.

Before sealing, you should cover the surrounding landscaping with old cloth sheets. For those of you worried about your siding, cover the bottom 2-3 feet for extra safety. Also, it’s a good idea to tape off any windows with newspaper so you won't get any over-spray on the glass.

Once you have cleaned your deck and covered up the surrounding areas, you can begin to seal your deck. You can easily apply the sealer using a garden pump sprayer (1-2 Gallon). Below are a few tips to follow when sealing your deck.

• To avoid making a mess and spilling sealer on the ground, fill the sprayer over a garbage bag.
• In order to prevent puddles of sealer from forming on the floor of your deck, always back roll the floor with a roller. Warning* If you let the puddles of sealer dry, they will tend to have a milky color or even crystallize.
• Make note, if you use a clear sealer you will most definitely need to repeat this process every year.
• Purchasing a sealer or stain with an ultra violet (UV) protecting chemical will help keep your deck from turning gray.
• To help use sealer efficiently, it is best to seal the inside of the railing first from the deck. Spray the sealer lightly up and down and to the side on a 45 degree angle. When it comes to staining a deck, it is recommended that you do not use a power sprayer. This is mainly because power sprayers create a lot of over spray and that over spray will be very hard to remove if it gets in the wrong places. Below are a few tips to follow when staining your deck.
• Use a roller for the floor and a brush for the railings and benches. Brushing will give better penetration and performance.
• A rag, sponge or lambs wool works well for applying stain to the railings.
• Stains are either "tinted" (tints enhance the wood color) or "semitransparent" (offers beautiful sheen and durable protection for long periods of time).
• Most deck stains are sealers mixed with a stain and can be applied in one step.
• Keep in mind; if your stain does not include a sealer you will still have to seal the deck as well.
• The longest lasting stains are "semitransparent" or “opaque.” They tend to last for two or three years. They also offer more hide than a transparent stain and work excellent on older woods that have been damaged or faded.
• Similar to sealing, you should always back roll the floor with a roller to stop puddles of the sealer from forming.