Deck Staining and Deck Painting in Ottawa
Wash, brighten, sand and coat — for cedar, pressure-treated and hardwood decks that have to survive snow load, ice melt and a full summer of UV.
Paint Experts provides professional deck staining and deck painting throughout Ottawa, Ontario. A deck is the hardest surface a coating has to live on anywhere on a property: it is walked on, it holds standing water, it is buried under snow for four months and it takes direct overhead sun for the other five.
Deck staining and deck painting are different decisions
Stain penetrates and wears; paint forms a film and eventually peels. On a horizontal deck surface that difference decides your next ten years of maintenance. A worn semi-transparent stain is recoated after a wash. A peeling painted deck has to be stripped or sanded back to bare wood before anything can go on it. We will stain a deck floor by default and paint one only when you have a specific reason and understand the trade.
Washing, brightening and neutralizing
Grey deck boards are not dirty, they are UV-damaged surface fibres. A wash removes dirt and mildew; a wood brightener is what actually takes the grey out and returns the board to something close to its original tone. Cleaners are alkaline and brighteners are acidic, so the sequence matters and the surface has to be neutralized and fully dry before coating, or the finish will not bond.
Sanding, fastener checks and board replacement
After washing we sand the walking surface to knock down raised grain and any splinters, which is the difference between a deck you can walk on barefoot and one you cannot. While we are down there we check for proud fastener heads, cupped boards and soft spots around post bases and ledger connections. Rotted boards get replaced before coating rather than coated and replaced next year.
Questions about your project? Talk to us directly.
(613) 801-7316Coating a deck floor versus railings and stairs
The floor and the railings do not wear at the same rate and should not be treated as one surface. Floors take foot traffic, standing water and snow shovels; railings take UV and hands. Stain applied to a floor is brushed and back-rolled into the board and into the gap between boards, because the end grain and the board edges are where water enters and where failure starts.
Timing, cure and getting your deck back
Ottawa deck season runs from late May, once overnight temperatures hold above roughly 10 degrees, through to early October. A brand-new pressure-treated deck needs four to six months to dry before it will accept a stain at all. After coating, plan on 24 to 48 hours off the surface before furniture goes back, and we schedule around a weekend you actually want to use rather than the one after.
- Cedar, pressure-treated, hardwood and composite decks
- Wash, wood brightener and neutralize before coating
- Surface sanding for a barefoot-safe walking surface
- Rotted board replacement before any coating goes on
- Semi-transparent, solid stain and deck paint options
- Railings, stairs, posts and skirting included
Common questions
How much does deck staining cost in Ottawa?
$3.50 to $6.50 per square foot for prep plus two coats. A 250 square foot deck is roughly $900 to $1,600.
Should I stain or paint my deck?
Stain the floor. Stain wears and is recoated after a wash, while paint on a horizontal deck surface eventually peels and has to be stripped back to bare wood before it can be redone.
How often does an Ottawa deck need recoating?
Semi-transparent stain typically every two to three years on the floor and four to six on the railings. Solid stain typically four to six years on the floor and longer on railings.
Can you stain a brand-new pressure-treated deck?
Not immediately. New pressure-treated lumber holds too much moisture to accept stain, so it needs four to six months of drying first.
Book your deck before the season fills
Send us the rough deck size and the wood type. We will confirm what prep it needs and send a written quote.