This deck was in really bad shape.
In addition to its poor condition if you look closely at the photographs attached you will see that most of the handrails on the top portion of the deck as well as the stairs are built very very poorly. I don’t believe I ever actually walked on this deck. Most of the deck boards and handrails were rotten and wobbly.
This deck was a complete demo and redo as it was far beyond a deck repair job. Even the steel posts on this deck were rotten at the bottom.
This deck is about 10 to 11 feet off the ground at the rear of the property and we decided to do a switchback staircase so that it could be tied in to the existing walkway. This was my first time working with deck stain.
Up until this point I solely used deck paint when finishing a new deck or existing deck. There are definitely some major benefits to working with stain.
The stain is a much thinner product than deck paint and as a result it goes on much easier and much more smoothly than paint. This makes it easier to work with as well. The color that I selected for this deck really tied in well with the colors of the existing exterior brick on the house.
Design idea for staining pressure treated wood: I will say that when selecting a stain color be mindful of trees and bushes close to your deck. Light colors are a lot more susceptible to pigment transfer from leaves straw and other things that may fall on the deck.
Generally, the stains can easily be removed with water however it is an additional maintenance step that is far less common when using deck paint.