Professional Painters for Decks and Fences
We are the Canadian Specialists in Staining and Painting Decks
Decks come in all shapes and sizes and can have many different components (rails, lattice, pergolas, etc.). This outdoor living space is one of the most visible components of your home and/or business and for that reason, it is recommended that regular maintenance is performed.
Our deck staining and painting services start with:
1. Selecting the Right Product For Your Deck:
Stains come in two types: solid and semi-transparent. Solid stain resembles paint and is opaque and semi-transparent shows wood grain. In most cases, it is a matter of personal choice and desired outcomes as to which product suits the job.
Solid Stains:
- Opaque (Shows texture not grain)
- Can be applied over semi-transparent
- Alkyd, acrylic or emulsion base.
- Self Priming
- Life Span 2-5 years before recoating
- easy application similar to paint
Semi-Transparent Stains
- Shows wood grain
- Cannot be applied over a solid stain
- Alkyd or emulsion base
- Alkyd for new wood or a recoat
- Self Priming
- Life span 1-2 years before a recoat
- Requires more expertise in the application.
There are paints available to coat deck surfaces such as polyurethane, floor emulsions, acrylics and alkyds. For the most part, they are only used if the previously existing coating is paint. However, these are the least favored products because the issue is that when they fail, they peel and require extensive, time-consuming scraping.
Surface Preparation Process
Selecting the appropriate preparation process is key to a professional grade paint job. Your painting contractor may use some (or all) of these tactics when preparing your deck for refinishing:
- Powers washing and/or hand washing
- Scraping
- Sanding
- Caulking
- Priming
Product Application
Solid stains may be applied in a variety of fashions including: rolling, brushing, or spraying. Commonly, semi-transparent stains will require brushing, but there are some recognised approaches wherein rolling is used in conjunction with brushing.
Maintenance
Decks require a lot more upkeep than other exterior surfaces because in addition to being constantly exposed to the weather, they often undergo much more wear and tear than other exterior surfaces (i.e., snow remaining on them for long periods of time, walking, shoveling, moving large and heavy items across the surface, etc.). Due to this increase of use and traffic, decks need regular maintenance to maintain an even finish.
Our Maintenance Program
At UFCP, we would suggest:
- Cleaning & recoating your deck floors, steps and the top of your rails once every 1-2 years
- Cleaning & recoating your rails, posts, deck skirts and other additional areas once every 3-5 years
Should you care to schedule a prearranged maintenance schedule for your deck, please inform your UFCP representative at the time or your estimate or, alternatively, contact us via email.
