Deck Painting & staining throughout North Attleborough, MA.

Horizontal boards take more abuse than any other painted or stained surface on a house. Rain sits on them, snow melts slowly across them, foot traffic grinds grit into them, and the summer sun hits them at a steep angle. A finish that wears away gradually can be recoated without stripping, which is why penetrating stains are easier to maintain on a deck than film-forming coatings.

Single-family detached houses account for 56.4% of the town's housing units, according to the Census. Attached homes add another 8.6%. Where a home is part of a condominium or other association, the association may set deck colors and schedules, so check the rules before choosing a stain.

Pressure-treated decks from the 1980s and 1990s

The 1980s produced 2,382 housing units in town, more than any other single decade in the Census table. A deck built with one of those houses, or added before 2004, may still have its original CCA-treated boards. The EPA says manufacturers stopped making CCA lumber for homeowner uses in December 2003, recommends goggles and a dust mask when sawing it, and warns against burning it.

For staining, that calls for light sanding with dust collection, a sweep-up rather than a hose-down of the dust, and sending any replaced boards to the trash. Boards that are soft at the ends, badly cupped or split along the fasteners should be swapped before any finish goes on, because stain will not hold soft wood together.

Yards that stay wet

The Massachusetts Rivers Alliance lists North Attleborough among the towns in the Ten Mile River watershed, which covers about 54 square miles and includes tributaries such as Scotts Brook. A deck on a low lot, near a stream, or under tree cover may keep moisture in its boards for days after rain.

Damp boards are where mildew and algae start, and stain brushed onto wet wood sits on top instead of soaking in. The fix is order: clean and kill the growth, wait until a sprinkle of water soaks in rather than beading, then stain with a product that contains a mildewcide. Keeping cleaner and stripper runoff out of storm drains matters when the water ends up in a river.

Stain opacity and what it commits you to

Going darker or more opaque later is simple. Going back toward clear means stripping, often more than once. The deck paint vs. stain comparison lays out the choice.

• Transparent or toner: the grain shows fully, but UV grays the wood fast and recoats come often
• Semi-transparent: color with visible grain; fades gradually and recoats over itself
• Solid stain: hides patched or mismatched boards, but can peel on walking surfaces
• Deck paint or resurfacer: maximum coverage, and scraping wherever it lets go

Porch floors on older houses

Around 20.6% of units date to 1939 or earlier, and the National Register districts in Attleborough Falls and along South Washington Street both include Queen Anne houses. Where an older house has a painted tongue-and-groove porch floor, it is maintained with porch-and-floor enamel rather than converted to stain. Its old coats may include lead paint, so scraping follows the methods on our lead-safe painting page. Porch posts, railings and ceilings are trim work covered under exterior painting.