Deck Painting & staining serving East Bridgewater and Metro West MA.

The town's master plan reports that forest covers 40.9% of East Bridgewater's land, and wetlands and water another 20.5%. The same plan reports that land in residential lots larger than half an acre grew from about 1,541 acres in 1971 to about 2,261 acres in 1999. Where a lot backs onto trees, the deck gets shade, leaf litter and slow drying after rain.

Those conditions decide which finish will hold and how often it needs attention. A deck in deep shade near wet ground fails differently from one baking on the south side of the house.

Reading the wood first

Pressure-treated southern pine is the usual framing and decking on backyard decks. New boards can be too wet to absorb stain; sprinkle water on them, and if it beads, give them more time. Cedar and mahogany take penetrating oils well and look best with a semi-transparent stain. Painted fir porch floors on older houses need a porch-and-floor enamel, not deck stain.

Composite and PVC decking doesn't need stain, but the wood railings, posts and stair stringers attached to it often do.

Shade, damp ground and mildew

Boards that stay damp grow mildew and algae, which turn slippery and stain the wood dark. Leaves packed in the gaps between boards hold water against the edges and start rot. On a low deck close to soggy soil, moisture rises from below, and film-forming finishes blister and peel from the underside.

On those decks a penetrating stain usually lasts better than paint or solid stain, because it lets the wood breathe and wears away instead of peeling. Clearing the gaps, improving airflow under the deck and trimming overhanging limbs help any finish.

• Clean with a deck cleaner and rinse; use a brightener on grayed wood
• Strip peeling solid stain or paint down to bare wood before switching to a penetrating stain
• Replace soft or split boards and reset popped fasteners
• Stain only after the wood dries, including end grain and stair treads

Stain or paint on each part of the deck

Floors take the most abuse from feet, standing water and snow. Rails, balusters and fascia shed water and take less wear, so a solid color holds up better there. One combination is a solid color on the rail system with a semi-transparent stain on the floor boards, which avoids a film peeling underfoot. Our paint vs. stain comparison explains each option.

If the deck was painted years ago and the house is older than 1978, the old coating on a porch floor or rail could contain lead. Scraping it calls for lead-safe methods; see the lead-safe painting page.

Timing the work

Stain needs a run of dry days, temperatures within the label range, and no rain for several hours after the last coat. In fall, morning dew and falling leaves shorten the working day. An estimate done in the off-season lets cleaning and repairs be planned for the first dry stretch of spring. The post on deck stain through a New England winter covers what freeze-thaw cycles do to each finish. For siding and trim, see exterior painting in East Bridgewater.