Frequently Asked Questions

If the structure is sound, refinishing is the better move. Gray, rough, splintering boards are a surface problem, and sanding fixes it. What refinishing can't fix is rot in the framing, badly split structural posts, or boards worn too thin. We check for all of that at the estimate. If the deck can't be saved, we'll tell you before you spend anything.

Yes. It's zero VOC and mineral-based, with no oils and no petroleum. Once it dries overnight, there's no oily residue after, and it's harmless to plants and animals.

Stain is mostly about color. Sealer is about protection: it repels water and slows sun damage so the wood stops graying and splintering. Stain sprayed over weathered wood looks good for a season and then peels. We sand first, seal with a penetrating mineral-based product, and add a color tint if you want the stained look with real protection under it.

Late spring through early fall is most common, but whenever the weather cooperates. The wood needs to be dry and temperatures steady for the sealer to bond, and that window closes fast along the Front Range. 

A brush works sealer into the wood grain, where it bonds and repels water from inside the surface. A sprayer lays it on top, where sun and moisture strip it off. Brushing takes longer and costs more labor, and it's the reason the finish lasts. It's also the reason so much of our business is repeat customers.

It depends on the size and condition of the deck, so we don't quote blind numbers.

Two things are always true: it costs a fraction of replacing the deck, and our estimates are free.