Guides

How to Seal a Deck

From a Santa Barbara deck we refinished

Finished stained deck beside a house with a brick chimney and a shade sail — Deck and Railings Refinish, San Roque, Santa Barbara

A wood deck takes the weather every day, so it needs a fresh coat of stain or sealer every so often. The short version: wash it, let it dry, sand it, treat any bare wood, then put on the stain, corner to corner. Here is how Purple Painting did exactly that on a backyard deck in San Roque, Santa Barbara, with the products we used.

The steps, as we did them

  1. Pressure wash

    We pressure washed the deck and railing surfaces before any prep.

  2. Sand

    The deck, stairs and railings were sanded to prepare them for the recoat.

    Sanded deck boards running toward the house with a power cord on the boards, before coating — Deck and Railings Refinish, San Roque, Santa Barbara

  3. Spot treat bare wood

    Any bare or exposed wood was spot painted before the full coat went on.

  4. Stain the deck and stairs

    One full coat, corner to corner, in a colour matched to the existing deck.

    Product Cabot Solid color stain

    Stairs up to the deck with fresh stain on the treads and rails — Deck and Railings Refinish, San Roque, Santa Barbara

  5. Paint the railings and spindles

    Corner to corner in a satin enamel, colour matched to the existing railings.

    Product Sherwin-Williams Emerald Exterior, satin

    Finished wood railing and lattice around a lower patio with stone steps — Deck and Railings Refinish, San Roque, Santa Barbara

  6. Recoat the lattice

    The wood lattice panel next to the railing got a recoat.

  7. Prime and paint the steel posts

    The two steel canopy posts were sanded, spot primed with a rust-inhibitive metal primer and painted black.

    Product Dunn-Edwards Aristoshield, low sheen

    Finished lattice panel and railing beside a black steel post under a shade sail — Deck and Railings Refinish, San Roque, Santa Barbara

What we use, and why

  • Pressure wash first. Stain and paint hold onto clean wood, not to dirt and loose, weathered fibres.
  • Sanding. It takes the roughness off the boards, stairs and railings so the new coat goes on evenly.
  • Spot treating bare wood. Bare spots soak up stain faster than the rest. Treating them first keeps the finish from looking patchy.
  • Cabot Solid color stain. Used for: stain the deck and stairs.
  • Sherwin-Williams Emerald Exterior, satin. Used for: paint the railings and spindles.
  • Dunn-Edwards Aristoshield, low sheen. Used for: prime and paint the steel posts.
  • Wait for dry wood. The mornings on this job were damp, so the crew started after 10 each day to let the wood dry before coating.

When to call a pro

Sealing a small, sound deck is a fair weekend job. Call a painter when:

  • The deck is big, high off the ground or has stairs and railings as well, which is a lot of sanding and a lot of edges.
  • The wood is bare, grey or flaking in many places, and needs more than a spot treatment.
  • There is steel nearby (posts, brackets) that needs rust-inhibitive primer, not just stain.
  • You want the new colour to match what was there before.
  • You would rather not spend your weekend on your knees with a sander.

Photos from the job

See the whole job, with its colours and photos, on Deck and Railings Refinish, San Roque, Santa Barbara.

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