Whether your home in the Bay Area, CA, has a front yard or backyard deck, it is a perfect place for outdoor activities, from sunbathing to barbecuing to just relaxing and gazing at the stars. A deck also adds value to your home, so why not give it some love by keeping up with the maintenance?

If you want to add a new color to your deck, you should paint it. But if you want to retain your deck’s natural look and color, it’s better to stain it.

However, staining does involve other steps, such as cleaning and sealing. If you want a professional finish, Custom Painting, Inc. can help you with that. The best painting contractors in Walnut Creek, CA, provide professional deck staining solutions that help keep your wooden decks protected against the weather and foot traffic while retaining their natural beauty.

Benefits of deck staining

There are several advantages of staining your wooden deck, including:

• It is faster and easier than painting – Staining is generally quicker and easier than painting. Unlike painting, staining doesn’t usually require priming, which allows you to complete the project in almost half the time that you would have spent if you chose painting. The relative quickness and ease of application are one of the reasons why many homeowners prefer to stain their decks instead of painting them.
• It protects and preserves the wood. Staining protects your wooden deck from UV rays and moisture, which can cause the wood to warp, shrink, develop mold, mildew, and rot.
• It enhances your deck’s appearance – Regularly staining your deck can enhance its appearance, making it look new and fresh.
• It increases your deck’s lifespan – As regularly staining your deck protects and enhances it, it is guaranteed to extend its useful life and keep it in great shape for a long time.

Our deck staining process

Here’s Custom Painting, Inc.’s approach to deck staining:

1. 1. 1. Assessment – Our crew assesses the condition of your deck by identifying areas of wear and tear, discoloration, splintering, warping, etc., that will help them determine the necessary repairs and staining steps.
      2. Preparation – Depending on your deck’s current condition, our crew will remove and scrape any dirt, gravel, and peeling or chipped old paint. If your deck is previously stained, they will strip the old stain and sand the surface to get rid of the bumps and rough spots and create a smoother surface for staining.
      3. Staining
         • Choosing the stain – The type of stain you will use depends on your preference or your deck’s present condition. If the deck is fairly new and you just want to maintain its natural look, choose a clear stain. But if your deck has seen some better days and started to show some imperfections, choose a semi-transparent or solid stain to partly or completely hide those flaws. Oil-based stains generally provide better coverage than water-based stains. However, oil-based stains take longer to dry, usually up to 24 hours, compared to 4 hours with their water-based counterparts.
         • Application of the stain – Application techniques depend on the type of stain chosen or the type of wood your deck is made of. For example, on woods with large pores, such as ash, mahogany, and oak, our crew may apply a generous amount of stain and increase the pressure so that the stain can penetrate the pores effectively. But otherwise, our crew usually stains the deck evenly in the direction of the wood grain. We apply stains using a cloth, foam brush, or bristle brush. We may apply a second coat within 4 to 6 hours. However, the second coat may be more difficult to apply due to the first coat’s water-repellent nature.
      4. Clean-up – The freshly applied stain is left to dry completely. Afterward, the crew cleans up the workspace and properly disposes of debris that’s left over from the job.

Types of stains and finishes available

Here are the three common types of wood stains based on transparency:

• Transparent or clear – A transparent or clear stain allows the wood’s natural color and grain to come through. They are highly recommended for new and previously unstained or unpainted wood.
• Semi-transparent – A semi-transparent wood stain also allows wood to show its natural color and grain to come through. However, it will hide more wear and tear that your wood siding has endured, making this type of stain a good choice for decks that have seen their share of beating from the weather and foot traffic.
• Solid – A solid wood stain is best for deck surfaces that have a lot of imperfections or you just want to add a splash of color. It works in a way almost like regular paint does.

Eco-friendly wood stains

For those who want to stain their decks but cannot stand the harsh smell of conventional wood stains or have serious concerns for the environment, fortunately, there are eco-friendly wood stain options on the market. They are made of natural ingredients and emit fewer amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) than traditional wood stains usually have. Also, they dry as quickly as conventional wood stains do.

Eco-friendly wood stains usually contain any of the following ingredients:

• Beeswax
• Carnauba wax
• Linseed oil
• Tung oil
• Walnut oil

Contact us today!

For over 40 years in the service, Custom Painting, Inc. has been all about quality, whether using paints for interior walls, cleaning and sealing decks with quality stain products, or protecting the exterior surfaces of your commercial space with the best elastomeric paints in the market.

Custom Painting, Inc. will ensure that we are providing your deck with professional-level care and maintenance that will keep your wooden decks beautiful and protected.

If you’re looking for quality deck painting or staining services, contact the experienced professionals at Custom Painting at 925-294-8062 or send a message to request a free quote.