Deck Restoration & Staining
Deck staining in Minneapolis, St. Paul and across the metro — stripped back to clean wood, sanded flat, then stained and sealed for the way weather works here.
Before
After
Front porch floor — stripped, sanded, stained and sealed.
What's Covered
The whole deck, not just the floor
A deck is a floor, a set of railings, a run of stairs and a hundred edges where two boards meet. The floor is the easy part. Everything else is where a rushed job shows.
- Washing and brightening — the grey layer and whatever finish is left come off first, then a brightener to bring the colour back before anything goes on.
- Board inspection — we check every board for rot, soft spots, popped fasteners and splitting, and tell you what we find before we stain over it.
- Mechanical sanding — the whole walking surface, so it is flat, splinter-free and open enough for stain to soak in.
- Railings and balusters — done by hand. This is the slow part and it is the part people notice from the yard.
- Stairs and stringers — treads, risers and the sides, including the underside of the nosing.
- Stain and seal — back-brushed into the grain rather than sprayed on and left to sit.
More Deck Work
Boards, railings, stairs
Drag the handle on the left. On the right is what most of these surfaces look like the day we turn up — grey to the touch, mildew worked into the grain, the old finish long gone.
Before
After
What to Expect
Two to three days for most decks
A 300 square foot deck with simple railings is usually two days. Multi-level decks, heavy spindle work, or a finish that fights us on the way off can push it to three or four.
Before we arrive
Clear the deck of furniture, grills, planters and rugs. If you cannot, say so when you book and we will move it.
Day one
Plants and siding get covered, then wash and brighten. Expect noise, expect water, and expect the deck to look rough by the end of the afternoon.
Drying day
The wood has to come down to the right moisture content. We check it with a meter rather than guessing — staining wet wood is how finishes fail.
Sand, stain, walk-through
Sanding, then stain and seal, then we walk it with you and give you the exact cure times for the product we used.
Deck Questions
Before you book
Almost always, yes. Peeling means a film-forming product was put over wood that was not clean or dry, so it never bonded. The finish is failing, not the deck.
It does mean more strip and sand time, which we account for in the quote. What we cannot fix is structural rot, and that is what the board inspection is for.
We replace individual boards and re-set popped fasteners as part of the job. If we find framing rot, joist problems or anything structural, we stop and tell you rather than staining over it — that is carpentry, and it should be fixed before a finish goes on.
By square footage, plus the condition it is in and how much railing and stair work is involved. A deck that has never been finished is a different job from one carrying three coats of failing solid stain, even at the same size.
Send the square footage and a couple of photos through the quote form and you will have a number within 24 hours.
Yes, and it is the best money you will spend on it. New pressure-treated lumber needs to dry out first — usually a season — before it will take stain properly. Cedar can often be done sooner. Tell us when it was built and we will tell you whether it is ready.
Free Quote
Get your deck quoted
Square footage and a couple of photos is enough to get started. Quote back within 24 hours.