Nearly every day I field questions about stained surfaces. Whether it ’s some cedar shingle accents, hand rails leading up to the front door, the front door itself, or the gi-normous deck that extends 1500 sq.ft. out the back door. The overall question I hear is, how often should I be staining “this” or “these”? And it can be a tough question to answer because very few surfaces are identical. We need to consider the amount of sun exposure, where the sprinklers are hitting, the amount of snow your neck of the woods receives, the age and condition of the surface, the products used before, and dozen other factors that will affect how well the surface maintains.
Over the last 5 years, my partner and I have made it our mission to undercover and unravel the mysteries and confusion behind stained surfaces in Central Oregon. Through a series of tests and experiments, and lot of “what happens when we do this” ’s , we’ve uncovered the best practices for staining and maintaining in Central Oregon… thank you, I know, it’s kind of a big deal. We’ve tested the top stain products from the leading manufacturers, we’ve experimented with numerous chemical strippers and bleachers, and we’ve field tested products from the greenest of the green all the way to the… brownest of the brown? You get the idea. So we can take a deck that looks like this:
Deck needs to be completely refinished, because of a poor product choice from the person who built it! This is the deck after one year.
To one that looks like this!
Completely refinished deck from Webfoot Painting
The secret we’ve discovered above all others is maintenance. Regular maintenance will keep your stained surfaces protected and looking beautiful. It is less expensive and easier on the wood surface to maintain it, then it is to let it go ugly for 3-4 years and have to refinish it or worse replace it. We see this a lot with front doors. These are inexpensive to stain or clear coat every other year, but very time consuming and costly to refinish. Under our Stain Maintenance Program we’ll actually monitor your stained surfaces for you. We can setup a plan designed specifically for your home’s needs with clear pricing and a schedule of maintenance. We have clients all over Central Oregon who have enough things on their plate to worry about and their decks and shingles are no longer one of them. Interested in exploring this program? We offer free consultations, so give us a call.
Here’s a quick guide to stain maintenance. Remember no two surfaces are identical, this is just a guide.
Cedar Shingles– Every 2-3 years. South and West facing walls require more frequency.
Fences– Every 3-5 years depending on sun exposure and watering practices.
Decks– Every 2-3 years to maintain a healthy deck and avoid costly refinishing.
Garage Doors / Front Doors– Every 1-2 years to avoid discoloring and stains.
