House Renovation, Services

Got a re-staining or repainting project on the horizon for your deck? If so then there are some considerations you should take before undergoing the project. First of all, you have to understand that in order to give yourself the highest chance for success, the deck needs to be thoroughly stripped of any old paint, seal or stain.

This is the first step to any re-staining or repainting project and it can be the most time-consuming, which leads us to our first point…

Time is a Factor

So when is the best time to begin your deck restoration project? First you have to make a careful assessment of how large the surface area of your deck is because time will be one of the major factors affecting the success of your project. But as a general rule of thumb, it will take about 20 hours to stain or paint a deck that is 500 square feet. And that’s not even counting the time it will take to strip it.

So why is this important? Because if you are handling the job yourself, you need to allow yourself enough time to complete the job in a few days. Staining and painting shouldn’t be drawn out over the course of weeks because humidity can adversely affect the adhesion process. So it should be done more or less at once. Speaking of humidity…

Weather Matters Most

The only thing more important than time in determining when you should begin stripping your deck is the weather. Obviously, you don’t want to start stripping your deck when it’s raining because:

• Scraping old stain, seal and paint while the rain is pouring is no fun and can even be dangerous and…
• If you are using a chemical stripper to help, any moisture can hinder its effectiveness

There is a popular misconception that spring and summer are the best times to strip and stain a deck simply because that’s when it’s most likely to be dry. But dry weather is only half of the story. You still want to avoid humidity when you begin stripping your deck. So depending on where you live, early spring may not be a great choice because there will still be a decent amount of humidity in the air that the wood will absorb. And that’s not good.

So the summer should be fine, right? Not necessarily. You don’t want to wait for the dog days of summer to start stripping because:

• Scraping can be laborious and taxing work to do under the hot summer sun
• High heat can affect the way certain chemical strippers perform

So in general, our advice would be to start stripping your deck around late spring/early summer. Also, be sure that when you start staining or sealing, the temperature is within 50 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Quality Stripping and Sealing

For complete deck stripping and sealing services in Charlotte NC, give us a call (704) 245-9409 here at Century Painting. We do top-quality work every time so schedule an estimate today.