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Deck and fence staining in East York
Front doors open onto narrow halls and parking is on the street, so the crew carries equipment in and paints room by room around a family living there. The wood is washed, brightened and left to dry, failing stain is stripped, the surroundings are masked, and the stain goes on by brush and pad with railings done by hand. Deck and fence staining starts with clean, dry wood and ends with the stain and opacity that suit the species and the weather it takes.
Concept imageryEast York, on the ground.
East York is small wartime and postwar houses plus Leaside brick, with plaster walls, cast iron radiators, low ceilings and painted trim from the 1920s onward. Older yards carry cedar decks and fences that have greyed and need brightening, and newer subdivisions carry pressure-treated decks that must dry out before a first coat. Full interior repaints, trim and door enamelling, radiators, and exterior wood trim and porches are the usual East York jobs.
Because a East York house is compact, the trim is in your eyeline everywhere, so it gets sanded, primed and enamelled rather than just recoated.
Read more about painters in East York or the full deck and fence staining page.
On the quote, from the start.
- 01A moisture check on the wood and a look at the old finish to decide between a refresh and a strip
- 02Wash with a deck cleaner, then a brightener to lift the grey and open the grain
- 03Old stain stripped where it is failing, and smooth boards sanded so the new coat soaks in evenly
- 04Loose boards and popped screws reset, and badly rotted boards flagged for replacement before staining
- 05Stain applied by brush, pad or sprayed and back-brushed, with railings, spindles and stairs done by hand
- 06Plants, siding and patio stone masked, and a final walk around with you once the deck is dry to use
No figures published. The drivers, in order.
| Driver | What we look at |
|---|---|
| Square footage and railing length | The deck surface goes quickly. Spindles, stairs, lattice and the underside of a raised deck are brushed by hand and take most of the time. |
| Condition of the old finish | Bare or lightly weathered wood needs a wash and stain. A peeling solid stain needs stripping and sanding first, which can double the prep. |
| Type of stain | Transparent and semi-transparent stains go on in one coat and show the wood. Solid stains behave like paint and often take two. |
| Fence length and both sides | A fence is measured in linear metres, counted twice if we are doing your neighbour's side too. |
Weather sets the schedule. Stain needs dry wood, a dry forecast for a day or two after, and a surface that is not too hot, so a July heatwave can wait just as a wet May does.
Deck and fence staining questions from East York
How early can you stain a deck in East York?
Once East York has a stretch of dry days with temperatures above the product's minimum and the wood reads dry on the meter, usually from [late May]. We book spring decks over the winter because the window fills quickly.
Can you stain my East York fence on both sides?
Yes, with your neighbour's agreement for their side. It is the most common fence request in East York because the colour and finish match from either yard. We mask their plantings the same as yours.
The rooms in our Leaside house are small. What colour and sheen choices help?
Keep the ceiling a true flat white and the walls in an eggshell or matte, which reads softer and hides small plaster flaws. Painting the trim the same colour as the walls, a step higher in sheen, removes the lines that chop up a small room. Lighter, warmer whites suit the north-facing rooms these houses often have. We bring fan decks to the walkthrough and paint sample patches on your walls before you decide.
Our East York house is from the 1920s. Is the old paint on the trim a lead concern?
It can be. Paint applied before the late 1970s may contain lead, and the trim in a house that age usually carries coats from every decade. We do not dry-sand it. The crew uses wet sanding or a vacuum sander, seals the room, and cleans up with HEPA equipment. [John confirms testing and containment practice.] Once the old paint is sound and primed, the new enamel goes on as normal.