If you are lucky enough to have a beautiful deck built onto your house, then you know how much life and personality they add to your home. Having a formal outdoor space to grill and dine outdoors is a dream. The deck can increase curb appeal and property value and extend your living space.
With the popularity and size of decks growing, it is very important to understand the value of owning a deck. However, it is also important to realize that there are maintenance requirements. An unkempt deck can become unsightly. Untreated and unprotected wood can crack, warp and discolor, so it is very important to protect your deck by staining, painting, or sealing your deck.
By keeping up with your deck by protecting its surfaces, you can ensure that your deck will last a lifetime or longer.
Staining or Sealing Your Deck
Staining a deck protects the wood from the elements, such as UV damage and water damage, while maintaining the natural look of the wood materials used to build the deck. There are several different types of stains, but more often than not, you will be using a semi-transparent stain or clear sealer, as these are the most natural-looking.
Semi transparent stains offer some color but still maintain the natural character of the wood. Patterns will shine through, and the transparent stain does a good job of weatherproofing and UV protection.
A clear sealer is used for more high-end applications, where wood planks are rare and beautiful. Typically used on cedar and redwood, clear sealers are used to show off your wooden deck, not hide it.
Also available are solid stains, which apply more like paint and cover up many of the natural grain and structure of a wood plank.
1. Pros of Staining/Sealing
The pros of staining or sealing your deck far outweigh the cons. By sealing or staining a deck, you have more control over the natural look. With staining, you can choose how much color grain and texture show through.
Good stains also soak into the wood instead of sitting on top. This prevents damage to the deep tissues of your deck, which can cause rot. Stain also allows you to showcase your wooden deck instead of hiding with paint.
2. Cons of Staining/Sealing
While staining or sealing your deck is a great way to preserve your deck and showcase its beauty, there are a few negatives. For one, staining a deck only lasts a few years and must be restrained or sealed ever so often. For the most part, stains typically last between three and five years.
Stains also don't fill cracks; while they may soak deep into the wood, you still need to fill in small holes or grooves to protect from cracks and splinters. Staining doesn't hide flaws in wood, nor does it work will all wood types. Having an idea of what kind of wood product you will be using to build your deck can help you make an informed decision on whether or not to paint, seal or stain your deck.
Painting Your Deck
Your other option for maintaining your deck is to simply paint it. By painting your deck, you do lose the beautiful natural aesthetic of wood, but it is long-lasting and provides a uniform look. Like anything, there are pros and cons to painting your deck.
1. Pros of Painting
Painted decks are easier to maintain, especially with a quality paint job. When done by a professional, painted decks can last as long as ten years before needing to be redone. This is the primary positive of painting a deck.
There are also more color options with painting than with staining. You can much more easily hide flaws in your deck by painting it an interesting color to accent your house than you can with staining or sealing.
2. Cons of Painting
While sealing and staining soaks into the wood, preventing moisture from penetrating, paint traps moisture inside the wood. Over time as the deck swells due to the moisture, the paint will crack and peel. Once you paint a deck, it is nearly impossible to switch to stain without spending a lot of time and energy sanding and prepping for stain.
Choosing to Stain, Seal, or Paint Your Deck.
At the end of the day, the pros and cons of each cancel each other out, as any of the above options are great ways to protect and beautify your deck. This leaves it up to personal preference regarding whether you would like to stain, seal or paint your deck. The choice is yours, although some have a pretty strong opinion on this.
However, hiring a professional to paint, stain, or seal your deck will save you many headaches that can come with resurfacing your deck. An experienced professional will be able to quickly and accurately quote you with a fair price, properly prep your deck, and surface it nearly perfectly.
Cates Pressure Washing knows how important aesthetics and protection can be when it comes to owning a deck. Cates Pressure washing can help take the load off of cleaning, maintaining, and surfacing your deck, and do it all with excellence.
We have over 20 years of experience in East Tennessee, specializing in residential pressure washing, deck cleaning, painting, sealing, and more. You can find a full list of services we offer here.
Contact the team at Cates Pressure Washing today to get your deck looking beautiful!