Deck & Wood Staining in Oshkosh, WI

Paint sits on the surface as a film. When it fails it lets go in sheets, and the repair is scraping back to sound material.

Stain soaks in. When it fails it thins out, grays off, and stops shedding water, on the horizontal surfaces first, because those hold water and take direct sun. The repair is cleaning and re-coating, not stripping. That is the main reason we recommend stain over paint on decks and fences, where a peeling film would be miserable to own.

Transparent and semi-transparent stains show the grain and give you the most natural look, at the cost of the shortest life. They carry the least pigment, and pigment blocks UV. Best on newer wood in good condition.

Semi-solid and solid stains carry much more pigment. They last far longer and they hide a lot, which matters on older decking and on fences that have already grayed unevenly. Solid stain hides grain almost entirely, so it is closer to paint in appearance while still behaving like a stain.

Older, weathered, patched wood generally wants more opacity, not less. It is the honest recommendation even though the transparent finishes photograph better.

Decks, railings and stairs. Fences, pergolas and gazebos. Cedar shake and shingle siding. Log and timber exteriors. Exterior doors and porch ceilings.

New pressure-treated lumber is worth a specific mention: it usually arrives wet from the treatment process and needs weeks to months of drying before it will take stain properly. If your deck was built this spring, we will tell you to wait rather than take your money twice.