Each year while at the Minnesota State Fair, we see the same old booth that gives a five year warranty on deck floors. Many manufacturers put wording on their paint cans that advertise long warranties. But when you read the small print, we have yet to find anyone that will back up a guaranty on a typical deck floor in Minnesota. The most amazing fine print on the guaranty is from one manufacturer that provides a 3 year warranty, so long as the deck is re-coated yearly!
The best stains are from Sherwin Williams, PPG, ICI, Glidden, Hirshfields, X-100, Floods, CWF, Deckscapes, Cabots, Sikens SRD, TWP, and others. All of them have good products, but there aren’t any wizardry products that last noticeably longer than their competition. The most vital thing is to not put a coating on your deck that is non compatible with the prior coating and keeping your upkeep costs as low as possible.
Consumer Reports magazine is usually a good resource for many products but for staining decks their advice is not good for Minnesota. They recommend using a solid stain for best longevity, but you don’t need to do that if you’re inthis is completely wrong for Minnesota. In Minnesota, we experience a large quantity of freeze defrost cycles. When deck boards get wet and then freeze, the water expands and pushes the coating off. If the coating is a penetrating stain that does not leave a film, there is little to no coating to push off. ( less is better for decks ) As a semitransparent wears away, it appears more and more country. If a solid coating is applied on a horizontal surface, it’ll peel and look unsightly. It doesn’t look country, it looks worn out and in disrepair. When it comes to trying to make a deck covered with a solid stain beautiful once again, the price of scraping and sanding before re-staining makes it much costlier than using a semi-transparent stain instead.
Schoenfelder Painting is a deck staining Minneapolis company that paints or seals over five hundred decks each per year. We are adept at using most any kind of deck finishing system, but have developed some preferences. We strongly recommend employing a semi clear stain on deck floors. It is a small harder to apply, but holds up as well as anything. More importantly it looks good even as it wears away and it wOn’t peel. Semitransparent stain is also the least costly to reapply in two years. It only needs to be washed and re-applied. Ultimately it is good even after many applications, so the long term upkeep is awfully cost-effective. Semi-transparent also comes in several different tints.
The railings, spindles, bottom sides and skirts can be done with the same product and color. This is the system I used on my own deck. If you be sure to maintain your deck each second spring, it will continue to look superb for many years to come. We are proud to be your provider of commercial exterior painting Minneapolis.
The sole consideration to semitransparent stain is that you can not use it over other preservatives or paint. If your deck was painted in the past, extra prep is required. When this is the situation, we have a tendency to sand off the surface coating on the deck with a regular floor sander. We remove 98% of the existing stain or paint from the floor, stairs and railing top. Our clients love the result. The deck surface will feel like when it was brand new. Sanding only costs about $1.25 per square foot and does not have to be done again for 10+ years. The feeling of your well maintained deck floor, priceless! So just remember that if you need deck staining professionals we are here for you.