Spring deck restoration: clean, sand, stain, repeat

A pressure-treated deck in the GTA needs attention every two to three years. Skip a cycle and you're looking at greying boards, splinters, and accelerated rot around the fasteners. The good news: a full restoration is a weekend project if the structure is sound.

Step 1 — Inspect before you spend

Walk every board. Soft spots near the joists, rusted fasteners, and wobbly railings are signs the bones need work first. No amount of stain saves a deck with rotted joists.

Step 2 — Clean

A deck cleaner (oxygen-based, not bleach) plus a stiff brush lifts the grey layer. Pressure washing is fine but stay 12 inches off the wood and use a fan tip — anything closer carves grooves into the surface.

Step 3 — Sand

After 48 hours of drying, sand the boards with 80-grit, then the railings and tops with 100-grit. This is the step most homeowners skip and it's the difference between a deck that lasts three years and one that lasts five.

Step 4 — Stain

Two thin coats of a penetrating semi-transparent stain. Avoid solid colour deck paint — it looks great year one and peels in sheets by year three. Apply with a pad on a pole, back-brush with a regular brush to work it into the grain.

When to call us

If more than 10% of the boards need replacing, or any post or joist is soft, the project crosses from refresh into rebuild. That's where bringing in a crew saves time and prevents a half-finished deck from sitting through the rainy season.