Deck Staining in Ottawa

Decks are everywhere in Canada, especially in Ottawa's suburban neighbourhoods like Nepean, Kanata, and Orleans, and if you’ve got a detached or semi-detached home, chances are you’ve got one too. But when it comes to staining a deck, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer; every deck is different. At Letts Paint, we offer complete deck staining services, which include the following:

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​Surface Preparation for Deck Staining
This really depends on the condition of your deck. Is it brand new? Worn out? Peeling like crazy? Most older decks just need a good pressure wash and some light sanding to get them ready. Staining new decks in Ottawa are easy, usually just requiring a quick clean if there’s dirt or leaves. But if the wood is rotting or falling apart, that’s a bigger job, and boards may need to be replaced first.

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What’s already on the deck?
If it’s a new build, we can largely bypass the prep stage. Otherwise, it matters more than you’d think. Decks can have anything from semi-transparent stain to solid stain to full-on paint. You can usually tell by how it’s wearing: if it’s peeling in thin, see-through layers, it’s probably a lighter stain. If it looks thick and fully covers the wood, you’re likely dealing with a solid stain or paint. Solid stain often still lets a bit of the wood grain show through, unlike paint.

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What do you actually want it to look like?
Your end goal matters, and it’s tied to what’s already there. With a new deck, you’ve got all the options. If it was previously done with a semi-transparent stain, you can strip it and start fresh, or just prep it and go over it with a solid finish. Both approaches work, just with different trade-offs. If the deck already has a solid coating, your options shrink a bit. Stripping it is possible, but expensive, and you can’t really go back to a semi-transparent stain unless you fully remove everything. Most of the time, you’re just reapplying another solid coat.

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Application
This is where people are sometimes surprised. Staining a deck isn’t like painting a wall, you can’t just roll it out quickly. Between the gaps in the boards and the edges, it takes careful brushwork to get even coverage and avoid streaks. 

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At the end of the day, every deck is different and Letts Paint understand what's required at each step. Hiring a professional helps you plan better and avoid headaches later on.