Wood Staining, Deck Staining and Clear Coats in Vancouver, WA

Wood in this climate needs sealing more than it needs colour

The Pacific Northwest is cedar country. Cedar siding, cedar decks, cedar fences, fir railings and wood front doors are everywhere in Vancouver and Portland, and every one of them spends most of the year wet. Unsealed wood soaks up that water, swells, dries out in August, cracks, and turns grey as the sun breaks down the surface fibres. Mildew settles into the grain on the shaded sides.

Stain does two things: it gives the wood colour, and when it is the right product applied to a properly prepared surface, it seals it. We treat staining as a protection job first and a colour job second, which is the opposite of how most painters treat it.

What we stain and seal

• Decks and deck refinishing. Cedar and fir decks cleaned, brightened, sanded and stained. Grey, tired decks brought back rather than replaced.
• Cedar siding and shingles. Semi-transparent or solid stains that let the grain show and keep the water out. How cedar siding is maintained here.
• Fences, pergolas and railings. The pieces that go grey first, done at the same time as the deck so the colour matches.
• Front doors and garage doors. Wood doors stripped if needed, stained and finished with a UV-resistant clear coat.
• Interior wood. Stair treads, railings, doors, trim and built-ins, stained and clear-coated.

How a staining job runs

Clean and brighten

Dirt, mildew and the grey surface layer are washed off with a wood cleaner, then the wood is brightened to restore its natural colour and open the grain. A deck that skips this step takes stain unevenly and the colour looks blotchy.

Dry fully

This is the step that cannot be rushed in this region. Stain applied to damp wood will not penetrate and will not last. We check moisture before we start, and a wet week pushes the schedule rather than compromising the job.

Sand and repair

Rough spots and raised grain are sanded smooth. Loose boards and popped fasteners are fixed. Any failing old finish is stripped back to a sound surface, because new stain over flaking old stain fails with it.

Stain, then seal

Stain is applied evenly for consistent colour and depth, working with the grain. Where the product calls for it, or on doors and interior wood, a clear topcoat goes over for the hard, protective finish. Then a final walkthrough and detail touch-ups.

Deck staining in Vancouver, WA, deck staining in Portland, and the cedar between

Deck staining in Vancouver, WA is a seasonal rush, because every deck in Clark County goes grey on the same schedule and every homeowner notices in May. We stain and refinish decks across Vancouver, Camas, Washougal, Battle Ground, Ridgefield, Salmon Creek and Felida, and deck staining in Portland, Beaverton, Lake Oswego, West Linn and Tualatin runs on the same calendar under our Oregon licence, CCB #262594. Deck refinishing, cedar fence staining and cedar siding are booked the same way. If you searched for wood staining near me or deck refinishing near me from either side of the river, the clean, brighten, dry, stain sequence on this page is what to ask any painter about before you hire them. Vancouver, Portland and Beaverton each have their own page.

What decides the price of a staining job

• Square footage and the number of railings. Railings, balusters and stairs are slow, detailed work and often cost as much as the floor.
• How far gone the wood is. A deck with a tired but intact finish is a wash and a maintenance coat. A deck that has gone fully grey, or has peeling old film finish, is a full clean, brighten, strip and sand before the stain.
• Repairs. Split boards, popped fasteners and soft stair stringers are flagged at the estimate and priced on their own line.
• The product. Semi-transparent, solid, oil or water-based, and whether a clear topcoat is specified for doors and interior wood.

The proposal lists the prep steps, the product, the drying requirement and the weather plan, and larger deck, fence and siding jobs qualify for 10% off all qualifying jobs over $2,500, confirmed on the written estimate.

Staining questions