Deck Painting & staining right here in Stoneham, Massachusetts.

A deck needs a yard, and in town 5,531 housing units, or 54.2%, are single-family detached homes, with another 412 single-family attached. Of 9,749 occupied homes, 71.0% are lived in by their owners.

Homes built from 1950 through 1979 make up 40.6% of the housing stock. The 2024 Historic Preservation Plan says the town nearly doubled in population between 1935 and 1965, as farmland was subdivided and wetlands were filled, and that new development tended toward detached houses on large lots, often built in batches in subdivisions with curvilinear streets and cul-de-sacs. A deck behind one of those houses may be much newer than the house itself, so the deck's own age and lumber are what to look at.

Your lot decides the finish

The same plan notes that the town's growth was shaped by its plateau, the Middlesex Fells and Spot Pond. A town-wide description says little about one backyard, though: whether your deck sits under trees, in open sun or on low ground that dries slowly matters more than any average.

Full sun breaks down stain through ultraviolet exposure, so south- and west-facing decks benefit from more pigment. Shade and damp produce mildew, algae and soft spots where boards stay wet, which calls for a deep cleaning, good drying time and a breathable product. Leaves packed between boards and planters sitting directly on the decking hold water, so they are cleared before work starts.

Lumber types and what they accept

Pressure-treated pine has to dry out before it takes stain; if water beads on the surface, it is not ready. Cedar and redwood absorb stain well and are soft enough that heavy sanding can gouge them. Ipe and other dense hardwoods repel ordinary stain and need oils formulated for them. Composite and PVC boards are cleaned according to the maker's instructions; most are not meant to be stained.

Rot is checked before any finish goes on. A screwdriver that sinks into a board, joist top or stair stringer marks a repair, and loose railings are a safety issue to fix before cosmetics.

• Washing, brightening and mildew treatment
• Sanding gray, fuzzy or splintered wood
• Swapping out damaged deck boards and stair treads
• Penetrating or solid stain on floors, rails and stairs
• Fences, pergolas, arbors and outdoor wood trim

Choosing an opacity

Clear and semi-transparent stains let the grain show and wear gradually, which makes the next coat straightforward. Solid stains and porch paints cover blemishes and mismatched replacement boards, but they sit on the surface and can peel underfoot. Splitting the job, with a penetrating stain on the floor and a solid color on rails and balusters, is one way to get both. Our comparison of deck paint and deck stain and our note on deck stain through a New England winter go further.

Older porches and related work

An older porch on one of the 2,504 local homes built in 1939 or earlier may have floors and railings with many layers of paint. On pre-1978 homes, scraping more than 20 square feet of exterior paint falls under the EPA's lead-safe rules, explained on our lead-safe painting page. Siding and trim around the porch are covered on the Stoneham exterior painting page, and our Farm Hill and Bear Hill pages look at those areas.