Should I stain my deck myself or hire someone?

Do it yourself if the deck is sound, close to the ground, and either bare or finished with a penetrating stain that has simply worn. Hire someone when the job grows past staining: an old film finish to strip, a high deck or one with a lot of railing, old paint on a house built before 1978, or wood that needs repairs. The deciding question is usually not the staining but the preparation.

When doing it yourself makes sense

A penetrating stain is forgiving work. The USDA Forest Products Laboratory's Wood Handbook says penetrating finishes need more frequent application than paint but do not need extensive surface preparation, because they seldom fail by cracking and peeling.^[1] It also notes: "Lightly pigmented finishes require little work to apply on decks."^[1] On a deck that already has one, a repeat coat is mostly cleaning, drying and brushing.

You are a good fit for the job if:

• the deck is at or near ground level, and you can reach every railing from the boards or the ground;
• the old finish is a penetrating stain or the wood is bare and gray, with no peeling film;
• the boards, railings and stairs are solid;
• you have a clean day, a dry day or two, and a staining day in decent weather.

The practical steps are in how to stain a deck.

When hiring makes sense

An old film has to come off. If the deck was painted, has a solid-color stain, or has a stain that was put on so thick it peels, that film has to be removed before a penetrating stain can soak in. The handbook is blunt: "Removing paint and other film-forming finishes from wood is a time-consuming and often difficult process."^[1] It also warns that products that are effective at stripping paint tend to pose health risks.^[1] This is where most homeowners decide the job is worth paying for. In the handbook's words, the labor of preparing and applying a penetrating stain or water repellent is small compared with dealing with a failed film-forming coating.^[1]

The deck is older. If your deck was built before 2004 and is not cedar or redwood, it was most likely built with CCA-treated wood.^[2] The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission advises you to avoid sanding or power washing CCA-treated wood,^[2] and to wear goggles, gloves and a dust mask when cleaning or handling it.^[2] That rules out the fast prep many people plan on, so a careful, slower cleaning is part of the job whoever does it.

There is old paint and the house predates 1978. Under EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule, anyone paid to perform work that disturbs painted surfaces in a home built before 1978 must be certified, and their workers trained in lead-safe work practices.^[3] The rule generally does not apply to homeowners working on their own pre-1978 home, unless they rent out all or part of it, run a childcare center there, or are fixing it up to sell for profit,^[3] but EPA recommends that homeowners planning that kind of project hire a lead-safe certified contractor.^[3]

Height, size and time. A second-storey deck means railings and rim boards you can only reach from a ladder. A big deck with stairs and full railings can take a homeowner several weekends. And a business that does this every week can wait for the right dry spell without losing your weekend to rain.

Licences in Virginia

DPOR says that if the work you are considering is valued at $1,000 or more, a valid Virginia contractor's licence is required.^[6] A Class C contractor's licence covers construction, removal, repair or improvement jobs with a single contract over $1,000 and under $30,000.^[4] Two of the Board for Contractors' specialties fit deck staining. The painting and wallcovering specialty covers applying coatings for protective or decorative purposes, including the surface preparation, sanding and cleaning before painting, on both interior and exterior surfaces.^[5] The home improvement contracting specialty covers repairs or improvements to dwellings and townhouses and to structures annexed to them.^[5]

Check the licence yourself. DPOR's guide warns: "A license number in an advertisement or on a business card does not necessarily mean the contractor’s license is valid."^[6] Look the business up on DPOR's licence lookup before you sign.

How to hire well

• Compare like with like. The Board for Contractors advises you to get at least three written bids or estimates using identical plans and specifications.^[6] Give every business the same list: deck size, railings and stairs, the current finish, and what you want on it.
• Put it in writing. Virginia law requires all licensed contractors to provide a written contract for residential work.^[6] It should name the cleaner, the stain and color, the number of coats, the prep included and the total price.
• Pay as the work is done. The Board's advice is to limit a deposit to 10% down or $1,000, whichever is less, do not pay 100% of the bill until the job is 100% complete, and never pay cash.^[6]
• Check the finish before the last payment. Shiny patches mean stain did not soak in and formed a film, which can peel,^[1] and lap marks show where stain overlapped a previously stained area.^[1] Both are worth raising before you pay in full.

Whoever does the staining, it is a good time to look at the structure. Fairfax County's building official advises homeowners to evaluate your deck annually and have it inspected regularly by a licensed contractor.^[7] See how often a deck needs staining and what deck staining costs.

Stop and call a pro if

• Boards, joists, posts or stairs are soft, rotted or badly split, or the railings or stairs are loose.
• The old finish is peeling paint or solid-color stain that would need chemical stripping.
• The house was built before 1978 and the work would disturb old paint.
• Any part of the job means working from a ladder.

Getting quotes on Loclis

On Loclis you describe the deck staining job once and local businesses quote it; a business that needs to see the deck first can offer an estimate visit. Loclis's own fees are on the pricing page. You can also browse deck staining and sealing, find exterior pros around Blacksburg, or read more exterior answers.