Tips to help you re-stain your deck

Is your deck ready for entertaining guests this sunny season?

Based on data from the World Health Organisation, Australia has some of the harshest sunlight in the world. Over time, this can make a wooden deck seem faded and old. However, it's not difficult at all to reinvigorate it with a new helping of either oil- or water-based stain. Give refreshing your deck a go, using this step-by-step guide for support.

Step one: Cleaning

Before you can go any further, you need to ensure the deck is clean and ready. By hiring a pressure cleaner to blast dirt away, you'll find this a fairly simple task. Just remember that a water blaster could damage the wood, so don't linger on any one spot for too long.

It's also recommended that you go around quickly and bang any nails in that are sticking out, as well as hire a belt sander to help smooth out rough patches and splinters.

Before progressing to the next phase, ensure you let the wood dry.

Step two: The right product

You don't need to be a pro to seal a deck, and you won't need a paint sprayer. That said, talking to a professional about which product to use on your specific timber could help you achieve better results.

Stains can come in many forms, from totally transparent to pleasantly coloured, so you have many options. However, if you buy more than one can, it would be a good idea to mix them together so you don't risk having different colours on the wood.

Step three: Painting, DIY style

There are a few key tools you can use when restaining a deck.

The first is a paintbrush. As you paint the wood that is adjacent to your house, you run the risk of getting stain on the wall - which you don't want. A paintbrush will help minimise this risk, especially if coupled with painting tape.

Next you'll want either a roller brush with a long handle or an applicator pad (also with a long handle). Both of these will allow you to spread the stain evenly and quickly around the deck surface. Professionals recommend painting along the timber, and only doing a few planks at a time. This will ensure you don't double-stain any planks, which will stand out once it's all dry.

Finally, if your deck is on a high storey, consider hiring stable ladders or a painter's trestle to easily paint the back of the balustrade that would be otherwise difficult to reach from the deck itself.