07/25/2016
Decks:
Paint or stain or seal?
Finishing exterior wood is critical. Wood, even cedar, left to the elements gets ugly fast. Wood when it absorbs moisture twists, warps, and cracks as it swells and shrinks. The sun discolors your wood and breaks down the natural glue that holds the fibers together causing it to splinter allowing more moisture in and the whole cycle grows worse.
So, how do we finish wood, with paint or stain?
Let’s look at the pros and cons.
Paint is like a mask. You won't have to refinish your wood any time soon but you won’t see it either. Paint acts as a barrier protecting the wood but you lose all the wood's color and grain the entire character of the wood BUT you won’t see discolorations or imperfections either. Maintenance for a painted deck is less especially with the specialty exterior deck/patio paint TDE uses.
Now, paint can flake if not done correctly which exposes the wood and defeats the entire purpose of the covering. That’s we always pressure wash and clean every deck to ensure proper paint adhesion and long lasting coverings for your wood.
Stain, on the other hand, instead of hiding the character of the wood shows it off. You can choose between transparent and full body stains depending on how much of the character and grain of the wood you want to see. Like makeup stain accents and accentuates characteristics of your wood, its grain, texture and color depending on how transparent your stain is. But like makeup stain comes off easier than a mask and you'll be stripping it back in 2-4 years and resurfacing it, much sooner than paint.
And lastly, sealing. Unless you have high quality wood you generally don't want to just seal it. With a general clear seal every aspect of the wood is visible, beauty and flaw alike. Most of the time stains also contain a protective sealant to finish the wood and protect it. It's rare to have one without the other. It’s also a good idea to re-seal your deck with a clear sealant once a year to keep it protected from water damage and rot.
A few questions to ask before you decide:
Where will the wood be? Is it fully exposed like a deck or is it mostly covered like a porch.
Will water sit on it like a floor or will it only be dewed on like an exterior ceiling?
And how much direct sun will you’re the wood see?
This is a great starting point for your summer project! So go do you research and call us when you want to paint, seal or stain your deck!
