Get matched with top deck staining pros in Orange City, IA

Yes, it’s best to remove the previous coat of stain from your deck before restaining it, especially if the surface is in bad condition. Restaining on top of an old coat can lead to an uneven surface, as the new stain won’t fully soak into the deck material. That said, if your deck is in excellent condition, you may be able to get away with just cleaning the surface instead of sanding it and removing the old stain. If you choose not to remove the previous coat, it’s best to use the same type of stain for the new layer.

There are deck restoration products and oil-based wood stains that can help bring back some of the color and shine to your faded Trex decking. However, if your boards are suffering from serious fading due to UV rays or chemical cleaning products, don’t expect miracles. Also, these products are only suitable for use on the older Trex boards, not the capped, second-generation Trex products. 

A five-gallon bucket of deck stain will cover roughly 875 square feet in a single coat. Actual coverage will vary based on the type of wood you’re staining and the number of coats. If you plan on doing multiple coats, multiply the square footage by the number of coats to calculate how many buckets of stain you’ll need.

You can paint a deck with either a roller or a brush, but rollers are more common because they’re faster. There are benefits to using a brush, though. Brushes offer more control than rollers, so it’s a worthwhile route if you don’t mind spending more time on the job. The fastest way to paint a deck is with a sprayer, but they’re more expensive than rollers and brushes and more likely to result in an uneven coat.