Professional Deck & Fence Cleaning and Staining Services

In order to answer this it is important to understand the differences between paint, waterbased stain, and oil stain. Paint and waterbased stains are effectively the same thing - topical coatings that seal the surface of the timber. Waterbased stains are just thinned down acrylic paint that allow the grain of the timber to show through but they block up the pores of the timber the same as paint. Oil stain is a penetrating product that needs to soak into the surface of the timber to provide nourishment.

It is not possible to apply oil stain over paint (or water based stain) unless all of the exiting coating is fully removed. This is because the oil will not be able to penetrate through the coating. The only way to remove the paint or waterbased stain is to use paint stripper (or mechanical sanding if the deck allows that). Both of these processes are time consuming and expensive, and may not remove all of the existing coating.

The result of this is that the new oil stain may be patchy, and may not last as long as on bare timber. Our recommendation is usually to recoat the deck with the same product that was previously applied. In the case of water based stain, this can also result in a patchy finish as the fully stripped timber will soak up more product than those areas that still have some residual product on it.

We can only do our best in this situation. The only other option is to replace the deck boards with new.

We strongly recommend avoiding painting your deck. Decks are subjected to very harsh conditions, from intense sun in the summer, to long period of standing water in the winter. And they are constantly being abraded by foot traffic, furniture being dragged across the surface, etc. There are no paints that will withstand this treatment, and painted decks deteriorate very quickly.

Another consideration is that once painted, you cannot change to stain down the track. There is no practical way to remove the paint well enough to allow an oil stain to penetrate the timber. When we come across painted decks for restoration, our only option is to clean and repaint, and advise the homeowner that this process will need to be repeated quite regularly.

You must however protect your deck from the elements, and the best product for that is a good quality linseed oil based stain that has UV protection in it. If you do not do this the timber will turn grey within 6 months, and mould will start to take hold.

New outdoor timber generally has a high moisture content, so it is recommend not to coat it with stain or paint for a few months to allow it to dry out. If it is coated too early the product may not penetrate or bond very well. Typically we say leave it 3-6 months.

Water based deck stain is effectively very thin acrylic paint, so thin you can see though it. The problem with it is that it clogs up the pores of the timber making it extremely difficult to maintain because the old residue is virtually impossible to remove. We use superior quality oil based wood stain that nourishes the timber and can be recoated time and time again.

We use a specialist eco-friendly solution to loosen dirt, contaminants, and dead timber cells followed by a controlled pressure wash to sluice this residue away. Our team are very skilled at this process.

Over the years we have seen many DIY deck cleans, where the homeowner has used a waterblaster on its own without any specialist cleaning solution, and with poor technique. The result can vary from stop/start marks in the timber that cannot be removed, to chunks of timber being blasted away.

There are products available that claim you simply apply them and then brush the deck clean. We know that there is a lot of elbow grease required, and many of our customers come to use having given up on these products. Like most things in life, there is no easy way to get a professional result.

A wood stain generally requires a top up coat every 12-18 months to replenish the nourishing oils and UV blockers. We can arrange an on-going maintenance schedule with you following the restoration process that will include a light clean followed by a recoat of the wood stain. In between scheduled maintenance, a mild detergent is all that is needed to remove any bird droppings or spills, and a spray with a moss and lichen inhibitor during winter can also help. It is important to not use harsh deck cleaning agents that may remove the oils contained in the stain. Painted surfaces generally last longer than stained ones but are more susceptible to abrasion.