Why in the world would you stain a deck??

I get it, staining a deck is a real pain in the you know what…

You just did it like 12 months ago…

Come on, do you really need to stain your deck every year??

Can’t you just leave it without stain?

Why stain a deck in the first place??

Well, the reason why you should stain a deck is because, if you don’t, your decking boards will split and crack which leads to timber rot. Your deck boards will become so soft and brittle, you could possibly fall straight through them…

The only way to prevent this is to do annual deck maintenance…

It’s not only dangerous to leave your deck unprotected and allow it to get damaged and brittle in the weather, it also costs you a fortune to replace it…

And, you WILL need to replace it if you don’t stain your deck…

This is what a hardwood deck looks like after 10 years without stain…

You can see the surface of the deck is brittle and missing chunks…

Can you also see those splits in the boards?

Well those cracks allow the rain to soak deep into the timber and cause it to rot…

The only way to fix it is to rip it up and replace the rotten boards…

How about this pine deck that was 12 years old…

This is a soft wood similar to your typical cedar decking…

Treated Pine and Cedar decks could last 25 years if you decide not to stain them…

But it can still be risky if you live in an area that has a lot of moisture or rainfall…

If your deck is built close to the ground and you don’t have proper ventilation under it, your decking boards could start to warp and buckle out of shape within 10 years…

When your boards start cracking and splitting, it makes it easier for the rain to settle in there and cause rot…

And don’t even think about filling those cracks with wood filler…

That’s not going to end well…

You might be thinking that it’s much easier to replace a few boards here and there rather than stain your deck every year…

Well, there’s one small, tiny problem with this…

When those boards start to rot, it spreads to the support timbers underneath your boards…

You know the frame that your decking boards sit on?

And once that water rot gets into your frame, you’ll have to pull the whole deck apart and build it from scratch…

Just like this deck here…

This deck was stained but the owners didn’t keep up the yearly staining so the boards started to rot…

They got so bad that they didn’t feel safe walking on the deck…

And for good reason…

The timber frame underneath their decking boards had severe water rot as well…

I had to pull the entire decking down and rebuild it from the ground up…

I won’t say how much this decking cost to pull down and rebuild but let’s just say it was over $20,000.00…

Now, I’m no maths wiz but I’d say that it’s much cheaper to apply a coat of deck stain every year than it is to build a whole new deck every 10 years…

Wouldn’t you agree?

If you think you need an expert to stain a deck for you, listen to this first…

I have to confess something…

I restore decks for a living but I hate decks…

Hold on, let me finish…

I love the way a deck looks once it’s been sanded back and stained…

But what I really hate is how someone like yourself will pay me $4000.00 to sand and stain a deck but then it only lasts for 18 months…

Maybe 2 years if you’re lucky…

Most people stain their decks themselves, they fade after 8 months and then they think they did something wrong…

They think they need an expert to do it for them…

You would think that a restored deck that was done by a decking pro that costs thousands of dollars would last for at least 10 years, right?

Well it’s not usually the case and that really doesn’t sit well with me…

That’s why, before I do a deck restoration for anyone, I always let them know the truth about decks and deck stain…

Here’s the truth…

Depending on where your deck is located…

Or how much it’s exposed to the sun and rain…

And how much foot traffic it gets…

Or if you have dogs that run all over the deck..

You could use the best stain available and pay the best deck restorer thousands of dollars…

You could do everything right and your deck could still only last 6 months…

But here’s what most deck experts won’t tell you…

As soon as you notice any type of damage or fading to your stain, you need to recoat… 

It’s called deck maintenance…

And deck maintenance is the real key to a deck stain that will last 10 years plus…

The moment you notice your deck starting to lose its colour, you need to give it a clean and apply another coat of stain…

It could be 6 months or it could be 18 months…

Your guess is as good as mine…

But if you coat your decking before the damage gets really bad, your deck will always look fantastic…

Now make sure that when you apply your maintenance coat that you use my infamous “Brush on Brush off Technique”…

I’ve seen so many people mess up their decks with the maintenance coat, it’s not funny…

Staining a deck with thick coats is not the way…

Always use The Brush on Brush off technique to get the perfect coat every time…

It’s the only way…

And that, my friend, is why you need to stain a deck… Every year!

I hope I’ve convinced you to stain your deck…

If you stay on top of the annual recoat, staining your deck doesn’t have to be a hassle…

If you have any other concerns or questions about why you must stain a deck, then leave me a comment below and I’ll do my best to get back to you…

I think that’s about all for today…

I’ll see you in our next episode…

Peace,

Jason