When deciding between painting vs. staining a deck, many homeowners aim to preserve the beauty of the wood while completely covering and protecting it. Whether your deck serves as a primary entryway or a popular barbecue spot, you deserve long-lasting wood with minimal maintenance. Wooden decks require more care than concrete, brick, or vinyl decks; learn the pros and cons of staining or painting your deck from Woodstock’s top-rated exterior painting services.
The Pros of Staining a Deck
Staining offers deck owners several benefits, such as:
Budget and Time Friendly
A gallon of paint may cost as much as $60 per gallon, while a gallon of stain starts as low as $20 a gallon. In addition, staining your deck won’t require wood preservatives or primer coats. Combined, the benefits of deck staining include saving money and using your time to your advantage.
More Natural Appearance
Standard stain provides a thin film that soaks into your wood without covering the knots, streaks, and other natural occurrences on each board. Meanwhile, solid stains retain the beauty of your wood grain while providing a thick, semi-transparent film straddling the line between regular wood stain and paint.
The Cons of Staining a Deck
As with anything else, staining comes with a few drawbacks worth considering.
Requires More Maintenance than Paint
Wood stain fades and loses its protective qualities faster than a painted deck. To ensure continued coverage, you should reapply wood stain every three to five years.
Less Color Range
Wood stain comes in limited colors. Regardless of your deck’s color, all stains come in only various shades of brown. While these colors give your deck a cosmetic facelift, problems in your wood show through and may become more evident after the stain.
The Pros of Painting a Deck
There are many benefits to painting a deck, including:
Low Maintenance
Choosing between painting vs. staining a deck depends partially on the required maintenance. Paint lasts longer than wood stain and requires much less maintenance.
When using oil-based paint, painted decks can last up to ten years before needing a paint job. They also clean up easier and faster than stained decks.
A Wide Variety of Colors
Exterior paint comes in many color options unmatched by wood stains. With the ability to paint your deck any color you like, you can match it to your home’s style or paint it to stand out.
The Cons of Painting a Deck
Although painting is a great way to renew your deck, there are a few cons to consider.
Completely Covers Your Wood
Because of the way paint completely covers your deck’s boards, you’ll lose the natural beauty of the wood. Even one layer of the correct type of paint coats your deck well enough to hide wood knots, streaks, and other details.
Requires More Supplies
Besides the typical painting supplies like paint brushes, rollers, and paint, you’ll also need a wood preservative and primer. When combined with exterior paint, the preservative and primer help your paint stick to your deck.
Painting vs. Staining: Which Is Best for Your Woodstock, GA, Deck?
Consider the pros and cons of staining or painting your deck before choosing the right option for you. No one knows your deck as you do, but if you want professional, experienced help completing your deck’s paint or stain project, rely on A&P Painting & Flooring. Contact them to learn more about painting vs. staining a deck.
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