Deck and fence staining in Markham
Newer houses take a van in the driveway and a level carry for scaffold, while heritage houses have narrow doors and halls that decide how the crew stages its equipment. 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 imageryMarkham, on the ground.
Markham runs from heritage frame and brick houses in the Village and Unionville, with plaster walls and painted wood siding, to newer estate housing in Cornell and Angus Glen with tall rooms and builder flat paint. 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. Heritage exteriors and trim, great rooms and foyers in new houses, whole-house interiors and cabinet refinishing are the usual Markham jobs.
An older house in Markham may sit in a heritage district, so exterior colours are chosen from palettes that suit the street and checked against the Town's guidance.
Read more about painters in Markham 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 Markham
How early can you stain a deck in Markham?
Once Markham 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 Markham fence on both sides?
Yes, with your neighbour's agreement for their side. It is the most common fence request in Markham because the colour and finish match from either yard. We mask their plantings the same as yours.
Our great room wall is about eighteen feet tall. How is that painted?
From a scaffold tower set on protected floors, with the crew cutting the ceiling line by hand and rolling the wall in vertical sections so the sheen stays even from top to bottom. A wall that tall shows lap marks if the roller dries between passes, so two painters work it together. The great room is its own line on the quote because of the equipment and the time.
The wood siding on our Markham Village house is chalking and the paint is thin. Is it ready for a repaint?
Chalking means the old paint has broken down and needs washing off before anything new will stick. The siding is pressure-washed, scraped where it is lifting, feather-sanded, primed on bare wood and spot-primed elsewhere, then painted with two coats of exterior acrylic. If the chalk is heavy, a full primer coat goes on. Exterior work waits for warm, dry weather.