Decking staining and oiling in Cambridge
A grey, slippery deck is usually still sound timber under the dirt. Our decorators clean it, let it dry, then finish it with a decking oil, a decking stain or a decking paint, depending on the wood and the look you want. The work is part of our wider shed, fence and gate painting service, and Graham visits first to look at the boards, the steps and the frame underneath.
Decking treatment only works on timber. Composite decking, made from plastic and wood fibre, isn't designed to be stained or oiled, and the makers generally advise cleaning it rather than coating it. If yours is composite, we'll say so at the visit rather than sell you a finish it doesn't need.
Cleaning the boards before any finish
Algae, moss and trodden-in dirt collect in the grooves, and they are the main reason a deck turns slippery. We jet wash with an anti-fungal wash, the same method we used on a mould-covered house exterior in Cambridge. On softwood decking the pressure is kept down and the lance held back from the surface, because a jet held too close tears up the soft grain and leaves the boards furry.
Old finishes are checked at the same time. A worn oil simply weathers away, but a decking stain or paint that has started to peel has to be scraped and sanded back, or the new coat peels with it. Screws and nails standing proud are knocked down or replaced so they don't catch a bare foot or tear the brushes.
Giving the timber time to dry
This is the step most often rushed. Washing soaks the boards, and decking sits close to the ground with damp air underneath it, so it takes longer to dry than a fence. We leave it to dry out properly after cleaning and only come back to apply the finish once the boards are dry and a dry spell is forecast.
New pressure-treated decking is a separate case. The timber can stay wet from the treatment for some time after it is laid, and product makers commonly advise waiting until it has dried and weathered before coating it. We follow the instructions on the product we're using, and if your deck is too new, we'll tell you when it's worth booking.
Hot sun can be as unhelpful as rain. Oil brushed onto boards baking at midday can dry before it soaks in and leave lap marks, so we tend to work in the cooler part of the day on bright jobs.
Decking oil, decking stain or decking paint
All three protect the boards, but they behave very differently once people start walking on them.
Decking oil
Oil soaks into the timber instead of forming a skin, so there is nothing to flake. It brings out the grain, comes clear or tinted, and is easy to refresh: clean the deck and apply another coat. The trade-off is that it wears away gradually and needs topping up more often than a coating.
Decking stain
Stain adds more colour while still letting the grain show, which helps when some boards have been replaced and look paler than the rest. Some stains build a thin film, and on a flat deck that film can wear patchily along the walkways, so we choose a product made for horizontal timber.
Decking paint
Paint gives a solid, even colour and hides mismatched or stained boards. It is the most decorative option and the hardest to live with long term, because the film wears through first on steps and around doors. Once a deck is painted, going back to oil means stripping it.
Steps, grooves and slippery boards
Grooved boards need the finish brushed into every channel. Rolling skips the bottom of the grooves, and those bare lines are where water sits and algae returns first. Smooth boards are quicker to coat but show wear marks more.
Steps take the hardest wear on any deck, and a slippery step is a real hazard. Some decking oils and paints come in anti-slip versions with a fine grit, which suits steps and shady areas. Keeping the grooves clean does more than any product, so we'll talk through simple upkeep once the work is done.
When decking needs a carpenter first
Oil won't save a rotten board. Soft, split or spongy boards are pointed out at the visit, and our carpenter or master builder can replace them, or check the joists if the deck flexes underfoot. Loose balustrades and handrails are fixed before we finish them, not painted over.
Replacement boards are paler than weathered ones. A tinted oil or stain helps them blend, and the difference fades over a season.
What affects the price of decking restoration
Graham sets all of this out in a written quotation after seeing the deck.
- Size of the deck and the number of steps
- How much cleaning it needs, and whether old stain or paint has to be stripped
- Grooved or smooth boards
- Oil, stain or paint, and how many coats
- Balustrades, handrails and any boards our carpenter replaces
- Access, including plant pots and furniture to move
Booking your deck in
Get in touch and Graham will come and walk the deck with you, look at the boards up close and talk through oil, stain or paint. The quotation usually follows by email. One customer whose whole house we decorated wrote on Checkatrade that the work ran through to “refurbishing the shed, external cedar cladding and the decking”, and there are more like it on our reviews page.
Decking is often done alongside the rest of the garden. If the fence needs painting too, or the summerhouse or shed is looking tired, it can all go on one quotation. We're based in Landbeach, a couple of miles from Milton and Waterbeach. We'll book a dry day, tidy up as we go, and you don't pay until you're happy with the finished deck.
