Harsh sunlight, constant rain, or extreme weather can make your deck look worn, fade its color, and might reduce your property value. That’s why it’s vital to take care of your older wood decking and prevent any dryness, cracking, or graying. But even if you take your wood deck repair seriously, it’s easy to fall into some of the pitfalls. Those include: using a sealer instead of a stain or applying the new stain directly over the old boards. That’s why here is a guide to picking the perfect stain for your type of wood decking.
- Oil vs. Water
First off, it’s essential to choose what kind of wood decking you’ll need. There are currently two prevalent types of stains on the market: oil-based and water-based. Each comes with certain advantages, as well as some downsides.
- Oil-based ones repel water, reduce the risk of molds, helps prevent wrapping or cracking of the wood, and costs around $30 per gallon. However, they’re flammable until they dry, which can take up to two days. The tools will also require treatment with a strong-smelling solvent after use.
- A different, new kind of deck stain, is the water-based one. It’s more environmentally friendly, cleans up better, and dries in approximately 3 hours. The catch is the price, however, usually costing twice as much, so approximatively $60 per gallon.
Consider well, which of them would be more appropriate for you. Still, oil-based decking will help prevent further damage, while alleviating any signs of old age.
- Protection
You’d have to spend less time on outdoor deck repair if you decide to use a product that offers extra protection. Most deck stains protect your deck by default against water. But great ones are those that also can protect against UV rays, which is the leading cause of fading and cracks in your wood. The best ones complete the protection package by incorporating substances that can protect against mildew stains and black mold, which often leads to rotting in the wood. These can ramp up the price by around $12 per gallon, increasing your total deck painting cost. Still, the added protection will serve as insurance against future damage, which is always a worthy investment.
Here it depends on your budget, but going up to at least protection from sun rays is highly recommended.
- Transparency
Finally, you should decide what kind of color you want your outdoor deck paint to have. However, opacity also dictates how often you will have to reapply the stain and how much protection it would realistically confer. Additionally, an opaquer stain means less wood grain would be visible. There are usually four different kinds of opacities to choose from: opaque, semi-opaque, semi-transparent, and transparent. The more opaque or solid the stain, the more color and protection it offers. Similarly, the more see-through the stain, the more often you’ll need to reapply it, and the more noticeably the wood grain will be.
Older wood grain tends to be less appealing, so a semi-opaque coating is recommended.
Once you select the perfect stain, all that’s left is to apply it. Now, as you may have guessed, some parts of the process can be either dangerous, unpleasant to deal with, or just awfully time-consuming. That’s where we come in – you can rely on our experts to provide the best staining experience among all deck repair companies. You’ll be amazed when you come back and see your old deck shining like brand new.
