Perhaps the most helpful article on why deck coating failure is so common is one found at this link https://thepaintpeople.com/painting-101/why-is-my-deck-stain-failing/. We get a lot of calls to stain decks and, honestly, it used to be one of our least favorite surfaces to paint. The ugly truth is that decks are one of the most difficult things to paint or stain. Combine that with the fact that most customers want the deck coating to last for five to ten years, every painting contractor cringes at the thought of staining deck. Here are the unique challenges that your deck and your painting contractor face when finishing decks.

First, is the condition and nature of the wood. Most homeowners call us only after the wood on their deck degrades past a realistic state where you can actually get coatings to adhere. Wood fibers degrade rather quickly with water and UV exposure. If you stained a piece of paper and left it outside for a week, you would see the effects of the sun and rain on the paper. Why, if it was coated well, does it matter if it is exposed to water or sun? The simple answer is that most coatings are breathable or permeable and they are for very good reasons. The second has to do with the nature of paper. When exposed to the elements it will expand and contract and experience a lot of movement. The wood fiber in the paper is basically the same as the degraded wood fibers in your deck. One way to help minimize deck failures is to clean them thoroughly and sand them down thoroughly. This will help removed any degraded fibers and to open areas so the stain can penetrate down to a stable fiber to help them stay in tact for longer. And keep in mind that every time your stain or paint is scratched, it give water a new opportunity to get underneath the stain or paint and work to separate or delaminate the paint from the wood fibers. The article explains this well. If you pull the loose paint off the the deck and you can see wood fibers on the back of the paint, you have unstable wood on your deck and this will have to be dealt with. Sanding and wire brushing will go a long ways to a better prep job. Wood that is deeply split will need to be brushed out well to ensure all the wood inside the split is coated too.

The second has to do with surface contaminants. Most of us keep our grills on the deck, a very logical place to cook your food out on nice afternoons. I would never argue that you shouldn’t cook on your deck, but I do want you to understand how this works to affect the adhesion of the stain or paint to the wood. Grease sinks very deep into the wood fibers and is nearly impossible to remove it all from the wood fibers. If you stain or paint is popping off in areas where your grill is or was placed, chances are the oils are causing an adhesion issue.

Finally, conditions in nature will often have a huge effect on paint or stain performance. UV rays and water are the main enemies of paint. This is one reason we try our best to steer customers away for transparent or semi-transparent stains for decks. The best way to keep the UV rays from degrading your wood is to block them by using an opaque stain. With any deck job, the two main objectives for a coating is they must keep the water from touching the wood fibers and it must block the UV rays from getting to the wood fibers. If you could achieve this with a coating, you could have a real chance of a long lasting job! Trouble is, this is harder to do than you think. My advice is to have it done right with a quality solid stain and get the deck re-stained at least every four years.